Dropped
Vinicius Jr. might not have shown his top form throughout Real Madrid's last handful of fixtures in the season (including the 2025 UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals), but he's surely poised to change perception in matches to follow. Recently, a special pair of the Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite football boots surfaced, marking his first Player-Edition boot to release to the public.
The pair is officially clad in a "Black/Green Spark/Soar/Dynamic Yellow" color scheme. A mismatched presentation appears from mid-foot to heel across right and left shoes, with the colorful makeover evoking images of Brazil's flag.
All the bells-and-whistles that've made the Vapor 16 Elite one of the beautiful game's most cutting edge boots of the current campaign reprise their rolls. What's particularly of note on the impending drop is the text found across the heel and on the footbed. Both Vini Fly and Vini Voa replace some of the model's eye-catching updates with a heartwarming reminder to do 24-year-old athlete. The victim of constant race-related criticism, Vinicius Jr. has proven his worth regardless of whether or not others agree.
"Watching my favorite players growing up, they all wore Nike boots," said Vini Jr. in an official press release for the release. "For many years I’ve played with Mercurial exclusively — and even scored a goal in two Champions League finals. For my first Nike Player Edition boot, there was no need to move away from what already made me fly."
His clever logo on the sock-like collar rounds out the package, which arrives with a commemorative nylon shoe bag.
Enjoy official photos of the "Vini Fly"-branded Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite for the Real Madrid star below. Pairs are set to launch globally Nike.com on Monday, May 26.
For more football boots from the Swoosh, check out the original Hypervenom, which is set to return soon.
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