Going into 2025, adidas is going strong with their silo that revolutionised football boots in its own way back in 1998. And as always, I’m here to explore the good, the bad and the ugly in this 2025 adidas Predator Review. Today’s stars like Jude Bellingham & Trent Alexander-Arnold are following in the boot steps of Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham; unleashing the power of the Predator in modern football. But like every generational update, the question is: did the Predator change for the good, or did it take a turn for the worse?
- 2025 adidas Predator Elite Review
- adidas Predator Pro
- Cheap Predator League Review
- Club adidas Predator
- Previous Predator Generations
Things to Know about the adidas Predator 2025:
- The 25th generation of the adidas Predator
- Serves as the control boot option in the lineup that includes the speed boot F50 and the heritage boot Copa Pure
- In direct competition with the Nike Phantom GX
- Top elite models come in laceless, laced and laced with fold-over tongue variations
- Worn by the likes of Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Pedri
Our Predator 2025 Expert Review
The 2025 generation of the iconic adidas silo continues the core DNA of having rubber grip elements attached to the surface of the upper. The STRIKESKIN technology sees these grip elements moulded into raised ridged fins positioned on the instep. Their blocked formation and raised profile seem to be more prominent, wider in coverage and more compact to each other than those of the Predator Precision’s. HYBRIDTOUCH 2.0 is that synthetic leather material used by the boot to wrap around your foot. As far as the closure system is concerned, you can have the Predator 2024 in either a laceless setup or a laced system, the latter having another variant that includes the familiar fold-over tongue. Narrow triangular studs and structural overlays on the instep and lateral ridge (extending from heel to outstep) forms the CONTROLFRAME 2.0 tooling.
Hybridtouch 2.0
Hybridtouch 2.0 is one of the best synthetic upper materials you can experience for a football boot. It is pliable on-feet and does have that elasticity to mould around especially if you’re on the wider end of the spectrum. I find that its use of Primeknit as a base for the quarter make it much comfortable on the heel area, while the foam-based vamp gives equal consideration to paddedness and structure so as not to neglect objective performance.
Strikeskin Elements
For the Predator 25, the grip elements are positioned in a wavy formation and are concentrated on the instep. Strikeskin here has the elements raised along those said wavy demarcations. They have been noticeably reduced in comparison to the rubber elements of previous Predator generations. With that said, the grip is still top-notch and might have even been optimised, plus the upper increases its pliability precisely because of the reduction of the rubber elements.
Controlframe 2.0
One thing I can say about the soleplate of the adidas Predator is that it is relatively adaptive to both firm ground and artificial ground. It’s relatively flat, neutral and has just the right amount of sharpness to penetrate natural soil without being too clingy on synthetic pitches. Compared to the likes of the Nike Phantom GX and Puma Future, the tooling has a decent amount of responsiveness and snapback.
Fit and Shape
Usually considered as a wide-fitting boot, today’s Predator is a little bit nuanced than that. From heel to midfoot, the Predator starts of as narrow and then splits wide as it reaches the forefoot. You might just need to spend some break-in time on that midfoot area for the upper to stretch and accommodate some width. Length-wise, I would advise to stick with true-to-size.
Lockdown and Responsiveness
I suggest that you get the regular laced Elite if you want the best lockdown. As cool as the FT model is, it affects the positioning of the lacing around the heel. That and the fact that the heel has a softer material (which probably might be the reason why adidas has made it narrower), the lockdown on the heel of the FT is left wanting. The laceless Elite obviously will always have that issue of lack of adjustability. Nonetheless, it still represents why adidas is leading as far as mainstream laceless football boots are concerned.
✔️ Pros
- I felt it maintains its top status as a grippy football boot perfect for swerve and spins, despite the reduced number of grip elements
- Hybridtouch 2.0 upper is definitely one of the best synthetic upper material out there
- Soleplate is playable on both FG and AG
- I believe weight is trending towards speed boot levels regardless of the Elite model chosen
- Fold-over tongue has an underlying suede-like liner that feels plush and warm on the arch, to my foot at least, not to mention the fresh yet classic vibe it brings to the table
❌ Cons
- Heel lockdown is left wanting, better to go for the regular laced Elite
- Break-in time might be needed for wider foot types
- The change to a more anatomical forefoot shape might affect some wide-feet players who prefer the more rounded end of the previous Predator Accuracy
- Price difference between the fold-over tongue version and regular laced model I believe might be too much relative to additional objective performance benefit
Reviewing and Testing the Predator 2025
Each boot has its main highlight feature, and that is always something we factor in when we test out boots. In the case of the adidas Predator 2025, it’s the Strikeskin ridge texuring that gives plenty of ball grip. And so besides the usual football drills, I added a few sessions for the boot and used it to kick on corners, free kicks and just plain long balls. What I wanted to see was how Strikeskin affected these types of long-range kicks and if there is a significant difference relative to other boots. I also set forth in determining whether going for the Elite FT, laceless and laced affected the Strikeskin in doing its job of providing a split-second grip on the ball.
| PRO ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Predator Pro Fold-Over Tongue | Hybridtouch 2.0 Upper Strikeskin Grip Element Controlplate  |  | |
 Predator Pro Laced |  | ||
On paper, the Pro seems to be providing the Elite Hybridtouch 2.0 upper and SL rubber fins on a huge discount. But the thing with the Pro is that it’s built on a different last. It definitely is wider and loses some of that form-fitting capability of the Elite. On top of that, the liner feels fuzzier and thinner, contributing to that less premium feel. This takedown level does not have the laceless option but at least retains the FT model.
| LEAGUE ⭐⭐⭐ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Predator League Fold-Over Tongue | Hybridfeel Upper Strikescale Grip Elements Controlplate  |  | |
 Predator League Laceless |  | ||
 Predator League Laced |  | ||
✔️ Pros
- Indoors to outdoors, lots of soleplate types for the Predator League!
