Retrospect | Nike CR7 Mercurial Series : Football Boots : Soccer Bible

Updated: Following the launch of the “Rare Gold” Mercurial Superfly IV, Nike have extended Ronaldo’s signature CR7 line to ten exclusive designs.

Nike's line of signature CR7 Mercurials have always been a representation of different stages of their star man's career. From his eccentric Safari boots at a time when he was Real Madrid's freshest eager-eyed Galactico to a Vapor VIII that reflected his off pitch style and passion for fashion, Nike and Ronaldo have progressed as a brand and player.

2010 | Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II Safari CR7 - The CR signature Mercurial line kicked off in October 2010. With Ronaldo's first season at the Bernabeu under his belt after an £80 million move from Old Trafford, Nike decided it was the time to reward their lead asset with his own line of football boots, following in the footsteps of his Brazilian namesake. The tag line for the CR Safari was "Be Fast, Be Seen" and with such a bold design it was hard to argue with that.



2011 | Nike CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly III - Six months later Nike dropped a second installment to the bespoke Ronaldo boot line. A more understated design than the debut Safari boot, but arguably the best looking from the series. Ronaldo christened his new boots with a goal from the penalty spot against Barcelona.



2011 | Nike Mercurial Superfly CR7 III - The craziness was toned back up for Ronaldo's next release with a striking pinstripe design with a twist. The abstract boots were designed to mirror the performance and style Cristiano Ronaldo embodies, with a disruptive graphic treatment on the left and right side of the boot. They may not have been to everybody's taste but it's hard to deny that they're the most memorable form the series.



2012 | Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII ACC CR - Launched in Madrid with a new "Love To Win, Hate To Lose" tagline that epitomised Ronaldo's character, the CR Vapor VIII was stripped back, with the only added quirk being a rather stylish pink and blue graphic. The first real change in direction for the Nike CR line with no gimmicks, just clean visuals.



2013 | Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR SE - The first special edition CR Mercurial landed last year as Nike produced just 100 pairs of the limited edition Mercurial Vapor IX CR SE designed to celebrate Cristiano Ronaldo's record breaking 11/12 season. The Mercurial IX featured a bold CR7 graphic and a series of numbers recognising his achievements from that season.



2013 | Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR - Another wild expression of CR style followed just weeks after the Special Edition boots as the White/Volt/Crimson design dropped with a Safari-style Swoosh. Nike had made a trend of reserving their most daring designs for their headline athlete but these were arguably the the most visually offensive of the collection.



2013 | Nike Mercurial Vapor IX Galaxy - There's a certain expectation that comes with each Nike CR release and the Galaxy lived up to the hype. The seventh edition contends with the second for the best CR Mercurial in our opinion and was design with Ronaldo's 'out of this world' ability in mind. 



2014 | Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR7 Special Edition - April 2014 saw the most recent addition to the CR series with another Special Edition boot created to celebrate Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or victory. Officialy recognised as the world's greatest footballer Ronaldo was presented with one of just a hundred gold sole-plated Mercurial which was worn in the el clasico Copa del Rey Final.



2014 | Nike Mercurial Superfly IV CR7 - For Madrid’s La Liga clash against Barcelona, Nike hooked Ronaldo up with his first signature Mercurial Superfly IV. Rather than firing out a bold, in-your-face colourway, Nike used a set of tricks to devastating effect, creating a boot that oozes sophistication. A subtle but stand out shimmering effect sits on the slickest of slick uppers with a iridescent carbon-fiber soleplate ensures the class is replicated underneath.

2015 | Nike Mercurial Superfly CR7 Special Edition - Kicking off 2015, Nike wasted no time in rewarding Cristiano Ronaldo on his 2014 Ballon d'Or win with a custom pair of "Rare Gold" Mercurial Superfly IV boots, bespoke with a lower fit collar. The gold and black boots featured micro-diamonds applied by hand to the CR7 logo on the instep of the boot. This was a boot earned, not given.

Have you got a favourite boot from the Nike Cristiano Ronaldo signature collection? Let us know, drop us a line in the comments.