History of the Nike Tiempo
Tue, Jul 06.21
With the Launch of the Nike Tiempo Legend 9 we take a look back at the most important and iconic variations of the Nike Tiempo boot. Worn by the likes of Maldini, Romario, Pirlo, Puyol, Pique, Totti, Van Dijk the Tiempo is one of the best boot silos we've seen.
1994 Tiempo World Cup USA
The original Nike Tiempo was created with a soft leather upper to give players the best touch and feel from a boot you could get. The Tiempo goes all the way back to one of the most iconic international tournaments in history, the 94 USA World Cup. The boot was a classic; black and white, folded tongue, kangaroo leather, a centre-backs dream.
The boot was worn by almost half the players in the final, including ‘Il Capitano’ Paulo Maldini who took his side all the way to the final and was named in the team of the tournament. The boot was also worn by Brazilian legend Romario who went one better and won his country the World Cup and was named player of the tournament, that's how you market a boot.
2005 R10 Air Legend
In 2005 the boot was back with the style and comfort it was known for and worn by the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Andrea Pirlo, and Cesc Fabregas. A little bit later the Nike Tiempo received a fun revamp with the funnest player to ever exist; introducing the R10 air legend, Ronaldinho’s signature boot. This boot managed to be flashy and stay classy at the same time, dinho was the only man on the planet that could rock the all gold colourway.
The Tiempo R10 Air Legend released with one of Nike’s best product launch videos, it featured Ronaldinho being gifted a pair in a gold briefcase and then proceeding to fire three shots off the crossbar back to himself. The video is considered one of the first ever viral videos with it being the first youtube video to hit 1 million views.
Tiempo Legend 3
In 2009 Nike made substantial changes to the Nike Tiempo, reducing the weight down to 304 grams, giving the traditional boot more of a lightweight modern touch. Innovations to the heel provided more stability and protection. The outsole has also been redesigned as two separate pieces, which gave more room for leather to be added, increasing comfort, boot flexibility and player movement.
The 2009 variant of the Tiempo was known for its super soft kangaroo leather upper, recapturing the feeling of the original. Carles Puyol was one of the stars that wore the Tiempo Legend III, under Pep Guardiola he led Barcelona to the Treble, winning La Liga, The Champions League and the Copa Del Rey.
Tiempo Legend 3 World Cup Edition
A year later, Nike updated the Tiempo Legend 3 with the Elite World Cup edition which again shaved off considerable weight. For the first time ever the Tiempo was given a synthetic upper, ditching the kangaroo leather for a much lighter variation of the boot. The boot also switched to a carbon sole to help reduce the weight.
All Nike athletes at the World Cup wore the Legend pack which was a bright orange and silver design. Nike had a great showing in the tournament, Spanish centre-back partners Puyol & Pique were both wearing the Tiempos when they lifted the trophy.
2011 Tiempo legend 4
Tiempo fans had more to cheer about in 2011 with the launch of the Legend 4 which gave the boot its biggest update yet, again focusing on making the boot lighter. Nike used the Kangalite material again, only on the heel though, the real stuff was used on the upper with an all new pattern which allowed it to stay soft and not overstretch.
The appearance of the boot was a much sleeker, modern design, ditching the tongue for the first time. The boot was black with a bright orange tongue and laces, it meant business. Gerard Pique was again a big fan of this boot, cementing it as the boot of choice for the top centre-backs, wearing it throughout the 2011/12 season where Barca picked up another couple trophies but came up second best in La-Liga.
One of our favourite re-releases was this launch colourway of the Tiempo IV which dropped as part of the Future Friday Nike Future DNA releases back in March, 2020.
2013 Tiempo Legend 4
The 2013 variation of the Tiempo was again sleek and stylish like the ones before it with Nike starting to inject more personality into these boots. One colourway being a black with lime green accents and the other white and orange. Nike rarely does anything too crazy with colours on the Tiempo giving it a reputation as a more traditional boot, but these ones managed to keep it classy.
The 2013 Legend 4s were given the ACC (All Conditions Control) treatment which began in 2011, giving the boots the same levels of friction, touch and control on the ball in wet and dry conditions. Nothing too much had changed technology wise with this pair, the same balance of Kangaroo Leather and Kangalite material was used giving it the best touch possible and keeping it relatively lightweight.
2014 Tiempo Legend 5
In 2014 Nike Launched its 5th generation of the Tiempo boot, giving us the Legend V, keeping the identity that was formed 20 years ago but giving it 2 decades worth of innovation and technology. The Nike Tiempo Legend V had been in development for nearly three years prior to its release, giving us a complete reshape of the boot to improve comfort and overall performance. Nike again injected load of personality into this boot with the desert sand/orange colourway with a loud bright orange instep and laces.
The Legend V pulls inspiration from another legend, Ronaldinho and the Nike Ronaldinho Dois from 2008. The Dois launched in 2008 and featured a premium kangaroo leather upper with a larger ‘strike zone’ allowing for the biggest point of contact for touch.
Totti 2015 Legend 5 Premium - Francesco Totti
In 2015 Francesco Totti received his first signature boot at 38 years old, being a long time loyal user of the Tiempo, this one was absolutely deserved. Totti had worn Tiempo throughout his career but as the boot moved towards a sleeker design, Totti’s boots always had a custom tongue attached, which was ditched in 2011 for everyone else.
