This Shoe Changed Football Forever
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2022
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The Adidas Predator, one of the most iconic football boots in the game. Worn by true legends, Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Xavi Hernandez. But before it became popular it was regarded as controversial.
This is the story of how an Australian footballer had an idea, stuck some rubber to an old boot, and convinced one of the biggest sportswear brands in the world to make his boot.
Written by Seb Stafford-Bloor, illustrated by Craig Silcock.
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#adidas #predator #fashion - Sport
The thumbnail made me think this video was about the boot that Sir Alex kicked towards Beckham that made him leave Man Utd
Yea and I thought the video would then be about the butterfly effect of Beckham's transfer
Youngling
Same!
Total 90's are the most iconic football boot for me personally, purely because if you grew up in the UK in the early 2000's and you wore a pair of total 90's to school you were an instant legend. Brings back fond memories
being a legend for buying some boots, UK has such high standards lol
@@LimeWire05 We were little kids at primary school dude... At that age just having a different pencil to everyone else was enough to amaze us
@@LimeWire05 it wasn’t really boots, it was Astro turfs for school. They wasn’t as expensive, of course
@@LimeWire05 let people enjoy things
Exactly the same in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the early 2000's
I got those boots at 11-12 years old in the mid 90´s. Had a couple of mates with me and we took them to the local ground, I put em on and for the first time was able to kick a goal kick across the halfline circle! It was also the first time that i could kick hard enough on a freekick to make the ball whistle in the air! I was so damn proud, and loved those boots untill i wore em out.
I wore mine to shreds. Keeping them held together with cardboard and glue. Loved them.
Lies again? Nashville Dallas Black Red
Best boots I've owned to this day, their design was iconic but they were also amazing to play in.
I met Craig Johnson in a lift once. I asked him about this boot and he said he hardly made any money from it. Adidas made all the profits.
well yeah, they bought him out. that would involve giving up any claim to any profits.
Sad
@@T.E.S.S. They could have signed a royalty deal but looks like they didn't.
Craig Johnson is an author so of course he didn't make any money as he didn't contribute to anything
@@TaskForce_911 you must be real fun at parties, highlighting people's spelling and grammar mistakes!
BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW :
Spraying those predators with hair spray added extra grip (dry conditions) More noticeable curl and dip as the ball was physically spinning faster.
Wow I had no idea Australia’s own Craig Johnston was the brains behind that particular innovation in football boot design
There was BBC documentary a good few years ago about it. ‘Craig’s Boot’ I think it was called, worth a look.
@@Shades-of-76 I’ll look that up, thanks
2011 Predators and T90s will always be my favorite football boots. They're the perfect mix of classic and modern.
Adidas Predator's were the one growing up especially the iconic David Beckham's 2002 one's 👍
I had them in main colour white and black with a red tongue.
@@caseyfalconer7347 Same i felt like a right baller putting them on before a match even if I played defence midfield lol
"Craig's boot" was a documentary shown on the BBC back in the mid 90s that followed the ex footballer while he was developing the first prototypes of the Predator. It should be on CZcams if you search for it. Craig Johnstone was a visionary.
australian too.
*is a visionary. I don’t think he’s done.
I'm 35. I was entering elementary school when these shoes came out and I remember how many rejected the wierd design. Parents with money mostly brought Addidas or Puma shoes for their kids but there were millions of brands for progressively lower incom families and by the end of the 90s and early 2000s most of these branda had vanished. Even today I still somehow don't get used to how outlandish some of these Addidas shoes look compared to what we wore when I was a kid.
First boots I ever had, I remember it was the 2005 silver predators made for Beckham and had a dragon design. Certainly the adidas predators have to be among the most iconic boots.
I'd say its between Mercurials and Predators as the most iconic boots. From the first boots till now the Mercurials are still great boots. As for the predators, Adidas discontinued them for a few years then bought them back but made them worse but so many legendary players wore them like Zidane, Beckham, Gerrard, Del Piero and so many more to name. Tiempos and Copas are up there too. T90s had a few good years aswell.
My first mercurials were light silver ones that came out in 2004 that Henry wore a lot in the unbeaten season, then I had the yellow ones with a touch of green at the back that R9 wore for Brazil in World Cup 2006.
The mid-00s boots were terrific. Predators and F50 for Adidas, T90 for Nike. Nearly all the top players wore one of these.
@@pritapp788 Ah good times with the boots & watching football as a teenager.
