Nike releases the Hypervenom

Before the month of May ended, Nike released the Hypervenom, its latest football shoe in Rio de Janeiro, with the Brazillian wunderkind Neymar.



The Hypervenom aims to help the wearer quickly create space in and around the penalty area, with the ability to get off a shot from any angle. In the case of Neymar, he wanted a boot that would help enhance his agility, giving him the space to get off a shot before opponents can close him down.

To quote Nike Football VP for Footwear Phil McCartney, “The Hypervenom is the ultimate expression of this new breed of athlete who is unpredictable. He is agile. He is quick. And he can finish like very few players on the planet.”

This development is as a result of the evolution of defenders becoming as quick, agile and skillful as the forwards they guard on the pitch. Using feedback from the likes of Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Neymar, the Nike Football design team, led by its Design Director Denis Dekovic, then developed a boot that would allow the player to be quicker not just in foot races, but also with the ball in their feet in small spaces. As a result, wearing the boot would enhance their natural agility and thus, be able to virtually create chances out of nothing.

Dekovic adds, “These players have a flair and unpredictability that gets the crowd on their feet. They are the players that fans, teammates and opponents expect to pose the biggest threat. The challenge for us is to harness that talent and give the player the best product to increase that advantage.”

The boot's upper uses the NIKESKIN system, which features a soft supple mesh bound with a thin polyurethane film, finished off with the Nike All Conditions Control technology (ACC) that provides the same level of foot-to-ball control in both wet and dry conditions.

For Dekovic, “Mesh delivers an amazing level of comfort and feel. The athletes asked us to deliver a boot that gets as close as possible to the feeling of playing barefoot. Mesh takes us a step closer to doing that. The ACC finish keeps the mesh dry, but doesn’t take away any of the suppleness or comfort so the performance and intent of the design isn’t affected.”

Complementing the upper for the Hypervenom is a new foot last that is their most anatomical to date for Nike, as they decided to remove excess materials and placing the foot closer to the ball and the ground. They also decided to create a decoupled outsole that would increase the wearer's ability to create separation from the defender. Working with top podiatrists, Nike added a groove in the forefoot that helps to quickly activate the first metatarsal, the bone that defines reaction time of the foot’s first movement.

The chassis of the outsole features compressed nylon for a high-response, plate that helps deliver strength while being incredibly light. The stud configuration and length is designed to allow for faster penetration of the surface and ultimately a quicker release – all innovations designed to help players create space quicker than ever before.

The shoe made its official debut during the FIFA friendly between England and Brazil, worn by Neymar and Rooney on June 2. Also set to be wearing the boot are Ibrahimovic and Polish international Robert Lewandowski.

Details are still unavailable as to when it will be available in the local Nike stores, but the SRP of the Hypervenom is at PhP 10,295.