Adidas Predator

Adidas Predator are a range of football boots developed by German sportswear manufacturer Adidas, introduced in 1994.[1] The Predator boots are based on a prototype concept from the Australian former footballer Craig Johnston.[2][3] A characteristic feature of the Predator range is the presence of rubber patches or strips on the top of the shoe, designed to increase friction between the boot and the ball. In late 2010, Adidas designed the new "Power-spine" technology, which they claim improves shot power by reducing the amount the foot bends back as it kicks the ball.

In 2014, Hungarian inventor László Orosszi won a court case against Adidas in relation to the Predator Precision range, forcing Adidas to pay royalties on that range of the boot.

The Predator line was discontinued in May 2015 for football,[4] but was brought back in late 2017 to replace the ACE boots whereas the rugby line is still going strong. The new elite-level predator brought back by Adidas is named the Predator 18+, which features a prime knit upper with a laceless design as in Ace 16+ and 17+.

History of the Predator models

There have been 26 different Predator models, with a cheaper version without all the predator technology going by a different name. For example, the Predator Pulse's budget variant was called the Pulsado.

The eponymous Predator elements have developed over time.[6] The principle behind the project, however, involves attaching rubber strips to the forefoot that Adidas says increases the speed of the ball. The initial focus in Predator commercials was on shooting strength, but this gradually move more to the effect on ball spin and precision. The first Predators were also available without Predator elements under a different name. While the Predators were made of black kangaroo leather with white stripes and red elements, the equivalent boots without Predator technology were black with white stripes and blue accents. The Precision equivalent, however, was black and white only, while the Supernova (Predator Mania without the Predator elements) was black with either silver or gold heel caps and stripes. David Beckham wore these boots for most of his career, as did Zinedine Zidane.

1) Predator (1994)

2) Rapier (1995)

3) Touch (1996)

4) Accelerator (1998) (worn by Steven Gerrard)

5) Precision (2000)

6) Mania (2002)

7) Pulse (2004)

8) Absolute (2006) [Rugby Version Released 2007]

9) PowerSwerve (2007) [Rugby Version Released 2008]

10) Predator X (2009) [Rugby Versions - Predator RX (2009)]

11) AdiPower Predator (2011) Predator Kinetic SL (Elite Version)

12) Predator LZ (2012) [Rugby Versions - Predator Incurza (2012)]

13) Predator LZ 2 (2013) [Rugby Version - Predator Incurza 2 (2013)]

14) Predator Instinct (2014)

15) Predator Incurza 3 (2014)*

16) Predator Incurza 4 (2015)*

17) Predator Malice (2016/17)*

18) Crazyquick Malice (2016 Version)*

19) Predator Malice Control (2017)*

20) Predator Flare (2017)*

21) Predator 18 (2017)

22) Predator 19 (2018)

23) Predator 20 Mutator (2020)

24) Predator 21 Freak (2021)

25) Predator 22 Edge (2022)

26) Predator 23 Accuracy (2023)

27) Predator 24 Solar Energy (2024)

28) Predator 25 (2025)

these models were rugby shoes, not football boots.

Original Predator

The original Adidas Predator was made of leather. It featured rubber ridges. It only came in a few colours, black with white stripes and red accents. This colour scheme is now known as the main one for all predators. The first goal scored by a professional footballer using Predator boots in a top-level match was by John Collins for Celtic in April 1994. He scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw at Ibrox Stadium against Rangers, direct from a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box.[7]

Rapier

The Predator Rapiers were the first Adidas football boots available in different colors. Until then, the company's boots were all made of black leather. The Rapier, however, was also (as a limited series) available in white and red, as were the next two models. Beginning with the Mania, Adidas started to produce its Predator boots in countless color variants. Moreover, one color was called David Beckham's style.

Touch

Mania

Adidas released the Predator Mania to coincide with the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea and Japan. They designed it with a "Far Eastern" style in mind, so it had sharp angular styling and came in various color schemes in addition to the traditional black–red design. These included the "champagne", a champagne-white color, and the "champagne gold", a gold pearl-like white, although just stud background and heel cup was gold. These were worn by David Beckham, Alessandro Del Piero and Raúl. These were available in the XTRX Blades for soft ground use, which came with a stud key and could be loosened or tightened at the owners comfort and also the red firm ground blades for hard surfaces. These were not detachable and came fixated to the boot. A limited-edition version was also released in "Japan Blue" and was worn by Alex of the Japan national team during the tournament. During the 2002–03 playing season, they also released an all-red version with the Adidas stripes in silver.

