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The first player to wear the Mercurial was… the star of Brescello. The attacking midfielder Corrado Oldoni in Serie C was similar physically to the Fenomeno and he had the same shoe size of 41.5 European so he was chosen to test it. The same Ronaldo contributed to development, offering valuable suggestions such as moving the first two studs slightly further forward so you could have a tighter grip when shooting. The suggestions of the player were then combined with Nike technology. Ronnie found them perfect from the start, scoring one of his most famous goals in the boots on 22nd March 1998, the lob against Milan.
For more:Â https://www.nike.com/it/football/bootroom/
I’ve been a part of the development group for Mercurial from the start and that boot became an integral part of my foot at a certain point.
A unique player needs unique equipment and that’s how the Mercurial was born with the name inspired by the Greek God Mercury. It was a real revolution in terms of the material used and production methods. It had a lighter sole, materials other than the kangaroo leather that had been used up to that point by the main sports brands and a lightness that had never been seen before. It had very advanced technology for the time such as the special surface that was also used in motorcycling to ensure the perfect grip.
Incredible performances require special equipment. At high speed, just a millimetre can make a vital difference. Up until 1998, the football boot had been a key piece of equipment but it hardly changed from one player to the other. However, the greatest player in the world Ronaldo needed something different.
