Football fans that grew up during the late 90s and early 2000s will be all too familiar with Nike Mercurial. A generation-defining home for the Swoosh's footballing outputs, heavy on style and groundbreaking releases, Mercurial is footballing heritage. This year, it turns 25.
If you've ever laced up a pair of football boots, you've probably slipped into a pair of Mercurials at least once or twice.
First touching down in 1998 in the form of the R9, the original Mercurial boot was designed for Ronaldo – Brazilian Ronaldo, not CR7 – and debuted at that year's FIFA World Cup.
The line went on to be a huge success and has remained a staple of Nike throughout the past two decades. Due to its technological advancements and slick styling, it's also had crossover success through flagship sneaker silhouettes.
In celebration of the line's 25th anniversary, this crossover continues via the Air Max Plus.
A sneaker that's equally as synonymous with the era as Mercurial itself, the Air Max Plus Mercurial XXV cherry picks its colorway from the 2011 Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII.
Arriving exclusively via SOPHNET. in Japan, this celebratory pair features a pink upper decorated with black typography graphics, silver-to-black veins, a silver midsole, and volt green details throughout.
The resulting colorway screams early 2000s and is perfect for the upcoming festival season.
To complete the look, SOPHNET's F.C. Real Bristol serves up a matching jersey featuring a black-to-pink gradient fade with volt detailing.
For now, the two-piece pack is exclusive to Japan. Whether or not that will change is yet to be seen – but expect more from Mercurial's 25th birthday.
