Raphael Varane Trains In Nike Tiempo 7 : Boot Spotting : Soccer Bible

The seventh generation Tiempo Legend is beginning to emerge on training pitches across Europe lately as Nike prepare to unveil the new look design in 2017. Real Madrid and France defender Raphael Varane is the latest player to take his new wheels for a spin, marking a new chapter in the legacy of one of football's most cherished boots.

Totally blacked out to hide any launch colourways or design detail, Varane's Tiempo 7 boots boast a shift in design by featuring a rigid pattern running across the entire upper for a distinct aesthetic. Expected to use a soft kangaroo leather upper and flywire-esque support skeleton, the Tiempo Legend 7 is being kept very close to Nike's chest at present, due to the fact it's not estimated to launch until the end of the current 2016/17 season. 



That rigid design is for more chiseled and defined than the speed ribs of the Mercurial Vapor XI but certainly gives the Tiempo a fresh look and one that Nike could well have some fun with when it comes to colourways. The blacked out design indicates that Nike are either towards the very end of their prototype phase and are seeking feedback from Varane, or that they've got the finished article and are letting the defender get used to his new tools.



If there were any doubts that this boot isn't the Tiempo 7 then Varane, who usually wears the Tiempo series joins Manchester United and Italy full back Matteo Darmian (below) in the same blacked out boot. Darmian, another player to usually lace up in the Tiempo series was training in the blacked out boot in Italy training last week. The treasured Tiempo timeline ticks on one more. Countdown commences.



Tiempo 7, then. First thoughts? Drop 'em below.