Archives: Adidas Predator

Yes, it is true. On May 19, 2015 Adidas have announced that the Predator series will be discontinued. Adidas discontinues the Predator football boots after 21 years. This may come as a surprise to many as Adidas celebrated 20 years of Predator football boots last year.

Watch the video, Adidas is also pulling the plugs on other boots as well. Sliver lining to this cloud is that Adidas is launching two new football boots, the X and Ace.

“Football has changed over the years.” This was the weak explanation given by Adidas regarding their decision to pull the plug on Predator. Anyways, let us take a look and pay tribute to Predator series.

It all started in 1994, based on a prototype concept from the former Australian footballer Craig Johnston. At first Adidas were skeptical regarding the whole rudder on the upper concept provided by Johnston but after some advertising of this boot with the help of German footballers finally caught Adidas’s eye.

There have been a total of 14 Adidas Predator models in the last 21 years. Here’s the list:

1. Predator (1994)
2. Rapier (1995)
3. Touch (1996)
4. Accelerator (1998)
5. Precision (2000)
6. Mania (2002)
7. Pulse (2004)
8. Absolute (2006)
9. PowerSwerve (2007)
10. Predator X (2009)
11. AdiPower Predator (2011)
12. Predator LZ (2012)
13. Predator LZ 2 (2013)
14. Predator Instinct (2014)

There have been a lot of developments over time but the basic principle remained the same always. It involves attaching rubber strips to the forefoot area.

The first Predator in 1994 was revolutionary, way ahead of its time. These football boots with rubber stripes had more power, more swerve and more control than previous boots.

John Collins for Celtic scored the first goal using the Predator boots in April 1994.

The Predator Rapier (1995) was the first Adidas soccer boots available in different colors. Rapier introduced the fold-over tongue to the Adidas Predator which was previously seen on the Adidas Copa Mundial.

The Predator Touch (1996) was different in many ways. It featured the Traxion studs, they were rectangular and anatomically placed. The Touch series also offered a better and larger striking area on the boot.

Accelerator (1998) featured a re-engineered Traxion outsole while Precision (2000) featured replaceable Traxion studs.

Pulse (2004) brought the Power Pulse System. Adidas claims that this shift the center of gravity closer to point of impact. This improves shooting accuracy and power to a great extent. Absolute (2006) featured changeable PowerPulse sock liner.

1994 Predator Poster

Predator PowerSwerve (2007), Adidas introduced a Smart foam. Adidas claims it gives the boot more rebound power, swerve, and improved control through longer ball contact. Test proved that there was an increase of 8% swerve and power behind every shot.

The Adidas Predator X shoes were introduced in late 2009. They feature the Powerspine technology, the Predator element and other advancements from Adidas. Adidas also developed a new upper material they call Taurus leather. This was the first tongue-less Predator.

The Lethal Zone series (2012-2013) had five ‘lethal’ zones for improved performance. This was the first boot in history to feature a synthetic upper. Many considered this as the death of Predator lineup.

The predator Instinct was launched in 2014 for the FIFA World Cup Finals. It generally received positive reception form the players but even then Adidas have decided to pull the plug on one of the greatest football boots.

Predator Instinct (2014)

David Beckham, Zidane, Raul Gonzalez, Xavi, Del Piero are some of the great players who wore Adidas Predator football cleat. These boots will surely be missed in the footballing world.

Bottom-line: End of an era.

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