Adidas Predator are a range of

football boot Football boots, also referred to as cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are specialized footwear designed for use in association football. Those designed for grass Association football pitch, pitches have cleat (shoe), studs on the outsole ...

s developed by German sportswear manufacturer

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

, introduced in 1994. The Predator boots are based on a prototype concept from the Australian former footballer

Craig Johnston Craig Peter Johnston (born 25 June 1960) is an Australian former professional football player. He played as a midfielder in the English Football League between 1977 and 1988, for Middlesbrough and Liverpool. Nicknamed "Skippy", Johnston was a cr ...

. A characteristic feature of the Predator range is the presence of rubber patches or strips on the top of the shoe, designed to increase

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. Types of friction include dry, fluid, lubricated, skin, and internal -- an incomplete list. The study of t ...

between the boot and the ball. In late 2010, Adidas designed the new "Power-spine" technology, which they claim improves shot power by reducing the amount the foot bends back as it kicks the ball. In 2014, Hungarian inventor László Orosszi won a court case against Adidas in relation to the ''Predator Precision'' range, forcing Adidas to pay royalties on that range of the boot. The Predator line was discontinued in May 2015 for football, but was brought back in late 2017 to replace the ACE boots whereas the rugby line is still going strong. The new elite-level predator brought back by Adidas is named the Predator 18+, which features a prime knit upper with a laceless design as in Ace 16+ and 17+. The boost insole which was used in the Ace 17+ was also used on the new predator. There is a laced variant which is also available.

Conception

Footballer

retired from the game in 1988 to return to his native Australia to help care for his seriously injured sister. Whilst coaching a group of schoolchildren in Australia, he came across the idea of using rubber instead of leather to build ridges on the top of a football boot to, theoretically, aid control of the ball. Johnston spent a lot of time and money developing prototypes and experimenting with designs. Those designs were rejected by various sports shoe manufacturers, including Adidas. He then persuaded German footballers

Franz Beckenbauer Franz Anton Beckenbauer (; 11 September 1945 – 7 January 2024) was a German professional football player, manager, and official. Nicknamed ("the Emperor"), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and is one of nine p ...

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Karl-Heinz "Kalle" Rummenigge (; born 25 September 1955) is a German football executive and former professional player. Considered as one of the best players of his generation and one of the greatest German footballers ever, he was also the longt ...

and

Paul Breitner Paul Breitner (; born 5 September 1951) is a German former professional footballer who played as a midfielder and left-back. Considered one of the best full-backs and midfielders of all time, and one of the best players of his era, Breitner was n ...

to be filmed whilst using his prototype football boots in snowy conditions. This was enough to convince Adidas to take up Johnston's design, buying the rights with Johnston receiving a 2% share of all sales.

History of the Predator models

There have been 26 different predator models, with a cheaper version without all the predator technology going by a different name. For example, the Predator Pulse's budget variant was called the Pulsado. # Predator (1994) # Rapier (1995) # Touch (1996) # Accelerator (1998) (worn by

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard MBE (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and a former player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players,ugby Version Released 2007# PowerSwerve (2007) ugby Version Released 2008# Predator X (2009) ugby Versions - Predator RX (2009)# AdiPower Predator (2011) Predator Kinetic SL (Elite Version) # Predator LZ (2012) ugby Versions - Predator Incurza (2012)# Predator LZ 2 (2013) ugby Version - Predator Incurza 2 (2013)# Predator Instinct (2014) # Predator Incurza 3 (2014)* # Predator Incurza 4 (2015)* # Predator Malice (2016/17)* # Crazyquick Malice (2016 Version)* # Predator Malice Control (2017)* # Predator Flare (2017)* # Predator 18 (2017) # Predator 19 (2018) # Predator 20 Mutator (2020) # Predator 21 Freak (2021) # Predator 22 Edge (2022) # Predator 23 Accuracy (2023) # Predator 24 Solar Energy (2024) *these models were rugby shoes, not football boots. The eponymous ''Predator elements'' have developed over time. The principle behind the project, however, involves attaching rubber strips to the forefoot that Adidas says increases the speed of the ball. The initial focus in Predator commercials was on shooting strength, but this gradually move more to the effect on ball spin and precision. The first Predators were also available without Predator elements under a different name. While the Predators were made of black

kangaroo leather Kangaroo leather is a strong, lightweight leather derived from the hide of the kangaroo. Kangaroos are harvested. Both the meat and the hides are sold. Although hunting most species of macropod is prohibited, a small number of the large-sized ...

