Next chapter in Flyknit saga as Nike launches knitted football boots
Only two weeks after we reported that adidas had appeared to have pipped rival Nike to the post by launching a knitted football boot before the US group, Nike has presented its new design under the slogan, ‘Nike changes football boots forever’.
Its Magista Football uses Flyknit technology to allow the foot to get closer to the ball and was unveiled by FC Barcelona playmaker Andrés Iniesta in Spain.
“Our aim has always been to meet the athlete’s particular performance demands and amplify his unique set of skills. Magista inherits that transformative history of design and innovation and supercharges it,” said Nike CEO Mark Parker.
The company stresses the boot was born from four years of R&D in the Nike Sport Research Lab and with feedback from some of the world’s best attacking playmakers, including Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta and German forward Mario Gotze.
“The Magista’s mid-cut Dynamic Fit collar is not just a visually compelling innovation, it’s designed to create heightened feel for the ball and enhance the player’s touch,” said Phil McCartney, vice-president of Sport Performance Footwear. “The mid-cut allows the foot, ankle, and lower leg work together as a single unit, emphasizing their natural movements.”
Adidas and Nike launched knitted running shoes within weeks of each other in summer 2012, ending in a legal wrangle. They are now keen to stress their technology is best.
“Previous construction methods required added layers to the top of the boot to get this friction, ultimately moving the foot further from the ball, but Nike Flyknit allows us to knit texture directly into the boot,” said Mr McCartney. “3D knit is new for Nike and for football, and hundreds of revisions were required to get this 3D pattern exactly right. The result of all this work is great ball feel in a minimal package.”
