Football, fashion and the pursuit of perfection have never been as intertwined as they are in the present. From sweat-resistant shirts to socks that do not rub, via the most stylish of boot designs, it is more important than ever to both look and feel good when taking to the field.
While he cannot be held solely responsible for starting a trend that has become ever more prevalent in the modern era, there is no escaping the fact that David Beckham helped to blur the lines between catwalk and dugout in sporting terms.
Superstar
Beckham played a leading role in turning Manchester United into a global superpower, with his exploits across 11 memorable years at Old Trafford allowing 12 trophies to be collected. The undoubted highlight of that spell came in 1999 when United swept their way to a historic Treble.
Manchester United may be working their way back into title contention at present, with English Premier League betting odds pricing them at 14/1 to capture a domestic crown in 2023, but there was a time not all that long ago when they were expected to compete for the biggest prizes on offer at home and abroad.
It was Beckham’s right boot that delivered the corners which allowed finishing touches to put to those record-setting achievements in a Champions League final showdown with Bayern Munich, and that foot was adorned by the most iconic of boots.
The former England captain was and still is a superstar, with his every move dissected on and off the pitch. When crossing over a white line, Beckham wanted to ensure that he had all of the tools at his disposal to deliver the best possible performance.
The Adidas Predator has gone down in football folklore, with its famous ‘teeth’ becoming the stuff of legend. Beckham helped to promote that product to the nth degree, alongside the likes of Steven Gerrard and Zinedine Zidane, and it still holds a special place in his heart to this day.
The former United and Real Madrid winger has said when picking the Accelerators that he wore in 1999 as his favourites from Adidas’ Predator range: “This boot brings back such great memories. I had such a great season in this boot. I just love everything about this boot. It’s beautiful. So if I had to pick any of them, it would have to be this one.”
Delight
To the delight of many, including Beckham, the Predator is back with a bang in 2023. The Precision range has been reproduced by Adidas, with that design first dropping back in 2000. Two high-end FG versions of the boots have been made available – full leather and synthetic – while they certainly catch the eye in white, pink and black.
Beckham donned that same colour scheme in 2012, in the Predator LZ, and wannabe stars of the present can make a similar statement 11 years on by proving that they boast the same sense of style along with a keen eye for market-leading design and detail.
