Cristiano Ronaldo and Nike go ‘celestial’

If Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t at an astronomical level compared to his peers already thanks to the huge skill available at his disposal, this latest move from one of his sponsors is sure to take him into another dimension altogether.

Nike have launched the new Mercurial IX CR7 boot and the 2013 CR7 Collection in which they compare the Portugal and Real Madrid attacker to “a celestial body that radiates energy”.

And the starry lines don’t end there!

Nike also refers to Ronaldo as a “limitless” star who “burns brighter than others” in what will be remembered in history as one of the most interesting comparisons ever drawn for a campaign by a brand.

As is the case in brand wars that feature footballing superstars, it would be very interesting to see how Adidas respond to this as they have a thoroughbred of their own in Lionel Messi, widely considered the best player on the planet at the moment.

Ronaldo and his legion of fans may have something to say about that and with the new ‘celestial’ boots, that feature an outer space design on them, adorning his feet, the Portuguese captain along with Nike are keen to prove a point.

Here’s what Nike had to say on their latest development:

“We were watching a game, and after Cristiano scored yet another amazing free-kick the commentator posed the question ‘Is Ronaldo from this planet?!’” remembers Denis Dekovic, Nike Footwear Design Director. “When we got back to the design studio we got to thinking about CR7’s style and how similar it was to the definition of a supernova – a celestial body that radiates energy – and that was it, we had our inspiration.”

“The concept of a star that burns brighter than others reflects Cristiano’s style, speed and the idea that as a player he plays without limits, much like the outer reaches of the galaxy. What Cristiano is able to achieve on the field is something that we felt was limitless. So we took that direction and focused on creating a highly luxurious finish fused with modern print and color choices,” added Dekovic.

The Mercurial IX boot features an all-over digital print of the Star Vela Supernova and includes a seven star path print, paying homage to Cristiano’s shirt number. The supernova print is juxtaposed with a chrome swoosh flecked with silver fleck and a Blue Glow outline.

That commentator was right, Cristiano is ‘out of this world’ and this boot pays homage to that,” said Dekovic.

And, of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a quote from the man himself. Ronaldo was in complete agreement.

“In addition to the way the boots perform, it’s also cool when we create something that represents my personality and style of play,” he said.