Back in 2006, Brazilian Forward Ronaldo debuted the Nike '06 Mercurial Vapor cleat as made his return for the World Cup in Germany. At the time, the Mercurial Vapor was the most high-tech cleat on the market offering the first ever carbon fiber heel-counter and built specifically for speed and comfort.
Fast forward to present day, and Nike is still using the Mercurial model and providing athletes with modern technologies paired with visual elements that made the Mercurial so popular. The 2014 Mercurial Vapor IX Fast Forward ’06 features subtle graphics and the same vibrant colors from the original model. Modern materials and current Nike innovation were used in the 2014 reboot as they pay homage to the '06 Mercurial and Ronaldo's legacy. The 2014 Mercurial Vapor IX Fast Forward ’06 includes a small heel logo to commemorate original inspiration year, while the sock liner tells key moments of the Mercurials history.
In addition to the Mercurial, Nike is also releasing several new colorways of the CTR360 2, the Tiempo V, and the Hypervenom as part of the summer 2014 collection.
We know that the newly unveiled Nike Magista will be the popular cleat at this summer's World Cup in Brazil, but some players may opt for previous models they are familiar with instead of lacing up Nike's latest and greatest.
The 2014 Mercurial Vapor IX Fast Forward ’06 and the rest of Nike's 2014 summer collection are all currently available at Nike.com.
[Nike]
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