What's Up with the Upper of the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl?
It's time to speak more about the confusion that is the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl and its different uppers.
As you might have noticed over the last few days and perhaps already before the official launch, not just Paul Pogba, but ALL professionals are wearing a sort of prototype / sample of the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl - one that's almost nothing like the one that hit retail and was dubbed a "16.5" by some.
An interesting perspective on the whole situation is offered by Unisport's JayMike who recently said that he hopes that the Ace 17+ PureControl will get updated before its eventually replaced by the Ace 18+. Now, this could just be his inner boot nerd speaking, but it would be extremely naive to assume that a person in his position would voice something along those lines without knowing at least something.
Another point in favor of an update of the Ace 17+ PureControl upper at one point is the fact that all leaked colorways feature the second upper. If Adidas had settled on reverting to the 16+ upper for whatever reason, one would assume that later samples, for example for the Fall / Winter 2017 period, would be based on the definitive upper by now.
All in all, we are fairly certain that we'll see the Ace 17+ PureControl's real look instore sooner than later. Possibly already with January's Checkered Black edition. If you cannot wait to try out what the pros are wearing, you should probably give the 'Tango' rendition of the Ace 17+ PureControl, available with turf and indoor outsoles, a try. By the looks of it, its upper is identical to the earlier leaks of the cleated edition, i.e. what the professionals are wearing.
So why is so important for Adidas to update the upper? First, it's kind of odd to release a boot that's virtually unchanged and branding it as a whole new edition - or at least that's what people could feel in this situation. Additionally, we believe it's important that players are not advertising boots that have almost nothing in common with what they are wearing on the field, as e.g. Paul Pogba is doing currently. We feel that this could hurt Adidas reputation with time.
There are also a number of more practical reasons to update the upper. For one, there where a few critics of the initial laceless PureControl boots voiced concerns about the fit being too loose in general - an update could help resolve this. Also, the 16+ PureControl's upper construction, while getting rid of laces, added a second compression techfit layer. It looks like the 'real' Ace 17+ PureControl upper is just one layer, which could offer a better connection with and improved feel for the ball.
What do you think? Share your thoughts on the Ace 17+ PureControl upper controversy in the comments below.
Real Madrid 26-27 Trefoil Away Ball Leaked - Matching With Away Kit
Footy Headlines can leak the new Real Madrid 2026-27 Trefoil ball, featuring alternating dark green and off-white panels.
Notably, it includes an "RMCF" pattern and the Trefoil logo, matching Real Madrid's 2026-27 away kit, which is set to be launched this summer.
Portugal 2026 World Cup Numbers Announced
The Portuguese national team has announced the official squad numbers for the 2026 World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo retains his iconic number 7, with Bernardo Silva assigned 10 and Bruno Fernandes wearing 8. Diogo Costa takes the number 1 jersey in goal, while other notable assignments include Diogo Dalot as 5 and Gonçalo Ramos as 9.
Portugal are drawn in Group K alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, and Uzbekistan, with their opening match scheduled for June 17 in Houston.
Goalkeepers
1 – Diogo Costa (Porto)
12 – José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
22 – Rui Silva (Sporting CP)
Defenders
2 – Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe)
3 – Rúben Dias (Manchester City)
4 – Tomás Araújo (Benfica)
5 – Diogo Dalot (Manchester United)
6 – Matheus Nunes (Manchester City)
14 – Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP)
20 – João Cancelo (Barcelona)
25 – Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
Midfielders
8 – Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
10 – Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
13 – Renato Veiga (Villarreal)
15 – João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain)
21 – Rúben Neves (Al-Hilal)
23 – Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
24 – Samu Costa (Mallorca)
Forwards
7 – Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr)
9 – Gonçalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain)
11 – João Félix (Al-Nassr)
16 – Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP)
17 – Rafael Leão (AC Milan)
18 – Pedro Neto (Chelsea)
19 – Gonçalo Guedes (Real Sociedad)
26 – Francisco Conceição (Juventus)
Official Spain 2026 World Cup Squad Photo - EQT Jacket
Spain's men's national football team has shared the official group photograph for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The image captures the full 26-man squad under head coach Luis de la Fuente, presented as the team representing the entire country ahead of the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Interestingly, all of the players are wearing the 2026 EQT Retro jacket, featuring a design inspired by the iconic Adidas Equipment aesthetic of the 1990s.
Ebbsfleet United 2026-27 Home Kit Released
Ebbsfleet United have released their new home shirt for the 2026-27 season. The red design marks the club's 80th anniversary and draws direct inspiration from the 1998-99 kit, featuring a classic 90s aesthetic with clean lines and heritage details.
The shirt includes Gravesend & Northfleet lettering beneath the reverse neck as a nod to the club's history. It is available in both short and long sleeve versions, with Morrow appearing as the front sponsor.
Special Netherlands x Lego Pennant
In the recent friendly match between the Netherlands and Algeria, the Dutch players appeared with a special pennant made from assembled LEGO pieces, replacing the traditional match pennant.
This was part of a collaboration between the KNVB (Dutch Football Association) and LEGO in preparation for the 2026 World Cup. The partnership, announced earlier in 2026 and running through at least EURO 2028, focuses on encouraging play, creativity and movement among children and football fans through shared initiatives.
As part of the campaign leading into the FIFA World Cup 2026, one million free orange LEGO bricks are being distributed across the Netherlands on June 3 at LEGO stores, Intertoys and Dreamland locations. Fans are invited to build items supporting the Oranje team and share their creations, with the activation tied to the #NEDALG event.
FC Utrecht 26-27 Away Kit Released
FC Utrecht have released their 2026-27 away kit, made by Castore.
Inspired by the 'Release The Tiger' motto, the Utrecht 2026-27 away kit features subtle tiger stripe patterns integrated across the shirt that become more prominent during movement. The kit captures the club's determined and fearless mentality.