- Upper becomes soft and pleasant once broken-in
- Generic last shaping at least doesn’t affect fit and comfort
- Laceless Predator League one of the best adidas attempts at a budget laceless option
❌ Cons
- Strikescale more on texturing than actual grip
- Once broken-in, Hybridfeel not the most responsive and locked-in
- Soleplate on the flexible side and does not have a responsive feel to them
| CLUB ⭐⭐ | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Predator Club | Synthetic upper Strikeprint texturing Generic adidas Firm/multi-ground outsole  |  | |
The Club does not offer that much apart from looking like the 2025 Predator Elite. And so the Strikeprint Texturing is just about cosmetics and the synthetic upper gives you a generic football boot. The operative word here is ‘temporary,’ meaning that it works best as a placeholder boot for someone with growing feet. Most likely kids will be the one who the Club suits best, and it also helps that the takedown is more on the plasticky side. That additional structure can be beneficial in terms of protecting them on the pitch.
Previous Predator Generations
The adidas Predator has been a constant presence on the football field since 1994. However, it must be noted that it did have a blip and got replaced by the ACE in the mid-2010s. Safe to say that much of the current Predator’s build much more resembles its return in 2017 than any of its iteration in the pre-ACE era. Let’s look back at some of the past Predator generations:
Predator ’24 (2023)
Actually released towards the end of 2023, the boot nonetheless informed the adidas Predator boots that were worn by the pros in 2024. And while it was made available in laced and laceless options, the highlight for the Predator ’24 generation was the Fold-over Tongue (FT) model that certainly brought a lot of nostalgia. Hybridtouch 2.0 was made thinner and more anatomical than the Hybridtouch on the previous Accuracy. Sole-cracking unfortunately was a bit of an issue for some.
Predator Accuracy (2023)
To address the widely-panned Edge, adidas reconstructed the Predator for the 2023 Accuracy generation. With Accuracy, the Predator had a relatively more comfortable Hybridtouch upper that provided synthetic leather vibes. The High-Definition Grip elements met expectation in keeping the silo the most grippy football boot in the market during the Accuracy’s time.
Predator Edge (2022)
adidas brought in the Edge in 2022, representing the brand’s grippiest football boot with its ridged Zoneskin elements. Edge drew inspiration from the earlier Predator LZ in both launch colourway and grip element structure. Unfortunately for the Edge, it was marred by fit and comfort issues, as the Primeknit upper felt stiff for a knitted material and that the shape was predetermined by the rounded formation of the Zoneskin.
Predator Freak (2021)
The Freak was launched in 2021 and introduced minor adjustments to the Mutator model. The Demonspikes were lessened and spaced out to bring down the grip level to an optimal level (still the grippiest boot despite the said change). A two-piece tongue-collar construction increased the height of the collar on heel part. It was the Freak that had the Controlframe tooling for the last time.
Predator 20/Mutator (2020)
The Mutator introduced the Predator to the football boot industry as the grippiest football boot ever. 406 Demonskin rubber spikes touch the ball like no other boot can, giving the wearer that precious split-second grip to control the ball however, whenever he wants it. The + model maintained the laceless construction introduced in the 18 and 19, and like the preceeding Predators any one preferring a laced setup can certainly have it with the .1 variant, available in low and high-cut finishes. As with the tooling, it did change the Controlframe to make the split-sole element more visible.
Predator 19 (2018)
Not much changed from the Predator 18 to the Predator 19. The latter simply added some material branding and Controlskin detailing to perhaps give the tech more emphasis and attention. The rubber material on the heel, however, was a much more noticeable update and was applied to have a more natural contour over that part of the boot. Some highlight releases under the Predator 19 involved the boot with packs related to the Predator classics. The ’25 Years of Predator’ pack, which delivered a gold ZZ Accelerator and a white DB Precision, also gave us the ‘Beckham Zidane’ Predator 19. It had a glossy Controlskin in gold, navy Primeknit, and red accents on the external heel counter. With the Predator Mania 19 pack, adidas included a black Predator 19+ and a white Predator 19.1, both with a sticker graphic featuring the Mania’s swerving elements and a Fusionskin upper instead of pure knit.
Predator 18 (2017)
The Predator 18, while bearing the name of the iconic adidas silo, brought with it features that were trending at that time. First among them was the Primeknit base of the upper, making it the first Predator to dip into the knit territory. Next was the laceless construction, notching another first for the silo. Even though it was not as high as other so-called sock boots, the higher-than-usual collar finish was another modern adoption of the Predator 18. The Controlskin ridged texturing overlay served as the Predatory element, which significant departed from the rubber external elements of past models. It was in this boot that the first iteration of the Controlframe emerged before it got reengineered in the Predator Mutator. The stud configuration was trigonometric and the soleplate had a full-length construction with some Y-shaped stiffener structural reinforcement. Adidas gave a .1 option for those who preferred a laced setup.
Rather than reintroducing the key characteristics of the Predator, the 18 reflected the dominant boot trends at that time. It was more of an evolution of the ACE (especially the Purecontrol+), the model that replaced the Predator Instinct. Suffice to say, questions were asked whether they truly marked the return of Predator in the football boot scene.
