Nike’s Legendary Football Boot Lives On, In Sneaker Form
The Nike Tiempo was a grail for football fans in the early 2000s. A shoe whose legend hit new heights every time Ronaldinho slammed a football onto the crossbar in a commercial I probably watched 1000 times as a child (and that’s a conservative estimate).
Nike’s longest-running football boot model (or, soccer cleat silhouette, to use the American lingo), the Tiempo has been worn by countless legends of the game: Cesc Fabregas, Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini… the list goes on. And it continues to grace the feet of players on football’s biggest stages.
For those who long hung up their boots, resigned to watching the beautiful game from the touchline (or, preferably, a beer garden), the opportunity to lace up a pair of Tiempos has slipped away. However, Nike’s new sneakers offer the next best thing.
Earlier this year, Nike turned the Tiempo into a pair of Air Maxs. A homage to the football boot’s 1994 edition, it came complete with the classic foldover tongue and full leather upper for which the boot is known.
The Nike Air Max Plus Tiempo even made its way onto the runway, cementing its place as a fashionable sneaker.
Now, a historic Nike running shoe is joining in the Tiempo appreciation. The Nike Cortez Leather SE upgrades the sleek, old-school Cortez running shoe with a large foldover tongue and padded leather upper. It will be released on September 18 at Japanese retail stores.
While this sneaker doesn’t have Tiempo in the name, football fans worldwide will be able to recognize where the inspiration for these shoes came from instantly. This is a Nike Tiempo Premier crossed with the late-‘60s running shoe.
Part of a larger trend for wearing football boots off the pitch, the Nike Tiempo is also getting into the hands of sneaker customizers adding Vibram soles to old pairs of boots.
Nike is already planning to bring back its T-90 model as a casual sneaker, now it looks like the Tiempo is football’s latest fashion victim.