@@caseyfalconer7347 Oh yes. I truly think football peaked in those years. The World Cup and CL were hotly contested, there wasn't such a gap between the top teams and the also-rans and there was a broader range of strong teams. Talent wasn't concentrated in a few rich sides. And footballers still had an aura since there were no social media for us to witness the stupidity of many of them.
The 2006-07 season where Milan won the Champions League is possibly the last one I truly enjoyed.
Great vid lads, Seb has a brilliant cadence for this kind of thing. At the time I swore blind that I could take free kicks better in Preds, not sure if that’s down to adidas advertising campaign or an immature kid who’d seen Like Mike too many times.
@Tifo_Football @Telegram Only d word
I was the same. I was convinced that my shots had more power, but I think it was a placebo effect.
Had the silvers with the red velcro tongue- still have them today and the ones beckham is holding up, best boots ever, those and adidas world cups
I remember Adidas Predators being in the Viz cartoon, 'Spoilt B*stard'
"I should take the free kicks as I have Adidas Predator boots whilst your boots are from Happy Shopper!"
Love the old predators , the 98 accelator was beautiful and great boot , used in many different sports
The most iconic football boot is the Adidas Copa Mundial. Period. They make them since 1979 and for good reason: They are great
Legendary boots and they were worn by iconic players like Zidane, del Piero, Beckham. I had the Predator Pulse released for Euro 2004. Even though I got mine many years after their initial release they were the best boots I ever owned. However things began to go downhill with the PowerSwerve IMO.
No doubt. Was iconic growing up in the early 2000's.
I had Zidane-type predator kicks back in 2001 when my father was working in spain as a birthday gift. As the time goes by, the size doesn't fit anymore.
And switch to Navy Blue & White Nike air zoom Total 90 III for my duty as a goalkeeper in 2004. I score 5 Freekicks and 18 Penalties in 2 Years.
The most Iconic for me are Adidas Predator, the classic Adidas Copa Mundial , and the sleek Nike Copa90.
I use these for both Rugby and Australian Football and they're great. A really diverse boot
I bought a pair when I was 18 or so and they are the only pair of boots I ever owned that failed to last the season. They were also the most expensive boots I've ever bought. Puma Kings were the ones.
Or Addidas can't remember the name but they Were Moldies and So Comfortable!
Copa Mundial > Puma King
Love this video being a massive boot nerd!
I still remember the comical ad when I first saw it as a kid. I bought a pair a while ago and wore it to shreds for a decade before finally deciding that my feet was getting a beating and replaced it.
Great video! Though the Adidas HQ ain't in Nuremberg, it's in Herzogenaurach, a smaller town 25km outside Nuremberg.
I've had 3 pairs of Predators, the 2nd model and the 3rd and 4th. I loved them, it's funny now because you rarely see any pros wearing them. It's all about the speed boots now and Nike seems to have the lions share of the market.
I remember begging my mom for a pair every year when I was growing up, and I always ended up getting Reebok because "I'm not spending that much on shoes you'll out-grow," and "maybe next year," and "Your natural ability is what determines your success, not shoes." I still feel like I would have sat the bench less if I had them
Manchester UNITEDS bench..
I feel you, Tim.
@@stephenduke412 what you mean?
I worked in adidas football design team for 3 1/2 years and I’m sorry but you’re wrong; Johnstone developed the first iteration with adidas for the ‘94 edition which if you look in the ribs actually has his name in the grip element. The intention was to create a boot with an increased striking zone to add power to shots by increasing the size of the sweet spot of the contact between the foot and the ball which is why the lateral and medial zones are raised so to make a flat on top of the foot surface. There is a documentary that is on CZcams that has Johnstone speaking about the creation process which we would share in the team.
Good shout Josh. I remember John Collins wearing them scoring curling free kicks for Celtic in consecutive games at Ibrox in 1994. The bend was unreal. Both goals on YT. I remember the BBC doc as well 😎
Do a video on Paul scholes at Oldham
Adidas World Cups or Preds for me in the mid 90’s, absolute game changer. The tongue straps were such a touch of class. You were the kiddy pulling a pair of those on in Junior football!
One of my favorite videos by your team! Please do one on the Nike Mercurial :)
the 1998 and 2002 versions are my favourite
Remember taking my first corner with the brand new OG predators… in my mind I was gonna swing it in myself. Didn’t happen though. It’s between the second gen (Beckham Zidane era) Predators and the Total 90 Zoom Air I’s for me as far as iconic boots go.. Still, if I had to buy a new pair today, i’d probably go for World Cups. Timeless
I still use my dad's old predators every once and a while, those black and red ones like Zidane had
Puma King were the boots to have when i was a kid, before the predators came out.
I like your videos guys keep on going
BEST TIFO FOOTBALL VIDEO ON BOOTS - LITERALLY THE LOVE OF FOOTBALL IN A CAPSULE- I REMEMBER I HAD THE WHITE PREDATORS THOUGHT I WOULD BE ZIDANE REINCARNATED.
not sure the image at 4:33 is from the same match you talk about with the long range goal 🤔
I had the predators in 2006 I loved those boots
My favourite indoor football boot were the ascot Brazil / Argentina range. They had the right balance of grip and shoot / swerve ability … they stopped making them years ago but I have yet to find one to measure up to it !!!
I always liked the look of the adidas predator boot, it’s a nice looking boot.
Football boot videos? NOW WE’RE TALKING. More please!!!!
The predators made for the 2002 wc where fk amazing, i remember my freekicks and cornerkicks been so much accurate and faster. I think that ones where the best of all.
Big question that the video didn't address is: whatever happened to Predators? Over the years, the amount of plastic that they stuck on got progressively more subtle; by 2000-2002 the absolutely gorgeous kangaroo leather ones only had a very small amount on...then as far as I know it all stopped. Why..? Did players become ashamed to wear them..? Did they perhaps negatively affect the boot in some way e.g. add too much weight, or hinder the control of top players..? Boots did become extremely light from around 2002 onwards... the utter classic Nike Ronaldo 9s of 1998 were featherwieght in comparison, starting a new trend perhaps. Still: why do Adidas still make the extremely heavy Copa Mundial/World Cups, but not the Predators..? I imagine there'd be a huge market for the brutalist mid-90s original, and also the beautiful kankaroo leather ones.
Can you guys do a video on 12/13 Bayern Munich squad
Que gran historia! No la conocía. Y si, los predator son los mejores!
The greatest boots of all time!!🙌🙌🙌
People forget, John Collins scored the first goal in predators while playing for Celtic
Yep. Two curling free kicks in consecutive games at Ibrox in 1994. Both goals on YT.
HH 🍀
Would love if you also did a video about how Nike changed the game with their ball technology, starting specifically with the Nike Geo Merlin in the late 90s followed by the Nike total 90 Aerow series in the early 2000s.
Nike upped the game with these balls by introducing new materials that allowed them to travel faster, curve with greater intensity, and then that trademark cristiano 'knuckle' ball effect.
Did you get the prize?
@@Abdi-libaax it's a spam bot...
I personally love Adidas boots and shoes (and Umbro back in the day) but yep, Nike makes the best footballs and their other sports gear is terrific too. I just feel the US brands like Under Armour and them invest more in R&D than Adidas, Puma etc.
Ill always remember my first pair of Preddies. My favourite player at the time Stevie Hammell wore them. He was Motherwell FCs LB and used to whip the ball with his wand of a left foot. He threw them into the crowd at the end of season pitch invasion. My dad caught them and gave them to me. They were at least a size too big but i still wore them 😂 As an adult im disgusted with myself, both for wearing them for hygiene reasons and ruining a collectors item
I remember Ronald Koeman sticking bits of rubber to his shoes back in the day as well. I wonder how common that was.
1:29 my guy jus invented the worlds first SweetSpot
Was expecting this to be about the boot Ferguson threw at Beckham; in retrospect it was really weird to get that from the thumbnail...
i remember getting a pair or Predator X's in 2010, best boots ive owned till this day
The most comfortable boots I ever wore wear the Hi-Tec ones with the large white fold over tongue and Hi-Tec sort of arrow sign on the side, both of which had purple trim.
The majority of the Crystal Palace team wore them against Man Utd in the FA cup final of 1990 (1989-1990 season).
I got the very first pair with just a normal tongue that had the predator badge withthe eyes on tongue mustv been 10/11 yr old and scored 2 cracking goals for Celtic North against Clyde. I actually still mind walking to the red ash pitch feeling amazing. The boots came out jist before my birthday so to get them was amazing
Oh yeah I remember when it came onto the scene!
Original X-Traxion predators live in my head rent free.
Never had them - always coveted them on others. While I wore Copa's throughout my playing days, several friends were always sporting the latest Predators. One good friend in particular would even buy limited edition pairs. I never could figure out how his family could afford them. Have mercy, when Adidas came out with the first pair of white Predators... As much as I wanted them, they did make you a target on the pitch in those days.
i wonder where is the boot now that strikes Beckham's head when SAF kicked the boot, it should worth millions if sold
Wore them for 10 years. EPIC boots.
