Mercurial Vapor Superfly: the new technology boot
Along with the Nike Mercurial Vapor V, one of the most eagerly awaited football boots of 2009 was the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly.
The incorporated Flywire technology is based on a sprint spike concept which caused huge interest when it was introduced in Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Already creating quite a buzz in the industry with its revolutionary lightweight construction, the Flywire design is said to be inspired by the cables from a suspension bridge. It basically makes use of a strong Vectran thread arranged in a fan-shaped pattern at anchor points around the shoe.
At the time of the track shoe launch, creator Jay Meschter said:
“Flywire gets to that elusive thing of the plate just attaching to the bottom of the foot and forgetting about the shoe. It also gets Nike one step closer to achieving one of Bill Bowerman’s goals.
When he was a coach, he said the ideal track spike would be a nail through the foot. Now, with Flywire, it’s not quite as extreme as a nail, but it’s as close as anyone has gotten to applying a spike plate directly to feet.”
From that description, it’s not hard to see why Nike football boot designers have been keen to integrate the new technology in their line of work.
As for their on pitch debut, Cristiano Ronaldo used them in Manchester United’s Uefa Champions League second leg match against Inter Milan at Old Trafford on 11th March. He was up against Zlatan Ibrahimovic who also debuted the football boot.
The original colourway, worn on the field, but not released for retail.
The Mercurial Superfly incorporates Nike Flywire, a strong, light fibre inspired by the high tensile cables that hold together suspension bridges. The flywire technology is used in the medial section of the boot like the Vapor V. Unlike the Vapor V, the Superfly also uses flywire in the encased heel.
The outsole features some differences to the Vapor V also. For instance the drilled through lightweight studs, a performance stud on the front of the outsole and theoutole is made from carbon.
Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly Vital Statistics
Weight: 185g
Cost: £224.99
Colourway: Launching in the Superfly Black Voltage Yellow
Players: Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, Franck Ribery, Theo Walcott, Dani Alves, Andrey Arshavin.
Source: footy-boots.com