I think it's safe to say that there's more to the humble football boot than meets the eye. What might look like just another purpose-built shoe can remind us of a favorite player, or even evoke memories of a particular footballing moment.
Whether it's Zinedine Zidane's match-winning performance for France in the semi-final in '98 wearing a pair of adidas Predators, his head butt in the golden iteration eight years later, or even Franz Beckenbauer captaining Germany to World Cup glory in some heavy-duty Copa Mundials, football boots tell stories.
Now, with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 just around the corner, adidas Football has unveiled its latest set of boots inspired by the Official Match Ball, ready to make their own memories.
Titled the Al Rihla World Cup Pack, the collection includes three of adidas' most iconic soccer shoes: the X Speedportal, Predator Edge, and Copa Sense, rendered in the same colorful, iridescent design details that decorate the ball.
The Pack takes cues from the architecture, country flag, and iconic boats that symbolize Qatar. "Al Rihla" translates to "the journey" in Arabic, and represents the commitment and process endured by each national team in reaching their goals at the World Cup.
The X Speedportal is the brand's latest innovation. As its name implies, it's for the fastest of field players who need the stability and grip to move in any direction at accelerated speeds, while still maintaining comfort.
The Predator Edge features a first-ever material for adidas, the ZONESKIN, which supports swerve, spin, and grip. This model also boasts a weighted forefoot piece that optimizes the power transfer of the foot and shoe when it comes to contact with and strikes the ball.
Last but not least, the Copa Sense is quite possibly the most wicked model of the three in the pack. It's designed from the inside-out, using "anatomical insights" of the human foot, and enhances the touch for the wearer with adidas' SENSEPODS, TOUCHPODS, and SOFTSTUDS technologies.
The adidas Al Rihla World Cup Pack is available now online and in stores.
