It all comes down to this. Four years in the making since France lifted the trophy in Russia, the world goes at it again in Qatar to determine the best nation in football. The likes of Manuel Neuer, Son Heung-min and Jude Bellingham, however, not only represent their respective national team but also the finest of players from the adidas brand. Together with the rest of their mates in the German brand, they come into the tournament wearing the latest Copa Sense, X Speedportal, and Predator Edge boots as adidas drops its first football pack for the 2022 World Cup.
Dubbed the ‘Al Rihla’ pack, the boot collection is inspired by the same Al Rihla (arabic for journey or travelogue) OMB announced a few months ago. This pack surely feels closer to the heart of both the players and the fans, as nothing can document their World Cup journey better than the pair of boots we are wearing on the pitch.
As it is patterned after the OMB, the general colourway also features some iridescent tones despite the differences of the base colours of the boots. Another common theme is the presence of trailblazing spiky micropatterns adorning the medial and lateral sides. Adding to the futuristic design with the same multicolour application are the elongated adidas striping covering the toe box.
The modern Copa takes the Al Rihla motiff and applies it a black base. The result is a traditional boot that looks modernised by contemporary aesthetical taste. Compared to previous black Copa Senses, the Al Rihla model arguably takes more liberty in taking in graphics and visuals on top of the timeless base colour.
Whereas the current Copa goes for black, the Predator Edge heads into the opposite way and opts for white, literally becoming one of those boots that acts like a canvass to express a certain art, in this case the Al Rihla depiction of a World Cup journey.
Lastly, the X Speedportal partners the varying tones of the spiky graphic and adidas striping with a minty blue background. A cool yet striking aura at the same time.
