Zola Budd-style
If you’re inclined to believe adidas’s marketing department, their new generation of Predator® boots will give you “absolute power and control”. They’ll also set you back a hundred and thirty quid.
It’s money well spent though. In addition to enhancing your on-the-ball prowess, go to the park and the boots will mark you out for roughhouse treatment from less sophisticated socceristas. And if the hackers don’t get you, the animal rights activists will: the boot’s technical specifications don’t mention whether they’re made from kangaroo leather, but it’s been the material of choice for Predators® in the past. There’ll always be that nagging doubt that you’ve got Skippy on your feet - are you running across the pitch or bouncing on it?
I’m here to tell you that marsupial massacre is totally unnecessary, and - shock horror - so are football boots.
The video clip that accompanies this spiel is from a match between Hellas Verona FC and Juventus FC, played during the 1984-85 Serie A season. It won’t be featuring in adidas commercials any time soon.
The player galloping down the left wing is Preben Elkjær. The great Danish striker sheds a hoof during the run, but he still manages to make his way into the area, where he scores with his bootless right foot.
The goal sent Verona on the way to a 2-0 win and the first Scudetto in their history.