Vinicius Jr. wears the Nike Mercurial Vapor. It’s one, if not the most popular speed boot, mainly known for its secure, tight fit. Over the years, Nike has introduced innovative features on top of its trademark snug sensation to further enhance its speed boot reputation. With Vinicius Jr boots we have has a player-boot combination that jives well with pace and acceleration.

• Latest Vini Boots
• Vini Boot Tiers
• Vini Vapor Boot Review
• Vini Boot History

Vini Latest Boots

Vini Sunset Pulse

Vini’s second signature tapped into that Miami vibes with a primarily pink colourway and a turquoise accent on the sole. A metallic sheen that was kind of similar to the Cosmic Speed Vapors detailed the block design on the sides of the boot, the chevron weave pattern of the Gripknit and the player logo on the edge of the quarter. Rounding of the aesthetics was the purplish hue of the Swoosh with an offset outline, as well as the Vini Fly/Vini Voa slogan on the heel.

Vini Vapor Tiers

Which Vapor tier should you choose?

Choose the Elite as it’s only here where you can get the sticky Gripknit upper and a full 3/4-length Zoom Air unit.

Choose the Pro if you pretty much just wanted a regular knit upper without any sticky surface application and a closer feel to the ground (since the Zoom Air is limited to the heel).

Choose the Academy if you’re in a budget and want a functional pair of boots that’s perfect for someone that is still physically growing and/or is playing at a casual/academy level.

Vinicius Jr Elite Vapor Signature Boot Review

Fit and Feel Profile

Like the Mercurials of the past, Vini’s speed boots lean on that narrow, snug fit. But they are certainly more accommodating and more forgiving now to slightly wider foot shapes because of the the incremental additional width and the sideway stretch of the upper (more on this later). This is going to be welcomed by most as it caters more foot shapes, and understandably is going to disappoint some that has gotten used to that very tight, restrictive fit of old Mercurial generations. True-to-size is the way to go if you are going for a pair of Vini’s boots.

A few points to raise is that the heel opens up every so slightly more so than previous generations and that there might be some dead spaces around around the upper part of the quarter near the tongue and in the arch of the medial side. This might be the result of the present generation trying to appeal to the general boot audience and not just to hardcore Mercurial fans.

Vini’s preferred silo arguably pioneered the trend of football boots going lightweight, and the current generation lives up to that reputation. A size 9.5 US Vapor comes in at a shade under 190g, which is one, if not the lightest weight from a football boot today. Weight is certainly not going to hold you back in trying to become the fastest that you can wearing a pair of these on the pitch.

Comfort, Lockdown and Responsiveness

Going hand-in-hand with the fit being more accommodating is the fact that the knitted upper is incredibly soft and the the heel is optimally padded. And when you combine that with the unique underfoot sensation caused by the 3/4-length Zoom Air cushioning technology, the current Vapor is simply the most comfortable Mercurial ever. The pliability of the upper is present almost straight out of the box, and certainly has that capable to mould and hug around your foot shape easily.

Vini’s Nike boots, however, has not totally forgotten objective performance and has ensured that it still has the element of responsiveness and lockdown. To help prevent your foot from having that internal spillover especially during lateral movements, the soft Gripknit forefoot transitions to a more reinforced AtomKnit midfoot and quarter, giving the boot some needed structure for stability. The padding and the microfibre liner on the heel also do a good job on locking your heel in place. It might not be the most locked-in you’ll feel in a pair of football boots because of that inherent give on the knitted upper, it’s still above-average for the most part.

Whatever points the Vapor might have lost in lockdown and responsiveness because of the abovementioned dead spaces and upper give is recovered because of how close the upper material wraps around the foot, enabling a second-skin like fit. Having a wider feet certainly helps address such minor complications. But if you have a narrow feet and want to extract more from the boot at this aspect, you can opt for a runner’s loop and partner the boot with a pair of grip socks.

Tooling Experience

Without a doubt, the Brazilian winger’s Vapor has one of the most aggressive traction. The combination of chevrons and blades are perfect for straight-line acceleration, with just a bit in terms of multidirectional speed and rotational movements. Moulded speed fins are present along the forefoot, though they’re really more about engaging the Zoom Air unit rather than adding more bite to the ground.

Speaking of Zoom Air, while it has mentioned earlier that it’s great for comfort, it causes a bit of a disconnected feel to the ground and would turn off boot wearers who wants a closer feel to the pitch relative to the underfoot. Nike presented Zoom Air as an energy-return feature, but in reality it simply offers more comfort rather than a responsive bounce. As far as the actual plastic soleplate goes, the forefoot snap is decent enough, but certainly not enough for speed boot enthusiasts.