with white stripes and red elements, the equivalent boots without Predator technology were black with white stripes and blue accents. The Precision equivalent, however, was black and white only, while the Supernova (Predator Mania without the Predator elements) was black with either silver or gold heel caps and stripes.

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

wore these boots for most of his career, as did

Zinedine Zidane Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...

Original Predator

The original Adidas Predator was made of leather. It featured rubber ridges. It only came in a few colours, black with white stripes and red accents. This colour scheme is now known as the main one for all predators. The first goal scored by a professional footballer using Predator boots in a top-level match was by John Collins for

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

in April 1994. He scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw at

Ibrox Stadium Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Scottish Premiership team Rangers, Ibrox is the third-largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated ca ...

against

Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...

, direct from a free-kick on the edge of the penalty box.

Rapier

The Predator Rapiers were the first Adidas football boots available in different colors. Until then, the company's boots were all made of black leather. The Rapier, however, was also (as a limited series) available in white and red, as were the next two models. Beginning with the Mania, Adidas started to produce its Predator boots in countless color variants. Moreover, one color was called David Beckham's style.

Touch

The Predator Touch was different in many ways. It featured the Traxion (trx) studs, which were rectangular and anatomically placed. Before, studs had always been round. For professional players who preferred the old studs, Adidas produced special Predators with a different outsole.

Accelerator

The Predator Accelerator version was released in 1998 to coincide with the FIFA World Cup held in France. This boot featured a re-engineered TRX ( traxion) outsole, asymmetrical lacing, fore-footed rubber vamps sewn into the leather, and a "feet you wear" insole. It has been regarded as one of the best boots Adidas have produced to date. The boot was modelled by some of the best players at the time such as

Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Del Piero (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for ...

and

Precision

The ''Predator Precision'' introduced replaceable Traxion studs that were fitted by the tightening of a minute screw. These studs were available in various lengths that made the boot adjustable to ground conditions as is possible with the classic screw-in soft-ground studs. There were, however, some reliability problems, as the studs would come loose quite often, thus needing more constant maintenance than the classic screw-ins. In 2001 came a completely revised model which had a similar stripe configuration and colorway but the predator technology was revised and bore more of a resemblance to Predator Accelerators. Controversy arose over the boot's ball-directing striped-line zone in 2002 when Hungarian football gear inventor László Oroszi launched a

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

lawsuit against Adidas. Oroszi had registered the patent in Hungary in 1996, explaining that the striped zone at the tip of the shoe permitted footballers to shoot more accurately. Oroszi's representative presented the patent to Adidas in 1998, but Adidas declined the offer claiming that it did not fit into their concept for the then new ''Predator Precision'' shoes. Eventually in 2014, the Hungarian Courts ruled that Adidas had incorporated Oroszi's design into their ''Predator Precision'' shoes and that he is entitled to compensation.

Mania

Adidas released the ''Predator Mania'' to coincide with the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea/Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. They designed it with a "Far Eastern" style in mind, so it had sharp angular styling and came in various color schemes in addition to the traditional black–red design. These included the "champagne", a champagne-white color, and the "champagne gold", a gold pearl-like white, although just stud background and heel cup was gold. These were worn by David Beckham, Alessandro Del Piero and Raúl. These were available in the ''XTRX Blades'' for soft ground use, which came with a stud key and could be loosened or tightened at the owners comfort and also the red firm ground blades for hard surfaces. These were not detachable and came fixated to the boot. A limited edition version was also released in "Japan Blue" and was worn by

