Neymar Helps Nike Debut New Mercurial Cleats in Unreleased Air Jordans

Sneaker and soccer stars were out in droves yesterday in London as Nike celebrated the latest entry to its long-running Mercurial range.

The event saw the unveiling of the Mercurial Superfly 360 and Mercurial Vapor 360, Nike’s groundbreaking new soccer cleats which wrap the wearer’s entire foot in Flyknit technology for the first time.

Nike Mercurial Superfly 360

CREDIT: Nike

“This new innovation hugs the foot and eliminates the gaps between the foot and the soleplate,” said Max Blau, vice president of Nike Football footwear. “In fact, it eliminates the soleplate altogether.”

But despite the high-profile cleat reveal, it was the sneakers worn by attendees that truly stole the show.

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Brazilian great Neymar of Paris Saint-Germain was photographed stepping out of a blaze orange McLaren — in the same shade as the new Mercurials — while wearing the “Black/Cement” Air Jordan 3. Set for a global launch on Feb. 17, the classic colorway is one of the most anticipated drops of NBA All-Star Weekend and was prereleased in limited quantities last month.

English player Jordan Henderson of Liverpool also made a statement as he laced up an unreleased colorway of Virgil Abloh’s Off-White x Nike Air VamporMax sneakers in white. There are currently no release details for this pair, but it’s expected to release this year.

And even Abloh himself was in attendance with perhaps the day’s biggest reveal, sporting a pair of Off-White x Nike Air VaporMax sneaker inspired by the Mercurial Vapor. The shoes feature the same Flyknit upper and bright orange shade used on the soccer cleats, but there’s no word on if they’ll be released to the public.