Just a Camouflaged Nike Mercurial Superfly? We Take a Closer Look At The Football Boots by Chinese Olympic Uniform Supplier 361°
Update: We've received the first detailed pictures of the Chinese Nike Mercurial Superfly Boots (big thanks to @kingwaang). While it previously was not certain that upper of the 361° Boots would be identical to Nike's boot, the new pictures show off that the cleats are in fact just a 'camouflaged' version of Nike's Speed Boot (the sole plate has many things in common with the one from the Nike Hypervenom).
Just camouflaged. The upper of the 361° Cleats is identical to the one of the Nike Mercurial Superfly
361° Football Boots - Sole Plate
Dynamic Fit collar, Flywire strings and a tongue-less design. When Nike introduced the Nike Mercurial Superfly Boots ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the US-giant changed the design of football boots forever. And while since the other big brands such as Adidas and Puma (unreleased Puma evoTouch) also decided to bring the sock-like collar to their cleats, Chinese brand 361° has created a boot that draws more than inspiration from Nike's cutting-edge speed boot.
Founded in 2003, 361 Degrees Group is the 2nd largest sports brand in China. In November 2014, it was announced that the Chinese sportswear company 361° would provide more than 106,500 uniforms for technical staff and volunteers at the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The sportswear supplier started its international expansion in 2013 and has entered the US, European and Brazilian market so far.
361° 2015-2016 Football Boots
Close-up pictures of the boots worn by China international Xu Yang.
Worn by 29-year old China international Xu Yang, who currently plays for Shandong Luneng, the 361° Football Boots boast a remarkable design combining the colors light blue, pink and white. On the instep and the outstep is the 361° logo, while the upper part of the sock-like collar features a remarkable triangular pattern to showcase that these boots are made for speed. However, while the design is easily visible on the pictures, less is know about the technologies of the boots.
The 361° 2015-2016 Soccer Cleats, from which we even don't know the name, combine a sock-like collar with a tongue-less design and Flywire-like strings in the upper. It's a boot that seems to copy all features of the Nike Mercurial Superfly, while the only major difference is the sole plate of the boots.
The 361° Football Boot comes with an external heel counter and features mostly conical studs, whereas the Nike Mercurial Superfly comes without an external counter and a triangular stud configuration.
Even though the boots are used by Xu Yang for several months now, the 361° Football Boots seem to be not available to purchase online. So we also don't know the price tag of the boots yet.
Just a copy? What's your verdict on 361°'s football boots for the 2015-2016 season? Let us also know in the comments below if you have more information about the boots.