Alex Alex is a given name. Similar names are Alexander, Alexandra, Alexey or Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Cook (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Forsyth (disambiguation), multiple people * Al ...

of the Japan national team during the tournament. During the 2002–03 playing season, they also released an all-red version with the Adidas stripes in silver. Problems with reliability of the ''XTRX Blades'' meant a revised version was released in late 2003, which incorporated minor changes to the layout and design of the studs. In addition to this, with the revision, Adidas also released the boots with traditional screw in studs which were previously only available to professional players who had the boots custom designed by Adidas. Two new colours were released: "lunar", which came out in March 2003, and "gun metal", which was released in time for the 2003–04 playing season. The final revision of this boot came with the release of the HG (Hard Ground) sole, which was the same as the FG, except that the studs were black instead of red and were joined up and more robust with the boots intended to be used on third generation and synthetic surfaces. "Blue Mania" were only released in small numbers, primarily in the North American market, Japan and Korea; they are rare in Europe. With the success of the ''Mania'' in 2002, Adidas launched a budget version of the boot called the ''Manado''. This featured all the key characteristics of the Mania boot but with small cosmetic differences. A cheaper young cow leather was used in comparison to the ''Mania''s kangaroo skin leather. There was also a difference in the size and length of the tongues on each boot, compared to the ''Mania'' and the achillies protector on the heel was not plastic. Differences in the studs and coloring of the under sole are also evident, although the differences can be hard to notice at a glance, the ''Manados'' are often mistaken for ''Manias'' even though the recommended retail price of the ''Manados'' was £60, opposed to the £120 of the ''Manias''. With the difference in leather and other features, the ''Predator Mania FG'' is intended as the peak of the ''Predator'' range. With the line discontinued in late 2003, the boot has long been out of stock. There has been a retro version which was released in 2017 in the champagne colorway, its limited quantities made people sell them on eBay at monstrous prices.

Pulse

The ''Predator'' ''Pulse'' was introduced in late 2003, before

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...

. The first colour released was black and red (original). This Predator is the first boot include what Adidas calls the ''Power Pulse System'', and only ''Predator Pulse'' can't change to the original insole. Adidas introduced Power-Pulse in the Predator Pulse in late 2003, and continued with the ''Predator Absolute'' in November 2005. Adidas claims the Power-Pulse Sockliner shifts the boot's center of gravity closer to the point of impact, which they say offers more powerful shots on goal. Most of absolute's Power-Pulse is 40g, however only Red version is 60g. 2006 Teamgeist

A very limited edition of this boot was released called the David Beckham Ying Yang box set. Only 723 pairs of these were released and came in a wooden md glass display box with a small book. Retail price was £699 in the UK for this box set but it is now very sought after by collectors.

Absolute

The "Predator Absolute" introduced in mid-2006, just before the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams represe ...

in Germany. The first color schemes were black/red, white/gold and blue/white. This Predator is the first with changeable Power-Pulse sockliners which allows the exchange of the sockliner between the normal 40g and a lighter weight one, with no intentional weight added. Adidas made gold/white Absolute for Zinedine Zidane to celebrate his last international tournament. This boot was released in 2022 to the consumer market.

Power-Swerve

With the ''Predator Power-Swerve'' in late 2007, Adidas introduced a foam material they call Smart-foam. They claim it gives the Predator element more rebound power, swerve, and improved control through longer ball contact. Zinedine Zidane helped to develop the new Predator Power-Swerve boot. After ending his active career, he worked together with the Adidas innovation team (a.i.t) in the further evolution of the new boot. Scientific tests have shown that, in comparison to its predecessor, the Predator Power-Swerve can achieve up to eight percent more swerve and increase the power behind every shot by around three percent. The Dynamic Power-Pulse technology in the sole of the boot and the special hi-tech foam in the forefoot upper material make these improvements possible. The Power-Pulse element filled with tungsten powder, which shifts weight toward the point of impact, enables players to put more power behind every shot. Power-swerve Special is a rugby version of the series. It has a wider last in the boot and rugby hybrid studs.

