One of the biggest decisions faced by any brand when releasing a new football boot is which players they chose to wear the boots. Modern day boots are built for specific breeds of football players. This summer, adidas will launch a totally new boot model. For this forthcoming silo, the story starts right here.
For the last two years adidas have been working behind the scenes to identify a new specific type of football player called ‘The Engine’ and today they are proud to reveal a partnership with leading sports data provider, Opta, who can confirm the existence of this player type through a mathematical algorithm.
According to adidas, 'The Engine is the archetypical box-to-box footballer who covers every blade of grass, seeks goal scoring chances, tracks down his opponent and displays relentless energy from the first minute to the final whistle.'
Based on the adidas insight, Opta have helped to reveal the fundamental character of ‘The Engine’ by finding out how to measure and quantify his performances. They have produced a mathematical algorithm which defines the perfect ‘Engine’ player and will be used to track this player’s performance from today onwards.
With the help of Opta and their database of statistics and insights, the algorithm will be used to pinpoint ‘The Engine’ performances week in, week out. Certain indicators such as work rate, pitch coverage, and on / off ball statistics will be measured and players will be scored out of 100.
Ignoring the complicated mathematics, it's clear to see who adidas are targeting. The stop-at-nothing player, with a relentless, uncompromising attitude. Some of the players believed to fit ‘The Engine’ stereotype are Bayern Munich’s Javi Martinez, FC Barcelona’s Dani Alves, AS Roma’s Daniele De Rossi & Paris Saint Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi.
adidas & Opta will analyse data from key matches from the UEFA Champions League and the Confederations Cup and highlight ‘The Engine’ players via an index entitled ‘The Engine Scale’ – results will be announced to media and fans through a series of info graphics and other statistic-based imagery as they become available on twitter @adidasfootball #TheEngine.
Claus-Peter Mayer, adidas Vice President Global Sports Marketing Football, said: “Working with Opta has confirmed that adidas have found ‘The Engine’ footballer. ‘The Engine’ is a player we have been focusing on in recent years in terms of our footwear development and player recruitment, so for the world’s leading data provider to prove this insight through their scientific analysis is a fantastic and exciting development.”
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