Nike presented the new Mercurial Air Zoom

It was the early 2000s when I had the chance to have my first pair of Nike Mercurials in my hands and then in my feet. I remember that day as if it were today, I was perhaps too excited, for me the fluorescent orange version with the huge swoosh on the outside of the foot represented everything, perhaps more than a dream and with those shoes on my feet everything seemed possible. A pair of shoes that for 90 minutes made me look like my favourite player, or let me imagine myself on the pitch in the Champions League or World Cup final. Because of this, each model reminds me of a time or moment in life that I am particularly fond of. The magic of the Mercurial Vapor, however, has touched more than one generation, as its history spans more than twenty years, and it is still going strong today with a new shoe born to definitively change the rules and break every pattern, we are talking about the brand new Air Zoom. It's not just the fact that it's sustainably made or the design of the Tri-Star cleats that will help footballers move both laterally and downhill for faster play in all directions, but the new airbag Zoom.

Nike has developed a new evolution of the three-quarter-length Vaporposite upper that sits directly inside the shoe plate, allowing the foot to move closer to the ground for an even more snappy and propulsive return of energy. Equipped with flex grooves, it will provide whoever wears it with flexibility and a natural foot movement that will better suit every need on the court.

"Being a Mercurial athlete, I always think about speed. I want to be faster than my opponent," said Kylian Mbappe. "What excited me the most is that this technology is revolutionary. Air technology is what will really put Mercurial athletes in the best performance conditions."

The Nike Air Zoom Mercurial will make its debut on the pitch in July in England in the Bonded colour scheme during the Women's European Championship. It will only be released at a later date and can be purchased here.