Ball Touch and Grip

A particular surprise for the current generation of Vini’s boots is the inclusion of Gripknit, a technology more associated with Nike’s control boot in the form of the Phantoms. The level of grip is toned-down relative to the Phantoms, and you can make the argument that it has been optimised for the Vapor. With how thin the Gripknit upper is, you get a raw, barefoot feel for the ball. Put grip and barefoot ball touch together and you have a boot that suits a dribbler’s taste. As long as you don’t have an issue Nike adding the central technology of its control boot in the Vapors, you’ll definitely welcome the addition of grip as another dimension of the modern Mercurial boot.

Recommendations Regarding the Vini’s Nike Mercurial Vapor Boots

Given that it has an aggressive traction, decent soleplate responsiveness, and above-average lockdown and responsiveness, the boots are indeed ideal for someone like Vinicius Jr. Incredibly fast wingers or even modern fullbacks who fully engage in the attack should have a nice time wearing a pair of the Nike Mercurial Vapor boots. Because of that added grip element, Mercurial players can now combine the aggressive traction with that sticky ball control for effective execution of penalties, free kicks, corners and general set-pieces.

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Vini Mercurial Vapor Pro

Besides offering a Vapor option at almost half the price of the Elite, the Vini Vapor Pro does have its own merits on why it might be considered over the top-tier model. Instead of Gripknit, the upper is just Flyknit that is reinforced by a relatively substantial liner and a thin polyurethane coating. This would appeal to those who finds the Elite too sticky to the touch and wouldn’t mind doing away with it even if the Pro’s appear appear to be less pliable and that the barefoot ball sensation is toned down a bit. Since the upper is now more structured, the Pro has more width than the Elite so that it could also accommodate slightly wider foot shapes.

Because of the change in the upper, I also see the Pro as the choice for those who want a bit more responsiveness and lockdown even if this takedown boot might need to sacrifice some of that out-of-the-box comfort. The heel appears quite flat instead of that sculpted, curved shape on the Elite, and for that reason choosing the Pro would require the wearer some time to break down that heel. Traction is Elite-level as it has the same stud layout, but the Zoom Air is limited just the heel. Snap back though is above average for Pro-level boots and the lack of Zoom Air on the forefoot might actually be better for someone who wants a sole that has a closer feel to the ground. Overall, the Pro is lightweight but noticeably weigh more the the flagship tier.

Vini Vapor Academy

Vini Vapor Academy is your budget, entry point for this speed boot silo and is where you can see significant deviations. The first one is the use of a coated mesh upper called Nikeskin, which a thicker feel to it compared to the knit uppers of the Elite and Pro. And when you combine that with a relatively thicker liner as well, the Vini Vapor Academy takes away that direct, barefoot touch on the ball and makes you feel distant or less connected to it. However, the boot still has a nice, anatomical shape (unlike the more generic fit of other takedown boots) and its Nikeskin is pretty much malleable still to form around your foot. Given that everything at this price point is reduced in terms of features, having a comfortable fit is the least you can expect and this Vini Academy boot gives that.

I also like you get some matte texturing on the upper and that the transition to a stiffer midfoot material gives the boot some points in lockdown and responsiveness. You have more volume with this takedown Vapor, but because it has a standard tongue construction you can simply pull the laces up and have the material hug your foot closely. The padding and liner on the heel is also on the premium side (again, with the disclaimer that we are talking about the Academy takedown level) and is quite deep and sculpted to help your heel to really sit down and dig deep. It goes without saying then that the heel lockdown and fit is above average. The boot is multigrounded by default, with Nike softening up the traction by reducing the sizes of the chevrons and by replacing some with conicals. Like the Pro, Zoom Air is limited to the heel, perfect for those that are not a fan of the cushioning technology.

Vinicius Jr. Previous Boots

Vapor 16 Attack Pack

One of Nike’s memorable colourway shade in the form of Racer Blue dominated Vini’s Vapor 16s by the turn of the year. Dubbed as the Attack Pack, the way that the speedy nature of the paintjob fully enveloped the boots matched the verticality and acceleration of the winger. The addition of pink accents via the white Swoosh outline and the Zoom Air window arguably added some flair to what could have been otherwise a serious colourway (much like how he had added his own Brazilian flair to his style of play).

Vapor 16 United IV

That boot with a multicolour glow that Vini wore toward the end of 2025 was the Vapor 16 from the fourth Nike United Pack. It was a pack dedicated to women football stars, with the Mercurial specifically bearing the names of Lauren James and Salma Paralluelo. Vini wearing the United IV Vapor 16 followed his history of supporting the women’s pack releases by getting into them on match days.