Problems with reliability of the XTRX Blades meant a revised version was released in late 2003, which incorporated minor changes to the layout and design of the studs. In addition to this, with the revision, Adidas also released the boots with traditional screw in studs which were previously only available to professional players who had the boots custom designed by Adidas. Two new colours were released: "lunar", which came out in March 2003, and "gun metal", which was released in time for the 2003–04 playing season. The final revision of this boot came with the release of the HG (Hard Ground) sole, which was the same as the FG, except that the studs were black instead of red and were joined up and more robust with the boots intended to be used on third generation and synthetic surfaces. "Blue Mania" were only released in small numbers, primarily in the North American market, Japan and Korea; they are rare in Europe.

With the success of the Mania in 2002, Adidas launched a budget version of the boot called the Manado. This featured all the key characteristics of the Mania boot but with small cosmetic differences. A cheaper young cow leather was used in comparison to the Mania's kangaroo skin leather. There was also a difference in the size and length of the tongues on each boot, compared to the Mania and the achillies protector on the heel was not plastic. Differences in the studs and coloring of the under sole are also evident, although the differences can be hard to notice at a glance, the Manados are often mistaken for Manias even though the recommended retail price of the Manados was £60, opposed to the £120 of the Manias.

With the difference in leather and other features, the Predator Mania FG is intended as the peak of the Predator range. With the line discontinued in late 2003, the boot has long been out of stock. There has been a retro version which was released in 2017 in the champagne colorway, its limited quantities made people sell them on eBay at monstrous prices.

Predator Lethal Zones

Released in May 2012, but previously tested by professionals in blackout versions,[16] the next Predators will be called the LZ due to the five "lethal zones" on the boots.[17] Previously referred to as the D5 due to the same five zones being called deadly, Adidas changed the name in the build up to their release. In a change for the Predators, they will have a synthetic leather upper and these will be the first Predator boots with mi-Coach capability. The Predator LZ features that same Sprint-Frame and stud configuration that is found in several other ranges such as the Adi-pure and F50 Adi-Zero. The first zone is called "first touch". It is on the front of the boot. It supposedly gives the wearer a good first touch. The second zone is called "dribble". It is on the side of the boot and supposedly gives a better touch. The third is called "drive". This is the classic predator zone in the striking part of the foot, used for long passes down the field and more powerful shots. The fourth is called "pass". It is made up of extra foam with a bit of tacky material in the passing zone. The last one is called "sweet spot". It is on the side of the big toe and is helpful for giving spin and chipping.

In November 2012, Adidas unveiled a new lightweight version of the Predator LZ, aptly named the Predator LZ SL. The boot still features Lethal Zones, mi-Coach technology and the same soleplate. It is in the upper material where they are differentiated. Rather than using the Hybrid S-L seen in the regular LZ, Adidas employ a thinner Sprint-Skin on the back end of the LZ SL. This boot weighed in at 7.3oz.

In May 2013, Adidas officially released the updated version of the Predator LZ, named the Predator LZ II, and it was debuted by several players in Europe, including Napoli's Pepe Reina; Chelsea's Fernando Torres, Oscar and Petr Čech; Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Özil and Per Mertesacker; Real Madrid's Ángel Di María and Xabi Alonso; and Chelsea's Juan Mata.[18] First released in a Ray Green colorway, the next-generation Predator boasts new raised rubber lethal zones which add increased friction between your foot and the ball for ultimate control, touch, passing and shooting. Other features include the Hybrid-Touch upper which is designed for optimal performance in all weather conditions and Traxion 2.0 stud configuration and Sprint-Frame soleplate.[19]

Conception

History of the Predator models

Original Predator

Rapier

Touch

See also

External links

References

Accelerator

Precision

Mania

Pulse

Absolute

Power-Swerve

Predator X

Adi Power Predator

Adi-power Predator SL

Adi-power Predator SL

Predator Lethal Zones

Predator 18

title	Adidas Predator
type	Football boot
inventor	Adidas
inception	1994
manufacturer	Adidas
website	adidas.com/predator