What's Up with the Upper of the Adidas Ace 17+ PureControl?
Nov 28, 2016, by Pat
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.
Barcelona Debut Red Shorts and Socks Variant
Barcelona officially debuted a red shorts and socks variant with their 2026-27 home shirt in the away match against Valencia, avoiding a potential kit clash.
The combination was previously used in a friendly against Birmingham City last month and is set to be used regularly throughout the season. It also marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that Barcelona have used red as a supplementary colour alongside their home shirt.
The new combination made a memorable competitive debut as Barcelona secured a 5-0 win over Valencia.
Thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the information and collage.
SV Zulte Waregem 26-27 Third Kit Released - 25th Anniversary Design
Belgian side SV Zulte Waregem and kit supplier Patrick have officially released their new third kit for the 26-27 season. Celebrating the club's silver jubilee marking 25 years since their formation in 2001, Essevee swap out their traditional red, green, and white colours for an understated black and silver look dubbed "Memories worth a touch of silver."
The Patrick SV Zulte Waregem 26-27 third jersey features a black base detailed with thin vertical silver pinstripes down the front. A closer inspection reveals that the pinstripes incorporate handwritten script documenting key milestones and dates throughout the club's history, highlighting achievements such as their inaugural 2001-02 title and their memorable 2012-13 campaign as league runners-up.
Completing the anniversary aesthetic, the jersey is finished with a silver V-neck collar and matching sleeve cuffs. All branding—including the monochrome SV Zulte Waregem club crest, Patrick maker's marks, and primary sponsors iDocta and Elindus—appears in silver and white to match the unified commemorative design.
Napoli Wears Last Season's Shorts Against Inter - Here Is Why
In their Serie A clash against Inter at San Siro, SSC Napoli caught the attention of eagle-eyed Napoli kit expert @TutelaMagliaNA. For the 26-27 centenary season, EA7 designed two distinct pairs of white shorts: the home shorts carry the club's special centenary crest, while the away version features an alternate Mount Vesuvius-themed logo. Because the red jersey used the standard circular Napoli crest, pairing it with either of the 26-27 white shorts would have caused a clash of emblems on the same uniform.
Rather than producing a third set of white change shorts solely to carry the standard badge, Napoli simply reused their plain white match shorts from 25-26.
Benjamin Sesko’s Sleeve Badge Error
While all other Manchester United players took the pitch with league badges on both sleeves, Benjamin Šeško was spotted as the only one missing the patch on his left arm for reasons unknown.
Thanks to @jerseystory_vn for the information and collage.