Predator X

The Adidas "Predator X" shoes introduced in late 2009 have the ''Power spine technology'', the Predator element and a host of advancements from Adidas, all intended for better performance. Adidas developed a new upper material they call ''Taurus'' leather. The Adidas Predator X football boots are the first Predator to remove the tongue, which Adidas says improves performance. They claim it reduces the material between the ball and boot to give better ball feel, and that the new boot collar gives a more secure fit. Predator RX is a rugby version of the special, with a wider last and rugby specific predator vamp. Footballers such as David Beckham,

Xavi Xavi () is a Catalan given name, usually used as a nickname for Xavier. Notable people with the name include: Football * Xavi Hernández (born 1980), Spanish football manager and former player * Xavi Andorrà (born 1985), Andorran footballe ...

Robin van Persie Robin van Persie (; born 6 August 1983) is a Dutch football coach and former professional association football, footballer who is the head coach of Eredivisie club Feyenoord. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of his generation and was ...

Michael Ballack Michael Ballack (; born 26 September 1976) is a German former professional footballer. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He won the German Footballer of ...

, Raúl,

Kolo Touré Kolo Abib Touré (born 19 March 1981) is an Ivorian professional Manager (association football), football manager and former player. He most recently managed then-Championship club Wigan Athletic F.C., Wigan Athletic. Beginning his career as a ...

Edwin van der Sar Edwin van der Sar (; born 29 October 1970) is a Dutch association football, football executive and former professional player who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. He was most recently the chief executive of AFC Ajax, A ...

Petr Čech Petr Čech (; born 20 May 1982) is a Czech former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper and current ice hockey player who plays as a goaltender for Oxford City Stars. He has ...

, Brad Friedel, Anderson and

Eiður Guðjohnsen Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen (transliterated as Eidur Smari Gudjohnsen; born 15 September 1978) is an Icelandic professional football coach and former player who played as a forward. Eiður saw his greatest success in England and Spain with Chels ...

have all worn Adidas Predators. Zinedine Zidane tested and reviewed the newest version of the Predator range (Predator X). Adidas released the Predator X in the traditional black/white/red colorway, with a contrasting white/brown/yellow colorway to accompany it. Later, Adidas released other colorways including the usual David Beckham designed white/red colorway, with a dragon design on the rubber Predator element; also released were the blue/white/red. For the

2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

, Adidas released a black/sun colorway to follow on a colorway they used for all three of their boot styles (F50 Adi Zero and Adi Pure), later came the white/sky/cyan and black/white/cyan colorways, followed by another David Beckham designed Collegiate Red/White colorway. For the winter of the 2010–11 season, Adidas released the Predator X in two new colorways, electricity/black/poppy and black/Running-White/electricity; David Beckham will also be getting another personalised colorway in white/blue. Steven Gerrard has been given the option of a Mi-adidas Predator which he personalised as black/gold/red.

Adi Power Predator

Released in May 2011, the Adidas Adi Power Predator saw a shift in focus for the Predator range with the release of the new Adi-Power. The ''Power spine'' technology has been retained, providing greater shooting power by minimizing energy loss. The Predator element on the instep of the boot has been split into two performance zones. The power zone incorporates 3D fins for power, while the silicon rubber Predator element provides swerve and ball control. The Adi-Power Predator now features the Sprint Frame outsole, originally created for the F50, making it 25% lighter than the Predator X.

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

Kaká Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional Association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime at A.C. Milan, AC Mil ...

and

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

's Nani wore the Adi-Power Predators. The Adi-Power, like other Adidas football boots released in 2011, faced an increase in price, with RRP set as £155 in the UK and $200 in the United States. They weigh in at 7.8 ounces.

Adi-power Predator SL

The Adidas Adi-power Predator SL was released on 24 June 2011 as the lightest Predator yet, offered in a Black/Blue colorway at a retail price of US$250. This incarnation of the Predator used the revolutionary Sprint-Skin upper used in the popular F50 Adi-zero line and weighed just 211 grams.

