Here Is Why Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Wearing Old Nike Mercurial Boots

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the headlines scoring an incredible goal in his MLS debut. However, the Swedish superstar was not wearing brand-new boots but the last-gen Nike Mercurial Vapor 11 football boots. Let's find out why he is wearing those instead of the new Nike Mercurial Vapor 12 and what's his contract situation with Nike.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Wears Old Nike Mercurial Vapor 11 Boots Because He Just Likes Them

First let us start with a bit of Zlatan's boot history. Ibrahimovic had been an official Nike athlete from the Euro 2004 until late 2014 when he started to wear blackout Adidas boots. However, he never moved officially to Adidas but regularly switched between different blackout boots from both Adidas and Nike.

In June 2016, Ibrahimovic launched his own sportswear brand, called AZ: Sportswear. In the months after the launch of his own sportswear brand, he started to lace both in branded in Adidas and Nike soccer cleats, while he switched to Nike Mercurial Vapor boots on April 4 2017. Since then, Ibrahimovic has been lacing up in the Nike Mercurial Vapor 11 boots.

When Nike launched the all-new Nike Mercurial Vapor 360 Flyknit boot this year, Ibrahimovic did not switch to the new boots and also was not part of any marketing campaign, a clear indicator that he is not an official ambassador / Nike athlete. This only seems logical as his own sportswear brand directly competes with Nike on many sportswear products.

This was also confirmed by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl, who has learned that Ibrahimovic does not have a shoe right deal and that the reason for Zlatan for wearing the Nike Mercurial Vapor XI is very simple - He now wears Nike because he likes it.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Contract Situation - Summary

• Until Euro 2004: No Personal 'Big' Boot Contract - Wears Puma for Puma-sponsored Malmö and Adidas for Adidas-sponsored Ajax
• Euro 2004 - Fall 2014: Official Nike Mercurial Athlete
• Fall 2014 - October 2016: No Boot Deal - Laces up in Adidas Adizero & Nike Mercurial
• June 2016: Launches Own Sportswear Brand - A-Z Sportswear
• October 2016 - April 2017: Adidas Boot-Only Deal But No Official Ambassador? - Laces Up in Latest Adidas X
• April 2017 - Today: No Official Brand Ambassador - Laces up in Nike Mercurial Vapor XI Boots

What do you think Zlatan Ibrahimovic's current contract situation looks like? Do you think he will ever sign a boot deal again? Share your thoughts in the comments below.