With their latest major release, Nike have drawn battle lines and asked football boot fans to pick a side.
Players across the globe laced up in Nike’s new ‘Fire and Ice Pack’ last weekend and will continue to do so as World Cup qualification takes centre stage for international sides this week.
So why is the Swoosh’s latest offering so divisive? Simply put, Nike have given their four main boot silos a fresh lick of paint twice over, with vibrant red shades for ‘Team Fire’ and cool blue tones for ‘Team Ice’.
Players from different club sides have also been placed on the side of the coin that Nike feels best suits them, with men from Arsenal rocking Fire boots and Chelsea campaigners donning the corresponding Ice variants.
By now, boot enthusiasts are well-acquainted with the Mercurial or the Magista, so we’ve taken a look at how the pieces of footwear that make up the Fire and Ice Pack stacked up in the style stakes during their on-pitch debuts.
Mercurial
Nike’s premier speed boot, the Mercurial, is into its 11th iteration and the Fire and Ice versions are markedly different.
The Ice version of the boot isn’t too dissimilar to recent colourways, with a darker heel accompanying a more eye-catching blue but the Fire edition stands out a whole lot more, featuring an almost entirely red upper that you’ll certainly be able to spot from the stands.
Expect to see them on the feet of likes of Eden Hazard, Alexis Sanchez and Neymar.
Hypervenom
Much in the same way as the Mercurial, the difference in profile is stark between the Fire and Ice Hypervenoms.
There’s a much more understated look to the Ice Hypervenom, which flies under the radar with its azure stylings while its Fire counterpart is, again, designed to stand out from the crowd.
As always, dynamic forwards such as Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Robert Lewandowski continue to fly the flag for the Hypervenom.
Magista
Now we arrive at the Magista, Nike’s ‘control’ boot, and it’s here that the two colourways that help make up the Fire and Ice Pack more closely resemble two different sides of the same coin.
The two Magistas are probably the least in-your-face opposing pair from the collection but both are sleek, classy designs.
Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen and Andres Iniesta are just some of the stars that will be strutting their stuff in the Fire and Ice Magistas.
Tiempo
Despite its status as a modern twist on a classic, the Tiempo doesn’t get as much pick-up on the pitch as Nike’s other flashier boots.
That’s not to say that the Fire and Ice versions are low-key in any way – like the Magista, the two colourways are follow effectively the exact same design but are probably the most vivid among Nike’s newest collection.
Keep an eye out to see them worn by the likes of Eric Bailly, Jerome Boateng and Sergio Ramos.