The adidas X18+ will be worn at this Summer’s World Cup by the likes of Mo Salah, Gabriel Jesus, David De Gea and Luis Suarez.
It’s all about speed for the new Adidas World Cup boot, and you might notice familiarities in its striking blue and yellow colourway with some of the F50s designs of recent years, usually adorning the wonderful feet of Lionel Messi.
Mo Salah and Gabriel Jesus are the two leading players for this year’s design, explosive forwards capable of turning a game on its head in a single moment. Research from Adidas has found that these kinds of player can only touch the ball for nine seconds of a full 90 minute, a remarkable statistic given that they are the ones often deciding the final outcome.
Some of the features of the new boot include a new laceless upper design and low-cut claw collar around the ankle, along with an ultra-thin woven body designed for the ultimate responsive touch and lightweight feel.
At Adidas HQ, they showed me the design and put their phone torch into the boot, lighting it up like a pumpkin at Halloween.
The boot still prioritises comfort and support, however, with your foot locked in place by the moulded heel and the famous Adidas Speedframe giving you complete traction during acceleration.
Sam Handy, adidas Vice-President of Design said: “The World Cup is the pinnacle of any player’s career. The challenge for us as designers is producing a boot which highlights the natural talents of these incredible athletes on the world’s biggest sporting stage.”
“With the new Energy Mode X18+ we have produced something that is really lightweight and minimalist in its design, which removes the barriers between foot and ball while still achieving the elite touch and support at high speed required by the game’s most explosive players. As we continue to innovate in footwear design, we believe this product opens up new potential for players and can’t wait to see them in action in Russia.”
