EXACTLY thirty years ago, Adidas changed the landscape of football with the launch of the Adidas Predator. The boot epitomised the skill and accuracy of passing added with the coolness of wearing a pair of football boots. It became instantly noticeable when one stepped onto the pitch wearing a pair of the Predators.
Football icons like Zinadine Zidane, Steven Gerrard, Alessandro Del Piero wore the famed Predators but the name that stands out for most football fans is David Beckham. Especially since, the first day that he wore the Adidas Predator also coincided with the day that he scored the magnificent halfway line goal against Wimbledon during the 1996/97 season of the English Premier League.
That goal and the boots became synonymous with iconic goals and helped make the boots the most sought after by professional and amateur player the world over.
Last week, 30 years after the first Predator hit the playing fields of the world, Adidas launched Predator 24 with its latest innovation to help players hit their peaks while playing. The inspiration of the founding boot is clear, as it blends the aesthetic DNA of the Predator Original with the lightweight design capabilities seen in Predstrike and Predator 30 and it carries the famed black, white and red colourway but made bolder in hue, and completed by vibrant yellow taping to proudly declare its place as its own boot, in its own right.
While the individual boots have evolved, shape-shifting with each generation that wears them – unwavering in the Predator legacy, its core DNA of bold, confident aesthetics, technical superiority and with the game getting faster, and responsiveness to in-match moments becoming ever important, Predator 24 joins the limited release Predstrike as the lightest boot in the franchise to date. Specifically, the Laceless Elite version that weighs just 195g in size 8.5.
For fans of the boot and Adidas that is renowned for continuous innovation that revolutionises the game, there will be a World of Predator exhibition on Thursday, 1st February 2024 at The Exchange, TRX in conjunction with the 30th year anniversary of the Predator.
Former England, Real Madrid and Manchester United star David Beckham was in town to launch both the latest model and the exhibition. Fans of all ages of the star were lined up as early as 10am for a 6pm walkabout and meet and greet and were not disappointed when he spent a considerable amount of time meeting them.
This exhibition will showcase 30 years of the boots, legacy and history through an archive walk featuring each models’ unique technology. Dedicated to the franchise’s impact on the game over three monumental decades, the exhibition will detail every boot since the franchise’s inception in 1994. Adidas will also partner with Predator aficionado, Mohamad Anas Faiz bin Mohamad Amin, to complete the archive walkthrough with 22 physical boots of the 19 iterations from his personal collection of Predator 1994 - 2023.
This event will be hosted at Lot L2.28.0 and L2.29.0, Level 2, The Exchange, TRX from now till the 11th February 2024, 10PM.
For playing fans of the brand and model, the newly launched foldover tongue Predator 24 will also be exclusively sold at the World of Predator exhibition alongside other variations of the pack for the entire duration of the exhibition, while stocks last.
For further information please visit www.adidas.com.my or follow @adidasMY #WorldofPredator #adidasMY on Instagram to join the conversation. – The Vibes, February 10, 2024
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