“I have always played with boots that had a tongue and for me, this detail on the product is very important. I wear the Tiempo because it is a comfortable boot with a soft leather upper that adapts well to the foot's shape and grants a great touch of the ball. It's a classic boot that helps me perform at my best when I'm on the pitch.” - Francesco Totti
The Nike Tiempo Legend 5 Premium came in a super elegant black and silver colourway with the luxurious fold-over silver tongue. With Totti’s reputation as a warrior, the insole of the boot featured a gladiator style logo using Totti’s famous number 10.
2015 Nike Tiempo Legend 6
The Nike Tiempo received its 6th variation in 2015 with the Legend VI after 2 years of the Legend 5. The Legend 6 brought with it the biggest update to the upper seen on a Tiempo, with Nike for the first time being able to deliver the feeling and touch associated with quilting of the leather but without compromising the material. This meant that the boot was now a lot more resistant to mud and water which would infiltrate the leather and harden the boot.
The Nike Tiempo Legend 6 also gives a big update to the tongue, transforming it into one-piece, integrated into the laces. Updates and revamps to the heel and sock-lines help to lock the foot in place for added comfort and control. This boot was traditional & premium with a touch of modern class.
Totti Gold Legend 6
To celebrate Francesco Totti's 25th year at Roma, Nike made him another Signature Tiempo, this time trading in the all black for an all gold colourway. Totti had to have a fold-over tongue on every Tiempo he wore, if the boot didn’t come with one, Nike made him one. This Tiempo was no different with a retro elasticated tongue covering his golden version of the Legend 6.
The Nike Tiempo Totti X Roma boot features a full leather upper with black detailing in the Nike Swoosh and Totti written on the heel. Totti wore these boots in his final game against Genoa, a golden send off for Roma’s golden boy.
Nike Tiempo Legend 6 Pirlo Edition
One of our favourite ever boots we have released at Ultra Football has to be the Nike Tiempo Legend 6 Pirlo Edition. This pair came in a red wine colourway which suited one of the coolest men in football perfectly.
From his personality, style of play and effortless look on and off the pitch, this boot was a 10/10 for fans of the iconic midfielder.
Pirlo's love for winemaking, made clear by his involvement in his family owned winery, Pratum Coller, served as the inspiration for the boots. They came with a cork insole and looked like the best bottle of wine you've ever set your eyes upon in the box sitting atop the shredded paper.
One of the coolest details is the 'Aged Since 94' etched in metallic gold on the sockliner - paying homage to Tiempo's heritage.
Nike Tiempo Legend 7 Limited Edition - Platinum BlackIn the Leadup to the Tiempo Legend 7, Nike dropped 100 pairs of the Legend VII Platinum black to build the hype. Nike didn’t release these at all, giving all 100 pairs out to select partners, which was a big shame because these were beautiful. The Boot had a similar ribbed upper to the 6 and had a Flyknit tongue which was a little hint of what would be coming later on.
The only colour that could be seen on the Platinum Black’s was a bit or orange branding on the insole and the individual numbering of each pair in white on the heel.
Nike Tiempo Legend 7
For the 7th generation Tiempo, Nike gave us the first ever Tiempo to incorporate Flyknit which made it the most comfortable and best fitting Tiempo yet. The Flyknit is featured throughout the midfoot and tongue area to provide cushioning and flexibility, the flywire cables in the midfoot of the boot would adjust to give the best fit possible.
The Legend 7 still featured the traditional soft leather upper for best ball contact. Although another big innovation occurred with Fit-Mesh in the upper of the boot to further prevent overstretching of the leather. This Tiempo also gave a debut of the Nike Hyperstability plate, which improved multi-directional movement in the boot and helped shave 60 grams off the existing weight.
Sergio Ramos Tiempo 7 "Corazón y Sangre"
One of the highlights from the Tiempo Legend 7 era came in the form of the Sergio Ramos Tiempo 7 "Corazón y Sangre" which we released back in 2017. An absolutely stunner of a limited edition drop from Nike for the then Real Madrid hard-man.
Nike Tiempo Legend 8
2 years on from the Legend VII we received the 8th instalment of the Legend series with the Nike Tiempo Legend VIII. The VIII was all about giving ‘the softest touch for the hardest working players’. Flyknit was back for the 8th generation boot but updated, a Flyknit fit tunnel was created which provided more support and a closer fit around the midfoot to give players more security.
From Paulo Maldini to Carles Puyol to Gerard Pique to new frontman of the Tiempo brand Virgil Van Dijk, the Tiempo was built for central defenders of the highest class. Virgil did the Legend proud, breaking them in with a first premier league title for Liverpool in 30 years.
Tiempo Legend 9
Now in 2021 Nike are about to give us gen 9 of the famous Legend series, giving us one of the biggest and maybe best updates to date. The Tiempo Legend 9 stays true to the classy traditional design of the boot which can be dated back to the 80s but give it its most modern look yet.
This version of the Tiempo is also the lightest, keeping up with modern trends, it comes in at 207 grams. The boot manages to shave considerable weight off while still staying true to tradition, giving it the luxurious kangaroo leather soft upper. The Tiempo is no longer just a central defender's boot, it is modern and lightweight and developed with the likes of Phil Foden and Lucy Bronze in mind.
We'll have the new Renew Pack Tiempo Legend 9 from August 2.
Share this:
