The first Cristiano Ronaldo Mercurial boots are back

When Cristiano Ronaldo made his debut with the Sporting Lisbon shirt on August 14, 2002, he was only 17 years old, but from that moment on, Nike began to build a relationship with the athlete, which is set to end next year when his monumental ten-year contract, worth 162 million euros, expires. On that day in mid-August 2002, Cristiano Ronaldo, wearing the number 28 on his shirt, wore the Mercurial Vapor Dark Cinder, a boot that became a symbol of the Portuguese's blossoming talent. Although it wasn't a signature boot — there would be time for those (there are even 31 versions released between 2010 and 2022) — the Mercurial Vapor Dark Cinder can be considered Cristiano Ronaldo’s first real Mercurial. This may be the last tribute that Nike gives to the athlete (who knows if on Friday, in the match against Al-Shabab, CR7 will wear them), as he hasn't had a signature boot for three years now.

The remake of the Mercurial Vapor Dark Cinder comes with a limited run of only 5000 pairs and features special details inside the insole that pay tribute to the Portuguese, including his logo, signature, and the phrase Created to the exact specifications of Cristiano Ronaldo. This suggests that there was consultation with the athlete during the creation of the pair, and that — of course — the model has been adapted technologically to meet the needs of the modern athlete, as it is a performance item and not just a collector’s piece. Last week, we wondered if Nike had truly forgotten about Cristiano Ronaldo, and today, in one of the most important weeks of the year for the Swoosh, which coincides with the re-issue of the Total 90III, it is relaunching the first boot of Cristiano Ronaldo on the market. Now, we just have to wait to see if the brand has a plan in mind to honor the Portuguese’s career finale.

The boot is available on Nike's website.