Is Nike's All-New Air Zoom Mercurial a Copy of the Adidas 99g Boots From 2016?
Feb 17, 2020, by Chris
- New Nike Boot: Nike released the Air Zoom Mercurial, a new football boot featuring a Flyprint upper, Nike's first 3D-printed textile in performance footwear.
- Flyprint Technology: The Flyprint upper is made using solid deposit modeling, making it lighter, more breathable, and offering precision-tuned containment compared to traditional materials like Flyknit.
- Unique Sole Plate: Unlike the Adidas 99g, the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial has a unique sole plate featuring a full-length articulated Zoom Air bag for enhanced energy return.
Nike has recently revealed a very interesting looking "concept football boot", the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial. Now some people connect the brand-new Nike boots with an old revolutionary Adidas soccer shoe, the ultra-lightweight Adidas 99g cleats. Let us find out if Nike's boot is indeed a copy.
Nike Air Zoom Mercurial
This image shows the new Nike Air Zoom Mercurial boot.
The upper of the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial is the first-ever in football made with Flyprint. Flyprint is Nike’s first 3D-printed textile upper in performance footwear.
According to Nike's press release, Flyprint has various performance benefits compared to other methods like Flyknit. In example, Flyprint is much lighter and allows for "for precision-tuned containment". Both are elements of the Adidas 99g football boot, which also has those remarkable, extremely thin "circles".
"Nike Flyprint uppers are produced through solid deposit modeling (SDM), a process whereby a TPU filament is unwound from a coil, melted and laid down in layers. The Flyprint method allows designers to translate athlete data into new textile structures. It advances Nike’s efforts in digitally enabled textile development and adds to a legacy of proprietary modification (or hacking) of machines — a heritage that includes Nike Hyperfuse, Flywire and Flyknit — to achieve previously unimaginable performance solutions.
One benefit of 3D textiles over traditional 2D fabrics is the increased dynamism made possible by adding an interconnection beyond a warp and weft; an advantage of Flyprint textiles comes in the fused nature of the material. For example, whereas in a knit or woven textile there is frictional resistance between the interlaced (warp and weft) yarns, in a printed textile, due to its fused intersections, there is greater potential for precision-tuned containment. The Air Zoom Mercurial’s Flyprint upper is lighter and more breathable than Nike's previously employed textiles, while still coated with All Conditions Control (ACC) to battle the elements."
The Adidas 99g boot's upper is made from polyester mesh upper comes in a nearly translucent white. The 99g boot also has some plastic stripes that are made for a similar effect as Flywire.
The sole plate of the Nike Air Zoom Mercurial 2020 soccer cleats is totally different to Adidas' 99g cleat. The Nike Air Zoom Mercurial is built around a full-length articulated Zoom Air bag that provides a unique underfoot sensation and enhanced energy return. The internal boot chassis was transitioned to the plate, leaving only the sockliner between the foot and the Zoom Air bag for maximum effect.
Nike, for themselves, say that "the 4.5mm Zoom Air bag remains the boot’s focal point, albeit with a purpose vastly different from experiments of old."
The Nike Air Zoom Mercurial football boots will be available to buy from August 2020 in limited numbers.
Copy or just coincidence? Share your thoughts on the new Nike Air Zoom Mercurial and the Adidas 99gram boots below.
Amiens SC Add Pink Details to 26-27 Home Kit for Pink October
French side Amiens SC have introduced a special update to their 26-27 Puma home kit in support of the annual Octobre Rose (Pink October) breast cancer awareness and screening campaign. Debuted during their 3-0 victory against FC Villefranche at the Stade Crédit Agricole de la Licorne, the club's traditional black-and-white halved home strip was revamped with vibrant pink details.
The customized kit features eye-catching pink names and squad numbers on the back, along with pink-tinted sponsor graphics, including Intersport and Igol. Completing the tribute is a small pink ribbon placed prominently on the right chest just above the Puma cat branding.
Amiens SC confirmed that the special pink printing is not a one-match appearance; the team will also wear the modified kit during their upcoming away match against Valenciennes FC later this month.
Alianza Universidad 2026 Special Kit Released
Peruvian club Alianza Universidad de Huánuco and local manufacturer Real Sport have officially unveiled a special commemorative kit for the 2026 season. Launched under the slogan "Vestimos nuestra fe" (We wear our faith), the release embraces Peru's deep-rooted October tradition of donning purple to pay homage to religious heritage, specifically honoring the Señor de Burgos, the patron saint of Huánuco.
The Real Sport Alianza Universidad 2026 special shirt swaps the team's customary red and blue palette for a striking purple and white striped look. It features bold purple vertical stripes across the front, complemented by a purple crew neck and matching sleeve trim on white sleeves. On the upper back sits an intricate graphic badge depicting the Señor de Burgos, accompanied by the inscription "Rey y Patrón de Huánuco", while squad numbers are rendered in gold with purple outlines.
The special edition kit is set to make its on-pitch debut during October Liga 2 action and is currently available via pre-order through the club's official channels.
Adidas Reuses Spain’s 2026 Training Kits
During recent UEFA Nations League training sessions, Spain was spotted using old training jerseys with one star removed and two additional stars printed above the logo. The imprint of the old star remains visible on the shirts.
This case is reminiscent of another interesting situation involving the Argentina futsal team at the 2021 Futsal World Cup. Despite being the defending champions, Argentina was not provided bespoke kits by Adidas and had to use standard jerseys, from which two stars were removed and replaced with one, as they had only won the Futsal World Cup once.
Big thanks to @whatthekit_x for the collages.
Chelsea 26-27 Home Kit Leaked
Based on leaked details from myach_lab, our partner @whatthekit_x have created a mockup of the Chelsea 2026-27 shirt. The design combines a blue base with yellow details and a distinctive checkered sleeve pattern, while the Nike and Chelsea logos are placed centrally. The simplified lion crest from this season is also retained.
Bayern München 27-28 Away Kit New Prediction
Based on the leaked information, the kit designer JMFK have created the another prediction of the Adidas FC Bayern München 2027-2028 away kit. Please note that this design remains highly speculative.
