adidas has unveiled the new Predator 30, a special edition pack celebrating three decades of innovation for football’s most legendary boot franchise.
Originally launched in 1994, Predator redefined an entire industry and changed football and its culture forever.
With an entirely new silhouette that hints towards the future of the franchise, Predator 30 resurrects one of the boot’s most celebrated features from earlier models – the Foldover Tongue.
The iconic tongue was the hallmark of goalscorers for a full generation of football fans; a standout feature on fan favourites such as the Predator Mania, Precision and PowerSwerve. It now returns with a softer feel, in-built rubber fins and a tongue strap allowing players to style the boot as they desire.
The Predator 30 is littered with design choices that pay homage to the history of the franchise, including the iconic Predator ‘Eyes’ logo, which appears on the underside of the tongue.
The colourway is inspired by the classic red, black and white of earlier iterations, but with a more lux burgundy to mark the 30-year heritage of the franchise.
Only 1994 pairs will be available, referencing the year the first Predator boot was released. Each pair comes in a premium presentation box, containing a commemorative gold plaque, illustrated with some of the most popular Predators in history.The new boot isn’t simply a design throwback.
Utilising feedback from consumers and adidas athletes, the Predator 30 has undergone a series of updates designed to give the wearer the utmost confidence in front of goal, as a precursor to an all-new Predator model set to land in January 2024.
Sam Handy, VP Product and Design, adidas Football, said: “The introduction of the Predator franchise completely changed how people thought about football boots, both from a performance and a marketing perspective.
Over the years, it’s been worn by some of the greatest players of players of their generations, in some of the game’s most historic moments.”
“Reflecting on the last three decades of innovation, we felt the time was right to hit a reset and be inspired by the elements that first made Predator so popular – its look, feel and focus on goalscoring.
We’re sure admirers of the early Predator models will be delighted to see the famous tongue making a comeback, and we hope newer fans will enjoy rocking the tongue on pitch for the first time.”
The Predator 30 was worn for the first time on pitch exclusively by Jude Bellingham on November 29th while playing for Real Madrid against Napoli in the UEFA Champions LeagueTM
Pre-orders for the Predator 30 open today, and the boots go on sale from 8th December priced from €350, via adidas.com football boots, and selected adidas stores and retailers.