NHBSOCCER

What does Flyknit mean for Hypervenom?

Flyknit has taken boot manufacturing to a new level.  We used to be obsessed with how light the boot is but Nike often reiterate their focus on three areas of the boot ‘Fit’ ‘Touch’ and ‘Traction’. With Flyknit initially being introduced with the Magista and now the Nike Mercurial Superfly, this leaves the industry questioning what is next for Nike’s latest boot launch, the Hypervenom 2.

The Hypervenom boot originally replaced the Nike Total 90 boot which was worn by, and associated with, many big names in football including Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Paul Scholes.  However, the innovative team as Nike felt it was time to shake the industry up and create a new range of boots to offer athletes and customers – the HYPERVENOM.

The Hypervenom was born in Brazil with Nikes next generation golden boy Neymar as the main public face of the boot. This boot was created for the attacker, the dribbler, the agility players who are deadly in the box.  All skills which characterised Neymar’s famous attacking nature. 

The Hypervenom introduced many new qualities to ponder over; the outside of the boot was made from a honeycomb like texture material called ‘Nike skin’ which was unique and different from all other Nike football boots to that date.  Nike explained that the softness of this skin provided the player with the perfect touch on the ball. When putting the boot on the material stretches to the size and shape of the player’s foot enabling the creation of the perfect mould to ensure an ideal, individual fit.  The boot also advertises a new traction system that featured a split toe soleplate; a soleplate that was made in conjunction with some of the world’s leading podiatrists to give the player maximum ‘traction’ allowing footballers to be agile in and around the box.   

Finally, the design of the boot was radical yet very cool, supporting a Lebron like Nike swoosh on the heel of the shoe, with the main Nike swoosh placed on the inside of the foot rather than the standard swoosh on the outside.   The two tone colour way made the boots bright and gave it a dynamic look on the pitch.   

The boot was an immediate success and the quality of the design is highlighted by the fact that some of Europe’s top strikers are still wearing this model.  This begs the question - what is next for the Hypervenom?

Over this World Cup summer the football technology industry has seen some outstanding breakthroughs in boot making.  I did not think that Nike could not top the fit and feel of the Hypervenom but, in my opinion, the Magista’s and Superfly have now overtaken the Hypervenom when considering fit, feel and overall performance.

The Magista and Superfly model offer Flyknit technology along with brio cables and a thin layer of Nike skin which combine together to offer a fit which is supernatural.  In addition, the dynamic collar really does make the boot feel like it is a true extension of your leg, there is no distraction.  Personally, I am a big fan of the high collar, but I realise it is not for everybody, as we have seen with Cristiano Ronaldo sporting a pair of custom made Superfly boots which see the dynamic fit collar just below the ankle.

Would the Hypervenom be better with the technology advances seen in the Magista’s and Superfly?

 Definitely.  I think the fit and feel could be improved drastically by adding a couple of extra touches. 

After wearing the Hypervenoms for a couple of weeks I found the Nike Skin stretched and therefore the boot did not continue to give the snug fitting feel created from the first wear.  This could be enhanced by the introduction of Brio Cables and Flyknit technology alongside the Nike skin that the Hypervenoms currently possess.  This will give the boot a better lock down effect when turning and applying pressure to the sole plate ensuring that the ‘fit’ of the boot is consistent and reliable.

 However, I would not suggest that Nike go down the route of putting the dynamic fit collar onto the next Hypervenom model.  We have seen players such as Zlatan Imbrahimovic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pedro of FC Barcelona decline dynamic collar option presented in the Superfly, instead opting for the Vapor 10 boot.  I feel the dynamic collar is a little like Marmite, you either love it or hate it!  Therefore, I think it would be foolish to install the high collar on all of the premier models offered by Nike. 

The Hypervenom 2 is a huge realise for Nike and they have a hard act to follow after the first Hypervenom was such a big hit with top level athletes and the general public.  Can Nike top the first creation of this boot with its next innovative edition of the Hypervenom?   Many people will be intrigued to see what the Nike team have up their sleeves for the next instalment of the attackers boot - one thing that can be guaranteed is that the main focuses will still be ‘fit’ ‘touch’ and ‘traction’.