Goodbye Stevie - Only Nike! What Cristiano Ronaldo, Gerrard, Messi and Neymar Wore When They Made Their Professional Debut
Nov 24, 2016, by Chris
Steven Gerrard today announced his retirement from professional football. We take a look at the boots worn by Steven Gerrard and the the three players in today's game who regularly receive signature cleats from their suppliers - Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar - inlcuding some surprises (Gerrard received one signature boot from Adidas for his last match at Anfield).
Steven Gerrard - Nike Tiempo Premier 5
Steven Gerrard, who been wearing Adidas Predator boots for almost his entire career, made his professional debut for Liverpool wearing boots not from the Three Stripes but from the Swoosh - the back, white and blue Nike Tiempo Premier soccer cleat, released for the 1998 World Cup. However, Steven Gerrard should score his first goal wearing Adidas Predator boots one month later, and remained true to Adidas until the end of his career (He wore the Predator for more than 15 years before Adidas discontinued the boot silo in 2014; Steven Gerrard switched to the Ace).
Steven Gerrard scored his first goal for Liverpool as professional wearing Adidas Predator boots in 1998
Cristiano Ronaldo - Nike Mercurial Vapor
After impressive performances at youth level with Portugal, Cristiano Ronaldo made his professional debut aged 17 for Sporting wearing the Nike Mercurial Vapor. He never laced up in another silo since then, which is a big exception, to say at least.
Lionel Messi - Nike Air Zoom Total 90 III
Lionel Messi made his Barcelona debut exactly 12 years ago, wearing Nike's Total 90 cleat.
17-year-old Leo Messi made his first La Liga appearance for Barcelona in 2004 wearing the Chrome, Black and Red Nike Air Zoom Total 90 III boots. Messi's La Liga debut came two years before he agreed a sponsorship deal with Adidas, and 11 years before he received his own signature silo.
Messi had signed with Nike at the age of 14 after his move from Newell's Old Boys to Barcelona. After breaking into the first team Messi also made a number of matches in the Tiempo Legend and Mercurial Vapor II before switching to the Adidas +f50.6 TUNIT in March 2006 as he signed a reported £2million five-year deal with Adidas.
Neymar - Nike Mercurial Vapor III
Neymar has been wearing no other boot than the Nike Mercurial Vapor for Santos.
Neymar made his professional debut in 2009 wearing a pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor football boots at the age of 17. And while the Brazilian superstar since then has become the face of the all-new Nike Hypervenom, he still wears a version that is more a Mercurial than a Hypervenom (Read more about Neymar's camouflaged boots).
Do you also still miss the Total 90? Let us also know in the comments below.
Hundreds of New 26-27 Logos & Sponsors Added to Kit Creator Tools
Kit Creator tools, including EA FC Kit Creator and FM Kit Creator, have updated their database and feature sets to incorporate brand new sponsors for the 26-27 season. Designers can now seamlessly integrate newly announced main shirt sponsors, sleeve partners, and back-of-kit brands directly into custom jersey creations.
The update reflects a range of official sponsorship switches ahead of the 26-27 football season. High-profile additions include Swansea City's new main front-of-shirt partnership with AG1, Birmingham City's deal with Coral, and Bournemouth's prominent Vitality integration.
You can create your own kits with the new 2026-27 sponsors now on fifakitcreator.com.
Pisa Sporting Club 26-27 Away Kit Released
Italian side Pisa Sporting Club and Adidas have officially launched the new 26-27 away kit. Featuring a vibrant bright orange base, the shirt stands out with a prominent black and blue diagonal sash across the chest, incorporating the club's iconic Nerazzurro home colors. The jersey is further styled with contrasting black and blue sleeve panels, white Adidas branding, and is paired with matching orange shorts and socks.
T90-Inspired Nike Barclays WSL 26-27 Ball Released
Nike and the Women's Super League have officially revealed the official match ball for the 26-27 Barclays WSL and WSL2 seasons. Built on Nike's Control ball model, the design draws heavy inspiration from Nike's iconic Total 90 era, bringing a retro-infused visual identity to top-tier English women's football.
The design features vibrant multi-coloured rings and graphic lines in red, pink, blue, and black against a white base. These accents are arranged to create a subtle strobe effect when spinning in flight, aiding visibility for players on the pitch. The Barclays WSL version features a gold Nike Swoosh inside the signature circular ring, while the WSL2 edition showcases a silver Swoosh paired with bright pink detailing.
Underneath the graphics, the ball utilizes Nike Control technology with debossed grooves and engineered paneling designed to deliver stable aerodynamics and consistent touch in all conditions. The new ball will be used across all 26-27 WSL, WSL2, and domestic cup matches.
FIFA Kit Creator Adds Dozens of New Old & 26-27 Kit Templates
FIFA Kit Creator has expanded their extensive template library with a large batch of brand-new jersey structures.
The latest update introduces base designs for the upcoming 26-27 season alongside classic retro cuts from iconic past eras. Creators matteuscm and KARAVASHKIN contributed heavily to this release, bringing fresh builds across major manufacturers including Adidas, Nike, Puma, Castore, Hummel, and Umbro. Among the modern additions are official base templates for upcoming club kits such as the Adidas 26-27 AS Roma and Tiro 27 cuts, the Nike 26-27 SC Freiburg template, Castore 26-27 Everton home layout, and new Puma designs for Palmeiras and Fluminense.
Updated national team templates for Ireland, Denmark, Indonesia, and DR Congo are also now available for creators to customize.
Beyond contemporary 26-27 cuts, the update adds several famous historical templates. Users can create concepts using nostalgic patterns like the Adidas 2004 Greece home template, the 05-06 AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen cuts, Nike 2010 and 2014 Brazil silhouettes, and Puma 2006 Italy away template.
All new template options are live and available on FIFA Kit Creator.