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Nike and Adidas in battle over sock-cleat hybrid

By on March 6, 2014

It might seem unreal, but Nike and Adidas have began a war over what Nike promoted with the line, “Football will never be the same”. Yet the actual product is probably not what you think it would be. As Adidas said, it is the first ever “all-in-one” football cleat-sock hybrid.  Nike’s version, called the Magista, is the first of their boots using Flyknit technology, and has a sock knitted directly into the boot which goes up just above the ankle.  Meanwhile, Adidas revealed a similar boot as part of their Primeknit collection, the Primeknit fs, a knitted sock-cleat hybrid that reaches all the way up to the knee.

Adidas’ only announced the boot with one tweet, but Nike launched the Magista, which will be available for pre-order in April and shipping in May, with a full blown presentation in Barcelona. The American company played up the cleat’s soft, “second skin” like feel, with Phil McCartney, Nike’s VP of Sport Performance Footwear saying: “With Magista, we’ve designed a shoe that feels like an extension of the player’s body. This isn’t a boot that just goes on your foot, it’s a boot that works with your foot. By eliminating distractions, players are free to unlock their potential and creativity.”

Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta said the shoe “feels like a sock”, while Chelsea center-back David Luiz said the shoe “molds to your foot”. Mario Gotze’s sole comment was: “Unbelievable”

 

 

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.