Studs Up

This review is part of the 5 day feature Studs Up and Nike Football Inside The Bootroom putting the spotlight on Nike’s elite level football product with a series of SU Mega Reviews. Also, make sure to “Like” Studs Up on Facebook for a chance to win a pair of the Nike5 Lunar Gato.

This review will be a little different to my usual fare, largely because the CR Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II Safari is essentially the same boot as the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II Elite which I already reviewed back in August. So make sure to check that out for full mega-review goodness on the technical side of the Superfly II Elite range and their tech specs.

So I’ll instead be focusing solely on the differences between this boot and the original Superfly II Elite which basically boils down to one, rather obvious, variable. It can be summed up by a little label found inside the boot.

“Created to the exact specifications of Cristiano Ronaldo.” Ok. So… what exactly does that mean?

You see, the story behind the CR Safari version of the boot is that Cristiano Ronaldo worked directly with Nike on this version to make sure it met his specifications. But the technical specs are basically identical to the Superfly Elite II that Ronaldo did not create to his exact specifications. So the primary difference remains the most obvious, the Safari print that legendary Nike designer Tinker Hatfield created for the Nike Air Safari back in 1987. The print was regarded as a bit weird back then, especially for an athletic shoe, but has since built up massive credibility and popularity amongst the sneakerhead community – making this boot, and accompanying Gato Safari, a bit of a crossover product.

Now I have no idea if Ronaldo was actually aware of any of the Safari print’s history. Regardless, it initially seemed a stretch that putting a new print on an existing boot alone warrants the claim that this version of the boot “Created to the exact specifications of Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Yet as I thought about it more, I had an epiphany and everything began to make perfect sense. Bear with me as I explain, for a little background is required…

Like many of you, I’m sure, I’ve long been a football boot traditionalist and even as eye-catching colourways and neon stripes have been introduced in recent years I’ve always stuck to classic black boots. I couldn’t even bring myself to wear a pair of white ones long after they became commonplace even in amateur leagues.

Alas, my resolve was tested when Nike sent me the full four-boot launch pack of their new Elite series boots back in the summer. These were the cream of the crop, a set of boots made from professional-level materials and tech previously unavailable to the amateur player and at a price point previously unheard of to the amateur player. To paraphrase a famous Jedi, “These are the boots I’m looking for.” The catch? That eye-popping metallic purple and orange colourway that was as memorable a part of South Africa 2010 as the vuvuzela. Traditional, they were not.

So how did I cope with being “that guy” in my Sunday League wearing the crazy boots?

Pretty well, it turns out. Other than enduring the expected early taunts from teammates, it was fine. In fact, they commented positively on how easy it was to pick me out for a pass now that my feet were a blazing trail of orange and purple which is, in fact, the official reason Nike gives for the neonification of their product line. Strangely, there was something satisfying about trying to live up to the boots with my play on the pitch. A new kind of motivation that the extra attention brought, how could you not bring your best every match when you’re put a giant spotlight on yourself and your insane footwear. You don’t want to be the short, balding, fat guy in the italian sports car, you want to be the sexy italian fellow in the italian sports car.

Specifically, for the CR Safari, you want to be the sexy Portugese fellow in the italian sports car. A flash, expensive, attention-grabbing automobile is just fine if the person inside matches it and the same applies to flashy football boots. They are something you must aspire to be worthy of through your play and even your persona.

A timid fullback who never ventures forward is not the person who should be wearing these…

And so I think I understand exactly how the Safari print represents a boot “created to the exact specifications of Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s not because he asked for pressure-sensitive studs or Flywire support technology, it’s because Ronaldo wanted a pair of boots that, like his stepovers or “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?” facial expressions, are intended to put the brightest possible spotlight on him and his performance. He wants to draw jeers and finger-pointing, to draw doubts and bone-crunching tackles, and to put all eyes on him when he inevitably powers past defenders and blasts one into the far corner. His diva behaviour, his diving, his cocky smile, his palpable arrogance and, now, his Safari-printed boots are designed to set the bar impossibly high for himself so that he can promptly leap over it and stick the landing. These boots create expectations of greatness and that’s what the best players thrive on.

This is not a boot for the average footballer, for the one chooses to pass over he shooting for glory. So if you’ve got the balls, and the game, then hell yeah you should be wearing the CR Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II Safari – created to the exact specifications of Cristiano Ronaldo.