The Return Of The Adidas Predator

THE ADIDAS PREDATOR is arguably one of the most popular football boots in the game. It’s the tool of artistry for the likes of legends such as David Beckham, Kaka and Zinedine Zidane.

It is fitting that today, this boot is graced by a new generation of similarly cerebral players — those who use technique, control, passing and intelligence to play their game. Today, it is worn by maestros such as England and Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham and Spanish sensation Pedri who plays for Barcelona.

The Adidas Predator has been a key feature of football at every level since it was first introduced in 1994, and its origin is as storied as the exploits it has wrought on the pitch.

The inception of the Predator began in 1988 when Craig Johnston, a former midfielder for English Premier League sides Liverpool and Middlesbrough, retired from football prematurely to care for his seriously ill sister in Australia. During this time, while coaching a group of children, Johnston came up with the idea of enhancing their boots with a unique rubber feature.

“I was teaching the children how to swerve a ball,” Johnston said in an interview with cricket podcasters 98 Not Out. “Swerving is like when you add topspin or backspin to a tennis or table tennis ball — you do the same thing with your feet or your shoes. It was raining, it was wet, so it was difficult. One of the kids said, ‘Sorry, Mr. Johnston, but our boots are made of leather, not rubber, and it was slippery.’”