Predator 30: Embracing Nostalgia in a Limited-Edition release
Fri, Dec 01.23
It doesn’t get much bigger than this. To celebrate three decades of innovation for arguably football’s most legendary boot franchise, adidas has just launched a super limited collection: Predator 30. Limited to just 1994 pairs globally to pay homage to the original, launched back in 1994.
Fans who love boots and like to stay up to date would have noticed Jude Bellingham training in these in recent days, and he even got his first goal in them against Napoli yesterday morning in the Champions League. This followed up Trent Alexander-Arnold’s stunning Steven Gerrard-esque outside-of-the-box strike in a pair of custom white and red Predators. Signalling his return to the Three Stripes after leaving Under Armour in a timely and exciting move from the German brand. When you think of Predator - long-range strikes and passing, whip, crossing, free kicks, and control all spring to mind. So do goals. And with Trent and Jude, they’re getting a lot of those great characteristics that make up Predators' DNA.
The return of the iconic tongue had older heads in the office losing their minds when we first saw designs of these and got them in hand a few months ago. They instantly fill you up with nostalgia, but the modernised design also feels right. This isn’t going to be a quick in-and-out release. This is adidas going back to their roots and what works. What drove the brand forward in the 90s and early 00s with icons like Zidane, Beckham, Kaka, Raul, and Del Piero consistently turning the heat up to 100 week in, week out. Predators were the boots back then, and these Predator 30’s are going to ensure they’re the boots now. Everyone - young and old - is going to want to lace these up on feet.
The design encompasses all that’s worked in the past on their fan-favourite icons - think Predator Mania, Precision, and PowerSwerve. The soft feel, in-built rubber fins, and tongue straps are back. The best thing about the tongue strap is the individuality they allow. Will you be playing with the tongue all the way forward just behind the closed studs to your toes like Becks or Rui Costa? Or slightly further back? The choice is yours… and we’re all going to be watching what the current crop of international athletes will do.
“The introduction of the Predator franchise completely changed how people thought about football boots, both from a performance and a marketing perspective. Over the years, it’s been worn by some of the greatest players of their generations, in some of the game’s most historic moments. Reflecting on the last three decades of innovation, we felt the time was right to hit a reset and be inspired by the elements that first made Predator so popular – its look, feel, and focus on goalscoring. We're sure admirers of the early Predator models will be delighted to see the famous tongue making a comeback, and we hope newer fans will enjoy rocking the tongue on pitch for the first time.” - Sam Handy, VP Product and Design, adidas Football.
Some neat details on the boots really continue the good vibes with the iconic Predator ‘Eyes’ logo appearing on the underside of the tongue, alongside ‘1994’ which takes it back to the beginning.
The colourway chosen for this 30-year release is inspired by the classic red, black, and white of earlier iterations, but with a more luxurious burgundy chosen in place of bolder and brighter reds to mark the 30-year heritage of the franchise.
If all this wasn’t enough, each pair comes in a premium presentation box, containing a commemorative gold plaque, illustrated with some of the most popular Predators in history. This is a true collector's item.
Want to get your hands on these? Join our pre-order EQL launch here. Numbers are incredibly tight for this, as you can imagine. Some people are definitely going to miss out, but you've got to be in it to win it.
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