Boots of the Week - adidas NEMEZIZ
adidas has recently launched their latest soccer boot - the NEMEZIZ. The boot is an entirely new silo and is what Lionel Messi will be wearing going forward. The boot is built for players like Messi who are agile and almost impossible to defend.
What is really cool about this boot is where the inspiration and design cues come from. If you look closely, you will see that the upper of the boot seems to be made up of wraps. And if you saw this, you would be correct. The folks at adidas took inspiration from athletes and performers that wrap their hands or feet in bandages. Think of boxers, or karate, and even ballet. These folks use wraps to maximize movement and strength.
The NEMEZIZ utilizes a brand new material that acts as a wrap for the upper of the boot providing maximum give for agile players while locking in the players foot for stability and comfort. It's an incredible boot in person and one that most likely will influence how boots are designed going forward. adidas is also making the claim that the NEMEZIZ is the best fitting boot that they have ever created. I wasn't able to test these as they didn't have my size, but the feedback from folks that have tested them is in line with what adidas has to say about the fit.
In addition to the above, the soleplate of the boot is pretty interesting. To help make sure that agile players are able to be as agile as possible, the soleplate of the boot is able to twist and turn more so than any I have seen before. This is supposed to help players when they cut and change direction. It better mimics the natural movement of the foot and thus should help players as they twist and turn around the field.
The technical aspects of this boot are really quite impressive. From my time with this boot (not having played in it though) it really does seem to be an entirely new way to design and build a soccer boot. It's also an incredibly sharp looking boot. This initial colorway was intended to be as minimal as possible and let the performance aspects of the boot be front and center. But in their approach to doing this, the team at adidas made a beautiful boot in a colorway that is going to look incredible on the pitch.