Predator Lethal Zones

Released in May 2012, but previously tested by professionals in blackout versions, the next Predators will be called the LZ due to the five "lethal zones" on the boots. Previously referred to as the D5 due to the same five zones being called deadly, Adidas changed the name in the build up to their release. In a change for the Predators, they will have a synthetic leather upper and these will be the first Predator boots with mi-Coach capability. The Predator LZ features that same Sprint-Frame and stud configuration that is found in several other ranges such as the Adi-pure and F50 Adi-Zero. The first zone is called "first touch". It is on the front of the boot. It supposedly gives the wearer a good first touch. The second zone is called "dribble". It is on the side of the boot and supposedly gives a better touch. The third is called "drive". This is the classic predator zone in the striking part of the foot, used for long passes down the field and more powerful shots. The fourth is called "pass". It is made up of extra foam with a bit of tacky material in the passing zone. The last one is called "sweet spot". It is on the side of the big toe and is helpful for giving spin and chipping. In November 2012, Adidas unveiled a new lightweight version of the Predator LZ, aptly named the Predator LZ SL. The boot still features Lethal Zones, mi-Coach technology and the same soleplate. It is in the upper material where they are differentiated. Rather than using the Hybrid S-L seen in the regular LZ, Adidas employ a thinner Sprint-Skin on the back end of the LZ SL. This boot weighed in at 7.3oz. In May 2013, Adidas officially released the updated version of the Predator LZ, named the Predator LZ II, and it was debuted by several players in Europe, including

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

's Pepe Reina; Chelsea's

Fernando Torres Fernando José Torres Sanz (; born 20 March 1984) is a Spanish Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Football player, player who played as a Striker (association football), striker. He is the curr ...

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

and Petr Čech;

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

's Aaron Ramsey,

Mesut Özil Mesut Özil (, ; born 15 October 1988) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his ball control, technical skills, creativity, passing skills, and vision, he is widely re ...

and

Per Mertesacker Per Mertesacker (; born 29 September 1984) is a German football coach and former professional player who played as a centre back. He is the current manager of the Arsenal Academy. Mertesacker began his senior career after being promoted from th ...

; Real Madrid's Ángel Di María and

Xabi Alonso Xabier Alonso Olano (, ; born 25 November 1981) is a Spanish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who is the head coach of La Liga club Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid. He is regarded as o ...

; and Chelsea's

Juan Mata Juan Manuel Mata García (born 28 April 1988) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a midfielder for A-League Men club Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Western Sydney Wanderers. He primarily plays as an attacking ...

. First released in a Ray Green colorway, the next-generation Predator boasts new raised rubber lethal zones which add increased friction between your foot and the ball for ultimate control, touch, passing and shooting. Other features include the Hybrid-Touch upper which is designed for optimal performance in all weather conditions and Traxion 2.0 stud configuration and Sprint-Frame soleplate.

Predator 18

After being discontinued and replaced by the Adidas Ace, the Predator made a grand return in November 2017. The Predator 18 marked the first time a laceless upper was used in the collection, initially launching in black as part of the "Sky-stalker" boot pack. This design ushered in a new era of Predator, making use of modern Primeknit materials which includes a layer of CONTROLSKIN, ideal for controlling the ball and dictating the play in midfield. The new generation was worn by

Paul Pogba Paul Labile Pogba (born 15 March 1993) is a French professional footballer who is a free agent. He primarily plays as a central midfielder. Born in Lagny-sur-Marne, Pogba joined the youth team of Ligue 2 side Le Havre in 2007. He joined Ma ...

Dele Alli Bamidele Jermaine "Dele" Alli ( ; born 11 April 1996) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Como 1907, Como. Born and raised in Milton Keynes, he joined the youth system at ...

and

Ivan Rakitić Ivan Rakitić (; born 10 March 1988) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for HNL club Hajduk Split. Rakitić started his professional career at Basel and spent two seasons with them before he was signed by Schalke ...

References

External links

*
Reviews of Predator boots (Joshua Vujovic at Soccer Reviews For You)
{{Adidas Adidas P