I loved the predators. All time favorite boot
As part of my advertising degree I did one of my end of year essay's on the most significant historical product developments involving modern advertising and product development. I used this, ray-ban with the first top gun film and New Coke to show the contrast of how a brand can go from market leaders to near bankruptcy with just one product.
@Tifo_Football @Telegram Only Right now? There's a time difference here. Just got into work.
I look to wear the predator sneakers now and they are so hard to find. Used to buy the predator consistently in my playing days...
Adidas HQ are located in Herzogenaurach, not Nuremberg. Same as Puma‘s since the founders were brothers.
It’s also the town Lothar Matthäus is from.
But it’s certainly not in Nuremberg or part of it.
I remember them well - they were properly expensive if I recall & only the rich kids had them!
The thumbnail suggested that you were going to talk about the boot that smashed becks' face by saf.
I can clearly remember being in awe of the high school varsity players who had the red predators. Must've been around 2001-2002
Makes sense why so popular back in the 90s
Our Sunday Morning Goalkeeper used to wear Predators. He got a lot of swerve on the ball every time he sliced a goalkick out of play for a throw-in.
It's still my all time favorite football shoes
The quality of the audio is kind of detracting from the quality of the video overall. There's no problem with this fella's narration itself really, but the lower quality audio setup is really noticeable, especially that background hiss.
I had R9s, I was going on 14st slalom runs at school
The original "Nike Mercurial."
@@Mad_Intalect that's me!
The pair that David Beckham wore when he scored the iconic goal v Wimbledon were made for Charlie Miller of Rangers.
T-90’s vs Predators when I was a kid
Worked in a sports shop when the originals came out but were too expensive for the average guy in the street
Predators were my go to boot. Tired the nike totals but the preds were king. A step up above mundials.
Little did I know I needed a video about shoes that would grip me as much as these do a ball, apparently
The predators that Beckham scored with that day had the name Charlie on the tongue of the boot as the pair were orginally meant to go to Charlie miller who played for rangers at time
History maybe a little blurred. Check out the Cica boots. Made by Clarks UK. There were a few issues for adidas back in the day.
I knew exactly which boot just by the title. I could have sworn they were banned from certain leagues at first? Or did I fall victim to their ad campaign? I graduated high school in 1994, so these were very top of mind at the time. I swear they were banned in our school leagues. TBH, I've never worn Preds, probably because I had that negative association with them...I never wanted to "cheat." (I went to an all-guys Jesuit school, so I'm not kidding!). I've worn Umbro, Lanzera, Puma...but the second I put on the Copas (Mundial) I was hooked and never went back. The feel, the weight, the stretch...you had to buy them a 1/2 size too small because they would stretch and form a glove around your foot, so the first few practices were always a pain... The debate about whether you got Australians or the Argentines(?) and which leather was better...the smell of lathering them up with Chelsea Leather Food the night before and the morning of the game...ahh, screw the Preds, Copas forever!!!
Actually, at the 1990 World Cup finals the German players wore Adidas World Cup (soft ground) and not Copa Mundial (firm ground).
I legitimately thought this was an Athletic Interest video
I remember the Predator head band they made for a April fools prank.
If you slow down a bit, take your time, you'll be one of the best voice-over artists on CZcams. You're that good.
The other geeza’s voice is much better
Predator I had a pair they was okay , but oddly enough my dad brought a used pair of Diadora Brazil s okay for a quid fifty from a car boot sale, I don't know what the deal was but they improved my power and touch by a shed load just felt perfect very bizzare and to this day can't work out why no other boot had that effect.
if only Adidas didn't buy Johnstone out, he'd be balling (excuse the pun) right now
In the 90s you needed predictors. Only boots I've ever owned.
Does that recording still exist?
My first pair of boots that were "legitimate" were the David Beckham red and white predators.
Which was awesome because my initials are DB and pretty comfy cause of me wide feet.
1:12 just imagine this: had he not made the table tennis comparison, or had the kids simply replied "cool, got it" or something, the Adidas Predator would not be a thing
Great video but please could you lower the music volume a bit so we can hear you, also the voice filters you're using in editing makes it hard to hear the voice over.
Thank you.
My favorite predator of all time. My favorite color in it is the white
Thumbnail had me thinking this was going to be about the shoe Fergie threw at Becks.
Best football boot for me is the Nike mercurial worn by the greatest ever no. 9,Ronaldo Nazario
Adidas Beckenbaur from the early ‘70’s gets my vote
Seb Stafford of Bloor
Wow, I have owned these first Predators back then, but I never knew this fascinating story behind them and that they only made it to production because of Bayern greats playing with a prototype.