After two blinding re-releases, adidas wrap up the Revenge Instinct pack with a throwback to one of the most definitive Predators ever; the adidas Predator Instinct Mania.
For many people of a certain age, these are the iconic Predator – and even then, for almost everyone to lace up a pair of Predators, the Mania almost certainly make the top three.
It’s hard to isolate what made the adidas Predator Mania so popular, only because there is so much about it people remember.
From the tongue-strap that let players decide how much of the laces they wanted covered, to the two-piece soleplate with Three Stripes cascading down the flank and through the chassis – the Predator Mania was a packed with features whilst remaining uncluttered.
Throw in a chunky external heel counter, sumptuous K-Leather upper, unforgettable colourways and one of the ultimate Predator strikezones, and there’s no surprise adidas chose to re-release these on the twentieth anniversary as the adidas Predator Instinct Mania.
And then there are the players that wore them; a golden generation of players was in it’s prime at the 2002 World Cup for which these football boots were released, with Beckham, Zidane, Del Piero, Raul, Ballack and so very many more choosing to lace up the Predator Mania in Japan and Korea.
Looking at the adidas Predator Instinct Mania, there’s no doubt a good chunk of it’s charm has transferred over.
HybridTouch replaces the K-Leather of the old model, but adidas have embossed the original stitching in to create an homage to the original, and the Three Stripes run under a transparent ControlFrame outsole for a similarly throwback look.
Available to pre-order from today, are the adidas Predator Instinct Mania a boot you’ll be looking to order?
Don’t forget – these football boots are limited to less than 2000 pairs, so if you want a pair – act now!
I’m actually disappointed by this. I had the original FG Mania with the white sole and red studs, and a longer tongue. This Instinct version looks more like the Manado