The Best Football Inspired Sneakers
As with basketball and athletics, football has a history of silhouettes that were originally conceived for performance purposes and went on to become lifestyle status symbols. This is the case with the adidas Samba, which was originally launched as a football shoe that promised to be resistant to low temperatures and very hard ground, but ended up becoming an icon in the world of fashion and beyond, with fans including Bob Marley.
In fact, the adidas Samba opened the door for what has now become a common strategy used by the world’s biggest sports brands; transitioning product from the arena to the streets. Just think of the Nike Gato, born as an indoor football shoe, it has recently been given a new lease of life away from the pitch thanks to its collaboration with Supreme. Even iconic sneakers have been reimagined through collaboration with some of the world’s greatest players. Today more than ever, soccer players are true style icons and the fact that brands are focusing on them to release limited edition sneakers is no surprise.
There are many more examples, but for now, let’s focus on what we believe are the best sneakers that take their inspiration from the world of football.
Nike Air Force 1 Low Ronaldinho
What Ronaldinho did for the world of football will be passed down from generation to generation. Let’s face it, hardly anyone could do what the Brazilian could do with the ball at his feet. Watch Ronaldinho play was truly a spectacle. In 2006, the year of the World Cup in Germany, Nike released an exclusive Air Force 1 Low that paid tribute to Ronnie. It exudes Brazilian style with a yellow, blue and green colourway, patent leather upper and a stylised image of a soccer ball.
Jordan 5 Retro Low Neymar
Even though he is no longer a Nike sponsored athlete, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior – better known as Neymar Jr – has been a big part of the Swoosh’s history. In addition to the myriad player edition boots and various apparel collections dedicated to him, “O’ Ney” even found himself putting his own stamp on the Air Jordan 5 Lows. For the occasion, the model class 1990 was dyed silver with a speckled pattern, black midsole and contrasting red details. The icing on the cake is the presence of MJ’s iconic number 23 on one side and Neymar’s number 10 on the other
Nike Air Force 1 Low World Cup Pack
For sports fans, there’s nothing better than being able to wear your team’s colours with pride. Back in 2006, Nike released a pack consisting of five different Air Force 1s, each of which was inspired by the colours of national teams. In addition, along with the shoes, there is a small booklet dedicated to the teams participating in that summer’s World Cup.
adidas Samba OG Cloud White Core Black
The adidas Samba’s classic design has ensured that its popularity has endured for over seventy years. In addition to being one of the oldest models in the German brand’s catalogue, the Samba can be considered for all intents and purposes the first football shoe to carve out a space in wider culture. In 1954 the German national team won a world championship with the studded version of this shoe, and a decade later, on the feet of Muhammad Ali (and later Bob Marley and Oasis), the Samba had truly cemented its place as an everyday shoe.
Nike Air Force 1 Low CR7 Golden Patchwork
Cristiano Ronaldo provides the classic example of how you should never give up in life to get what you want. When he was little, CR7 only had two pairs of shoes, one to play soccer and one to go to school. The fact that the pair destined for school were also used to play soccer is another matter. But perhaps this is precisely where the difference between CR7 and other players lies. In 2017, to pay homage to his humility and to commemorate the fact that that you can make something of yourself even when you start from the bottom, Nike and CR7 released an Air Max 97 and an Air force 1 Low embellished with gold details. In particular, in the Air Max 97, there are stitched parts that refer to Cristiano’s childhood, when his mother patched his shoes with holes to allow him to use them again.
Nike SB Gato Supreme
The Supreme FW18 collection featured the Nike SB Gato, one of indoor ballers’ favourite models. The pack, consisting of four different colours, all characterised by a leather upper, rubber sole and personalised details on the tongue and insole, sold out immediately. The interesting thing? The transition from 5-a-side pitches to the streets was instant. This is the perfect example of when the world of football meets the world of sneakers!
Nike Tiempo Vetta 17 Ivory Metallic Gold
The Nike Tiempo is one of the most iconic football boots of all time, having been worn on the pitch without any interruption from 1994 to today. In 2016, a few months after the release of the Tiempo IV, Nike also decided to launch a new lifestyle shoe that took inspiration from the boot; the Nike Tiempo Vetta.
