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In seventeen years, the adidas Predator has grown from a piece of technically advanced, unconventional equipment to an unmistakable product design icon. The new adidas Predator adiPower football boots are the latest step in the Predator evolution that began in 1994. Having played their part in some of the most historic moments in football over the years, the adidas Predator series has come a long way from Craig Johnston's original idea.
The adidas Predator was introduced in 1994, some 50 years after Adi Dassler first presented his local Bavarian team with leather stitched boots. It is now the world's best selling football boot, worn by footballing legends and grass roots players alike.
Step by step, the adidas Predator has developed into the most iconic soccer shoe in history. From the giant rubber fins of 94 to the new adiPower Sprint-Frame, the adidas Predator continues to set new standards with each release. Eleven editions on, the adidas adiPower Predator maintains the same distinctive feel set by the very boot seventeen years its senior.
Every soccer shoe has its originator, the boot that paved the way for future editions to evolve. For the adidas Predator series, the original 94 Predator was where it all began. A defining boot that broke the mould and sparked a revolution in football boot design, the adidas Predator 94 was way ahead of its time.
The launch of the original adidas Predator was a defining moment in soccer footwear. The boot was a statement by adidas to push sport equipment to new levels. The finished product was a soccer shoe that featured a rubberised zone covering the forefoot, enabling players to put unprecedented serve onto a football. Vulcanised rubber fins yielded amazing bend, power and control, making the adidas Predator football boot unlike any boot of its time.
As you'd expect with the high quality associated with adidas football boots, the adidas Predator 94 upper was primarily made with supple kangaroo leather, for excellent comfort and ball feel. Add to this the new traxion technology (featured on the outsole of the firm ground versions) and the adidas Predator football boots had become the biggest revolution in football boot design since Adi Dassler's screw-in studs.
Fast forward seventeen years and the adidas Predator still maintains its position as the worlds most successful soccer shoe. As the game has changed, so have football boots. The new adiPower Predator soccer shoes combine lightweight adidas innovation with classic Predator design to create the lightest and most powerful Predator yet.
The iconic three stripes are one of the few things that remain on an upper that has seen significant design changes over the years. For the latest adiPower Predator football boots all new Predator element sits on a unique Taurus calf leather upper first introduced in the Predator X. The defining Predator Element utilises a split Silicon rubber design that makes the adiPower unique to itself.
The revolutionary adidas Sprint Frame has been a real game-changer in football boot construction. Just how far outsole design has come in seventeen years couldn't be more clear when you compare the adiPower football boots with the old-school Predator 94.
The sprint frame creates a dramatic decrease in weight for the boot while providing stability through geometry. The sprint frame out-sole combines with the famous Predator Powerspine to allow additional energy transfer directly from the foot into the ball.
As long as football exists, so will the adidas Predator. The ultimate football boot has set another landmark achievement with the new adiPower football boots. Since the original Predator 94, the worlds most famous football boot has dominated generations. Nearly two decades on, adidas have revolutionised the Predator like never before, as it continues to lead the line in football boot design.
Check out our full article on the new adidas Predator adiPower football boots here. Have your say and join the conversation with the SoccerBible community online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