Vini Fly

Much of the design of Vini’s first signature boot was concentrated on the AtomKnit part of the Vapor 16. And to further highlight and contrast, Nike partnered such gradient visual with a black Gripknit. The medial colour transition mostly involved yellow, green and a bit of blue to reflect the player’s nationality. His formative years in Flamengo was what the red-to-yellow transition on the lateral side represented. Both gradient side read VINI FLY VINI VOA, which accompanied the oversized Swoosh that showed his love for the Vaporfly and Alphafly series. A fading pearlescent plate finish completed the bold, energetic look.

Air Max 95 Solar Red

With the white/grey Air Max 95 Mercurial Superfly being headlined by Mbappe, Nike turned to Vinicius Jr. to market the Vapor Air Max 95. This Air Max 95 x Mercurial iteration not only paid tribute to the trainer, it also boasted that PVC iridescent colouring seen on the Cosmic Speed series, blending the past curved aesthetics with a feature of the present. The PVC shone even more considering it rested against a dark background. Completing the Air Max 95 was the Solar Red accent from the heel Swooshes and stud tips, with the Air Zoom window also producing a reddish shimmer.

United Vapor 16

Vini Jr. joined his Real Madrid teammate Mbappe in wearing the women’s 2025 Nike United Pack, specifically opting for the Vapor 16. The lavander-based boot had a tonal, abstract visualisation of the Nike United theme along the AtomKnit quarter. The Swooshes and any related brandings were made sure to have a piece in the overall look by adding to the boot a volt yellow presence.

Vapor 1 Remake

Vini jr. got the privilege of headlining the remake of the boot that started it all. Vapor 1 was remade in 2024 with the same upper and fit specification when it was launched in 2002. Only the soleplate was changed, fitting in the Zoom Air soleplate of the current Mercurials. To make things more nostalgic, the remake edition dressed up with that same Chrome/Lime worn by the Brazilian Ronaldo during the Korea/Japan World Cup. The boot even retained the tongue’s R9 reference, which can be made visible when folded over.

MDS 009 Vapor

Vinicius wearing the MDS 009 was reflective of his status at that time. He was already a Ballon d’Or contender and viewed as one of Real Madrid’s superstars for years to come. To Nike’s own words, the MDS 009 celebrated the legacy of pace and self-belief that Mercurial players had given the silo.

Cosmic Speed Mercurials

Vini joined Nike in celebrating the women Mercurial footballers by wearing the Vapor edition of the Cosmic Speed Mercurials. It was a standout release, as defined by that unique iridescent look on a black colourway. It also had a band on the forefoot with tonal inscriptions of past Mercurial Dream Speed designs.

Pimento Tn

Things had to be great for your sponsor to keep on asking you wear a variety of colourway releases. This was the case for Vini Jr around the early part of 2024. He just wore both the MDS007 and MDS008 a few month ago, but then he was tapped to unveil the second Air Mercurial x Air Max Plus, which was had an official colourway of Pimento with black.

MDS 008

The winger went from red to green as far as being part of the Mercurial Dream Speed series. The fastest player in La Liga (per November 2023 league report) definitely fit the bill to suit up the Green Strike MDS 008, which had a streaking visual on the forefoot and the lateral Swoosh to demonstrate speed and quickness.

MDS 007

With MDS now including an exclusive group to join Mbappe and CR7 in wearing the special series release, Vinicius regularly got the chance to be part of that limited selection of players to wear MDS boots. In the MDS 007, Vinicius stuck with the Vapor model, which obviously still had the red-orange colourway and bespoke Xs and Os graphical pattern.

Vinicius Jr. Career and Boot Choices

Vinicius Jr. is known as a left-sided winger. As expected from a flank player, it’s his speed, strength, and dribbling qualities that carries on his game. Prior to his switch to Real Madrid in 2018, he already had a first team experience with Flamengo. But this didn’t necessary translate to Vinicius going straight to Madrid’s starting XI. He had to go through substitute appearances and a few starts before eventually becoming the starter he is at the moment. He had the privilege of being able to link-up well with Karim Benzema before the striker moved on to Saudi Arabia. His young career had already earned him multiple titles in multiple fronts-domestic league, knockout competition and regional tournament.

He started out with the Nike Hypervenom Phantom 3 before switching to the Mercurials during his starting years with Real Madrid. And with him preferring the low-cut Phantoms, his shift to the Vapor rather than the Superfly was just natural. His stint with the Vapor started with the Vapor 12s. Along the way, he was included with the prospect-dedicated Nuovo White Vapor 13s as well as the exclusive group of stars for the MDS beginning with the third boot of the series. After settling some legal discussions in 2023, Vinicius has committed again to the Swoosh brand, and, boot-wise, to the Nike Mercurial Vapor.