Nike designed the MDS boot to the exact specification of CR7. It began in 2019 as an exclusive series for Ronaldo, Mbappe and Kerr, but eventually grew to include Nike’s other stars.
The series was launched right after the conclusion of Ronaldo’s signature Chapter Superfly boots.
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In our video below we look through the history of the Mercurial Dream Speed from 001 to 009 and how MDS line started from the end of Ronaldo’s Chapter series.
Review of the MDS
If it’s not obvious yet, the series is all about quickness. But what does the Mercurial Dream Speed have that more or less gives you a boost in pace? No doubt the looks always talk about being fast, but t here are indeed features that make this regular Nike release truly a dream boot for ultimate speed.
First things first, if you want to be fast on the soil then you need a stud configuration that will keep you dug in with every step. I think the chevron studs are like fangs that aggressively bite into the ground and stick into it. They prevent you from accidentally sliding around and makes you feel as if you are running on a flat surface. And if those chevrons are not enough, a series of cascading studs on the Zoom Air window add even more traction.
And speaking of the Zoom Air, Nike’s patented technology appears in the Mercurial Dream Speed in a 3/4-length, Stroebeled air bag on the forefoot. And as you can expect, it gives you a bouncy, cushioned sensation on each step. I wouldn’t say the bounce is overpowering. Rather, I feel it is well optimised to work well within the overall tooling system. The actual plate itself already has some snapback, but certainly not to the level of the likes of carbon-based soleplates.
We now go to the upper, which is made up of Gripknit on the vamp and AtomKnit on the quarter. I got to say-the entirety of the upper pack feels thin on the foot. And it goes without saying that the thinner it gets, the more you feel barefoot, unencumbered and simply nimble when you wear the boot. Ball contact has that raw and full impression. A size 9.5 US weighs below 200g, making them one, if not the lightest boot in the market.
MDS is comfortable right out of the box because of how soft the upper is. You can expect that there is only minimal break-in time, if at all. My only issue is that the lockdown and responsiveness, while top-notch, still has room for improvement.
Indirectly contributing to you being fast with MDS is the tackiness and weatherisation of Gripknit. Not only you get an assist with ball control, you also don’t have to worry about the effects of rain possibly weighing down the boot or making the ball go slick on it. The grip by the way seems optimised and will not cause you to worry about tripping over the ball. With these taken cared of, you can simply focus on picking up that acceleration.
Now put the upper and soleplate together, Mercurial Dream Speed to my mind is one of the best fitting boot, which somehow offsets what I pointed about lockdown and responsiveness. The upper wraps around your foot snugly, and the best part is that the pliability of the material makes the boot adaptable to both narrow and wide-feet players. Heel grab is also great. Nike does us a solid in terms of length as the boot goes true-to-size.
Mercurial Dream Speed 8
MDS 008 – February 2024
Mercurial Dream Speed #8 was all about the sacrifices and setbacks superstars overcame to reach the stage they are right now. Even from afar, the boot was noticeable because of its striking thematic green colourway, with a streaking, textured black Swoosh adding the speedy design element. In addition, Nike included some effects emanating from the toe, to make it look as if the speed of the boot had stripped away some of that green colourway and revealed a lighter shade as well as touches of dark green streaks.
Nike had the Green Speed Mercurials before, but that was more about sustainability rather than the looks. In this case, it was truly green speed for the Dream Speed boot 8 as the boot went all in with the Green Strike aura. With the brandings and logos in black, the boot shared the same colour combination as the Phantom VSN 2 Future Lab II Pack.
Previous MDS Releases
MDS 007 – November 2023
Madrid might had been his prime, but Manchester United was always going to be the birth of CR7’s illustrious career. That was the reminder of the red with orange MDS No. 7, which also recalled the fiery Sport Red with Gold Mercurial Vapor IV that Ronaldo once laced. 007 reflected all these through the predominance of crimson, which shaded dark on the forefoot and tongue before lightening up towards an orange-like tone around the quarter.
Through the dynamic interplay of contrast, the Pale Ivory Swoosh stood pristine and made itself more prominent with its bold black outline. Scatted across the upper were abstract patterns of Xs and Os. A wide variety of application can be observed on the said patterns, containing a mix of solid-filleds, outlines, all with random spacing. Capping off the look was the MDS letter mark sitting proudly in the lighter orange on the medial side.
