The Greatest of All Time Gets His Own Boots

While some may argue against his designation of "greatest of all time," there is no doubting that Lionel Messi is a truly brilliant player in a league of his own. Recognizing his greatness, Adidas felt that it was finally time to give the four time Ballon d'Or winner his own signature boot.

The Messi 15.1 is the first cleat ever created specifically for one player. Many players have worn special colorways of pre-existing boots, like Cristiano Ronaldo's CR7 Mercurials, but none have worn their own signature boot in the way that Michael Jordan wore his own Nike Air Jordans. The first release of Messi's boot comes in an Argentinian-inspired "Ice" Blue with yellow highlights. The boot features an exposed cage around the heel to create a locked-in fit, and the upper is comprised of the messiTouch material which improves grip, touch and comfort.

The Messi 15 boot will be available in The Soccer Shop and at eastcoastsoccershop.com in adult and youth sizes at two different price points for adults: the top-tier $220 boot (Messi 15.1) and the lower-tier $70 boot (Messi 15.3).

The Adidas Revolution: Chaos or Control

Adidas is changing the way we think about soccer. For years, four silos of boots have been offered by the leaders of innovation in the soccer industry: Adidas & Nike. The four silos were meant to fit the playing styles of athletes in different positions around the field. With their newest innovations, Adidas has narrowed down those playing styles to just two: you are either "chaos" or "control". The chaotic players, the unpredictable ones who strike with moments of brilliance, will wear the X 15.1. The playmakers who control the pace and action of the game will wear the ACE 15.1.

The Ace 15.1 features an upper predominately covered by a 3-D CONTROL WEB pattern that improves a player's touch and ball handling ability. The webbing is also covered by small NSG (Non-stop grip) dots that allow for ball control in all conditions. The new stud configuration features both FG and AG studs, and has an added spine of studs for even more traction and control during foot-over moves on the ball.

The X 15.1 features a compression-like Techfit Collar that improves the tight fit of the cleats. The X-CAGE around the sides of the boot are built for superior support and fit during quick changes of movement. The X-SKIN upper is a three-layered system that offers protection, comfort and performance.

All four of Adidas's current silos (Predator, 11Pro, f50, and Nitrocharge) will be discontinued. Some of the professional players who will be wearing the ACE 15 include: James Rodriguez, Mesut Ozil, and Oscar. True to unpredictable form, forwards like Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez and Thomas Muller will be wearing the X 15.

The Ace15 and X15 will be available in The Soccer Shop and at eastcoastsoccershop.com at two different prices points: the top-tier $220 boots and the $70 boots. Both silos will be offered in the Solar Yellow & Black colorway.

Nike's Newest Innovation: Hypervenom Phantom II

Although the first generation Hypervenom Phantom is only a few years old, Nike's design team didn't shy away from making the boot even better with an innovative re-design. The Nike Hypervenom Phantom II is the first boot of the Hypervenom silo to offer a Dynamic Fit Collar that flows seamlessly into a new enhanced mesh upper. Max Blau, VP of Nike Football Footwear, explained the design team's desire to push the boundaries with their newest boot: “Players loved the original Hypervenom, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do even better. We’re not afraid to make as many changes as the boot needs to be the best.  The kind of players who wear Hypervenom would expect nothing less.”

The design team took a unique approach when they started the research phase of the design process for the new Hypervenom Phantom II. In order to find exactly where an athlete's foot flexed during soccer-specific movements, members of the design team wore white socks and spray painted their feet to identify prominent flex grooves during play. These grooves now make up the unique, and seemingly random, zig-zagging texture of the boot's upper.

Another upgrade in innovation was the use of Flywire along the sides of the boot. Flywire, a technology already used in Nike running shoes, comes up around the eyelets of the boot's laces and creates a lock-down fit through the middle of the foot. The enhanced mesh upper is also featured in varying density throughout the boot for maximum comfort in the most critical areas. The Dynamic Fit Collar was also added for comfort, featuring an asymmetrical back seam that reduces distraction and tension on the Achilles tendon. The design was finished off with classic Hypervenom details: the NikeSkin coating combined with ACC (All Conditions Control) for touch, an asymmetrical lacing pattern for a larger strike zone, and a conical split-toe stud configuration for added stability and traction.

The first release of the Hypervenom Phantom II features the Wolf Grey & Total Orange colorway from the Silver Storm Pack. The first ever Women's-specific colorway for the Hypervenom Phantom II was released as a part of the Women's World Cup Cleat Pack in Blue Lagoon & Volt.

Neymar JR and Alex Morgan are Nike's main athletes wearing this boot, but they are also joined by the likes of other world class players such as Wayne Rooney, Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski, Meghan Klingenberg, and Christen Press.

The Soccer Shop will carry the Hypervenom Phinnish (a low-cut version of the boot) in both adult and youth sizes.

The Final Bow: Nike Hypervenom Phantom Transform

The first generation of the Nike Hypervenom Phantom will soon be replaced by a new generation featuring the dynamic fit collar. Never one to let anything go quietly, Nike is set to release a highly unique and innovative final boot for the first generation of the Hypervenom silo. At first glance, the Hypervenom Phantom Transform appears to be a black-out boot with a few subtle orange highlights. However, once a player starts to play in the boot, the upper transforms into a fiery heat-activated orange. The boot returns to its original all-black colorway after a player removes the boot from their foot.

The Nike Hypervenom Phantom Transform is extremely limited, with only 560 pairs available worldwide. The limited-edition boot will be available May 14th on the Nike Soccer App, nike.com and through select retailers.

Photo courtesy of Nike