Why Toni Kroos Still Wears His Old Adidas Adipure Boots From 2013
Why Toni Kroos Still Wears His Old Adidas Adipure Boots From 2013
- Toni Kroos has worn the same Adidas Adipure 11Pro boots since 2013 due to their leather material and perfect fit, among other reasons.
- He prefers the older design over modern upgrades, showing loyalty to the iconic boots that define his style of play.
- Despite advancements in boot technology, Kroos' choice has not hindered his success, winning major titles with Real Madrid and Germany.
With Euro 2024 now well and truly underway, plenty of footballers have already caught the eye. Playing the opener on home soil, Germany instantly made themselves one of the favourites to go all the way with a 5-1 demolishing of Scotland.
At the heart of the resounding win was experienced head Toni Kroos. The Real Madrid midfielder has been pulling the strings in the national team since 2010 – winning the World Cup in 2014 – although did retire briefly in July 2021.
His return to the team ahead of Euro 2024 has coincided with the Germans rediscovering their best form. However, he will hang up his boots from both international and club football at the end of the tournament.
Known for his composure, stunning technical ability and eye for a pass, the midfield maestro has one unique thing about him. These are his boots. Indeed, the 34-year-old has been wearing the same pair since 2013: the Adidas Adipure 11Pro. But why?
Kroos' reasoning for not changing boots
The leather material is one of many key reasons
In the modern game, boot technology is always evolving with new designs and alterations to try and aide athletes with even the tiniest of improvements to their game. But Kroos has turned down the opportunity to try anything new over the past 11 years.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Adidas’s Global Product Manager Bjorgvin Hreinsson explained why the German has been so loyal to the one design. He noted that Predators were the iconic boot of the previous era and Kroos initially wore these until the Adipure came along to define the next generation.
He explained: “When we launched the Adipure series in 2008, he was one of the key faces. Since then, he’s worn the Adidas Adipure 11Pro throughout almost the entire duration of Adipure’s lifecycle.
“Then he just kept it. We kept evolving and the industry grew, but for Toni, all the way since the end of 2013 when this boot came out, he just fell in love with it.”
He then went on to detail exactly why the elegant white boots suit and fit the midfielder so perfectly. He continued:
The leather is the key thing. We designed the boots to give the most smooth, natural touch of the ball, and Tonis probably the best representation of that the way you see him control the ball and how his first touch always needs to be pinpoint accurate for him to get into a position to make a key pass.
Its the material. He really wants that soft touch and just to feel confident.
He went on to explain that the shape of the studs has changed over the years so that most players now have blades which are in a conical stud to be more speedy and grippy. But Kross has stuck with the more familiar blade design of the Stud plates in the early 2000s and late ’90s.
Hreinsson explained: "You can also get stuck in the ground quite easily [with the old design] but this is just something that Toni’s loved. It’s very unusual for a player in today’s game to choose bladed studs.”
Adidas Re-Released Adipure 11Pro in October 2023
The original mould got destroyed years ago
Over the years, the story of Kroos’s boots has become part of his legend. So much so that Adidas re-released the Adipure 11Pro in October 2023 as a limited-edition remake. But there was one key difference, as Hreinsson explained:
“When we re-released the boot, it was with tooling (soul plates and studs) that we used on the Copa brand (the Adipure’s successor). The specific plate that Toni uses only exists in his size — in 8.5 (US size 9.5). The mould got destroyed years ago and so only exists now consistently in the factory for that one size, and so that we can make his boots specifically. That’s quite cool.
But also, if you were to look at these two boots (Kroos original and the version being re-released to coincide with this tournament) together, they would look quite similar at least from above. But the one he wears is 90 grams (3.2oz, almost 50 per cent) heavier.
Thats quite mind-blowing but obviously for him, its perfect and you cant really question his decision, right?
Related
10 Most Valuable German Footballers Right Now [Ranked]
Germany have plenty of valuable players in their ranks.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: At the time of his debut, Kroos was the youngest player ever to represent Bayern Munich in a professional match at 17 years, 265 days old
Seeing as Kroos has won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid, and once with Bayern Munich – as well as the aforementioned World Cup and numerous other major honours – you really can argue with his methods.
“But the boot would feel heavier and more chunky on your foot," Hreinsson continued. "Because our modern boots are way lighter. Also, with the coating, if it’s raining or if the pitch is wet — which football pitches predominantly are these days, they always water them — the older boot would get even heavier, because the leather isn’t coated in the same way.”
Essentially, Kroos has ignored modern boot updates to stay loyal to outdated technology from 2013. In theory, this should slow him down but it may well be the key to the poise and perfection he has delivered so consistently on the football pitch over the past decade or so.
Stats via Transfermarkt (as of 19/06/24).