Garnacho arguably gave the boot its best highlight reel when he scored a bicycle kick comparable to that of Rooney’s vs Manchester City.
MDS 006 – February 2023
Hidden through a distorted style of digital camo in fuchsia was a design alluding to flowers and their correlation with achievements. So in essence the Sixth was one of those boots that simply expressed CR7 as a highly-accomplished footballer, winning titles in several top domestic leagues and in international setting as well. Helping this fuchsia accent pop was the cobalt base of this colourway.
Despite the difference in design and inspiration, the 6th Mercurial Dream Speed did look similar to the Mbappe Flames signature, where we also had that purplish base adorned by accents falling somewhere along the pink-red spectrum. Nike chose to make it simpler for the logos and brandings by opting for plain black application.
MDS 005 – February 2022
The series somehow stepped away from the usual themes of speed and dived into the mental aspects of the game. Using a mellow, pastel shade of purple, blue and yellow against the backdrop of a very light, almost-white green base, the boot displayed spiral patterns and transitional curves to indicate the relaxed mindset of CR7 to games. The transition of the colourway from a tranquil base to more commanding hues illustrated the strong decision-making that can result from a calm mental state.
The aesthetics of the MDS 005 included a very dark blue-green Swoosh outline smack on the medial side and another relatively bigger one covering the toe box up to the lateral side. A volt Swoosh positioned within the primary Swoosh added another layer of Nike branding, completed by the Nike and Mercurial logos on the circular underlays with connected strips around the heel.
MDS 004 – March 2021
Mercurial Dream Speed 4 was that Superfly which showed a red to yellow gradient from the sides going to the toe. Add on the checkered boxes on the toe and heel, the colourway was meant to symbolise the blistering, hypersonic speed of a space shuttle reentry to earth. The NASA inspiration was also seen on the font of the series branding on the heel.
A bit cliche to be honest, but the design still put nicely into description the game style of the leading MDS stars. It was with the fourth boot that the series touched on the Superfly 8, and, in essence, also the start of the Dream Speed switching from Flyknit to synthetics. That multicolour aesthetic gave this Dream Speed boot a relative glow compared to its monochromatic predecessor (up next) and the mellowness of its successor.
MDS 003 – October 2020
It was with this particular release that the series began being more inclusive, as the likes of Haaland, Fernandes and Vini Jr. were among those to wear the third Dream Speed in matches. What was striking in this edition was the black-on-white visuals that was comprised of popular CR7 boot designs in the past, such as the iconic chevrons, iridescent pinstripes and the classic safari print.
Flowing with the said trademark CR7 boot designs were grid-like manifestations. The plain one and its curves were about the rippling effect on the net whenever a goal was scored, while the dotted ones remembered the formations of the winning teams Cristiano was part of. Completing the look was the mesh-detailed 3D Swoosh.
MDS 002 – February 2020
Loosely inspired by the 2006 World Cup R9 Vapor 3s, Mercurial Dream Speed No. 2 went bold with a citrus-infused Lemon Venom colourway, shining bright in yellow at the top and gradually shifting to a limish green around the edges. The influence of the iconic Vapor boot was seen most especially on the warped dotted design covering the outsole and heel. Highlights of red and green radiated from the vamp and medial Swooshes, respectively.
The MDS 002 dropped the symbols and number branding of the original MDS (though #002 was still at the back on the heel) in favour of a cleaner look. This helped highlight instead the features of the Lemon Venom colourway. The second Dream Speed followed the likes of Fast Forward Mercurial Vapor IX in 2014 and the NIKEiD Heritage release of 2018 in reviving in some way the colours of that 2006 R9 Vapor 3s.
MDS 001 – September 2019
For the first of the series, Nike dressed up the Superfly 7 with a predominantly blue colourway that was further designed with perforation pattern, reflective Swoosh and brandings of MDS and 001 , and 44.7km/h top speed detail. MDS started as a CR7-Mbappe-Kerr exclusive, as the latter two started winning individual awards, just like Ronaldo when he was 22 years old lacing a pair of Mercurials.
For this maiden launch of the series, Nike made the boot available not just with the Superfly but also with the Vapor. Budget options via takedowns were on the menu and artificial/turf soleplate needs were also catered. But perhaps another group welcomed by MDS 001 was Kids, as young players got the chance to have kid-specific sized boots sporting the abovementioned look and design.
