The 2010 World Cup came and went too quickly for us. Everyone had such high expectations that the first World Cup to be staged within Africa would be one to remember. It certainly was – but for all the wrong reasons. However, we mainly remember it for the boots that were on show during the South African winter months and let’s now take a look at the boots that dominated the pitches of South Africa over a year ago:
Nike kick this article off for several reasons; mainly because their Elite colourway screamed and shouted at you:
Nike unveiled their Elite series in May, weeks before the 2010 World Cup was due to kick off. The idea was to create an enhanced model – with speed being the main factor – of each existing silo boot in addition to slapping on a unique colourway that ensured you wouldn’t miss spotting them on the South African pitches.
Nike fitted their silo boots with a carbon fibre chassis; applying the design process of the Superfly to each boot in question. As a result of the carbon fibre, Nike cut down the weight of each boot – excluding the Superfly – by almost a fifth! I will detail the specific weight loss of each boot when I focus on each individual boot.
Visually, the Elite boots were striking. Nike branded their unique colourway as a Metallic Mach Purple/Total Orange – with the latter being Nike’s signature colour. The colours mentioned create a great visual clash, allegedly making it easier for teammates to spot your dashing run into a pocket of space. Let’s look at each individual boot…
Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II Elite
The Mercurial has come a long way since its inception, and Nike’s flagship boot was given the Elite treatment for South Africa. As a result, it was 5% lighter than its heavier self, the Superfly II – which was incidentally released a month earlier. We’re giving this one a 6/10 because the WC colourway just didn’t do it for us on the Superfly.
Nike T90 Laser III Elite
Nike’s powerhouse boot, the Laser, was also kitted out in the Elite material and we loved it. The boot was 16% lighter than the normal Laser III and the WC colourway looked the part too. A respectable 8/10 for this one.
Nike CTR360 Maestri Elite
After its brilliant debut season, the CTR360 had its World Cup debut (scoring the winning goal in the final too!) and Nike made sure its control boot was also subject to the Elite makeover. As a result, it came out 19% lighter than the standard CTR360 Maestri and it therefore had the greatest weight loss when compared to Nike’s other Elite boots. We also love the original Elite Maestri on the pitch as it simply looks superb in the unique colourway and we wouldn’t mind seeing a special re-release of it (very unlikely). 10/10.
Nike Tiempo Legend Elite
Nike’s traditional Legend wasn’t overlooked for the World Cup as it also had the Elite facelift. We don’t know what it is about it, but it just didn’t cut it for us, despite the 16% weight loss. This is perhaps the reason why the Tiempo range is better suited to more traditional colourways? 5/10.
The Elite range from Nike continued into the 2010/11 season as well as this season, but that is all due to change next year as Nike deliver the new Mercurial Vapor VIII
Time for adidas…
We know adidas didn’t overhaul their boots’ performance in any way – they just slapped on their World Cup colourway! Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any photos of all adidas’ World Cup boots together, so we’ll just have to dive right in!
adidas Predator X
We start adidas’ collection with its most iconic boot: the Predator. For the 2010 World Cup, adidas gave their boots a makeover with their Black/Sun (this colourway) and Sun/Black (the reverse) colourway. Again, adidas wanted everyone to recognise their boots on the global stage with ease, but they took a more discreet approach to the idea than their rivals did. We give this one a 7/10 as it wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t brilliant.
adidas adiPure III
The adiPure is adidas’ direct competitor to Nike’s Legend and it too was given the World Cup coat of paint. We actually liked it more on the adiPure than the Predator simply because the adiPure is a classic boot that is best suited to more toned down colourways. A solid 8/10 from us.
adidas F50 adiZero
Yup, the 2010 World Cup saw the official debut of adidas’ speed boot, the adiZero. It blew everyone away and this colourway was certainly the pick of the three (which we will show you). Kudos to adidas for this one and it walks away with a fully deserved 10/10 from us.
Its counterpart colourway – only available on the adiZero – on show here: the more popular Sun/Black adiZero. We have no issues with this colourway, but we just prefer the Black/Sun shown above as it gives the adiZero a much “stealthier” look. 8/10.
Last but not least…
The Charmeleon/Electricity adiZero exclusvely worn by Lionel Messi in the 2010 World Cup. This colourway was a hugely successful one as adidas blended some great colours to create an unforgettable colourway that captured the extravagance of Messi. 10/10.
And that wraps up our second boot flashback article. As we are doing this chronologically, we feel the need to include tournament specials such as this. What was your favourite boot on show? Did you enjoy seeing the unique colourways of both adidas and Nike again? Keep an eye open for next week’s flashback, where we pick the best (and worst) from 2009/10.
I have the elite superflys and they’re much better in person. I like the lack of the flicker pattern on the instep, and the brightness
You all forgot the puma’s WC colorways :/
I’ve got a pair of Laser Elite III WC ….the best fitting striking boot i’ve ever had. But the material is extremely similar to the vapors and started do rip apart from the outsole just 2-3 months after the first match
ya what about the pumas
How was it remembered for all the wrong reasons…?
i was kinda let down by dat world cup… but it was still really amazing!!!
Favorite AdiPure colorway ever. And the only ones I own.