In 2015 adidas stunned the football world by revealing that laceless football boots would be hitting the pitch in 2016. Revealed by some of the world's best players on Instagram a black out prototype boot appeared on training pitches across the globe.
Now, the boot that dominated headlines is ready to dominate pitches and boss everyone.
The ACE 16+ PURECONTROL, the world's first high performance laceless football boot, will be worn on pitch by the likes of Mesut Ozil and Ivan Rakitic from January 23rd. A limited number of the ground-breaking boots will be available to the public in adidas flagship stores in Paris, Marseille, London, Barcelona and Manchester, and in selected retail partners.
The reveal of the prototype boot had football fans speculating about the technology behind adidas' most disruptive boot in years. Now, the full details of the boot behind the hype can be revealed.
The laces have been replaced with three key points of stability to lock the foot into the boot. A TPU cage locks over the iconic three stripes to secure the mid foot, and is further anchored by a knitted upper and an internal knitted techfit locking system. The upper is an evolution of adidas' Primeknit technology, combining tight and loose premium knits across the boot for optimum fit.
The result is a glove like fit, and the cleanest possible strike using a larger surface area to generate more power and accuracy.
Mesut Ozil will be one of the select players to wear the boots and was crucial to the product's development. The Germany playmaker said: "My whole career I have tried to minimise the impact of laces on my strike and ball control. I revealed to adidas in 2014 that in the changing room I knot the laces over and over again and then tuck in the ends, that way they do not interfere with my touch. When they came to me last year with the laceless boots, it was like they have created my dream product. I cannot wait to wear them on the pitch".
The ACE 16+ PURECONTROL has been rigorously tested at every level, from grass roots leagues in Sweden to cutting edge robotics in the adidas laboratory.
adidas Football Vice President of design Sam Handy said: "The ACE 16+ PURECONTROL is already set to become one of our most iconic releases ever. We've taken away something that has been present in every pair of football boots adidas has released – the laces. The result is a really pure silhouette and a beautiful shape. That shape not only makes it visually stunning, but most importantly gives our players an unparalleled strike surface".
The boot also features an enlarged heel pocket and a redeveloped sole plate designed to reduce the weight of the boot.