The math you have to do to work out what’s going on here isn’t all together complicated. It’s been awhile since we had a new generations of Nike football boots and with the European Championship around the corner it’s hard to imagine there won’t be new updates looming. Cristiano Ronaldo has just confirmed that suspicion, as he turned up for Real Madrid training in a pair of boots that haven’t been seen before…

Cristiano Ronaldo could last week entirely seal Portugal’s spot at next summer's European Championship. That probably resulted in a couple of sighs of relief from Nike HQ, because what would they do without their absolute flagship, when they look to present their next generation of Mercurial Superfly?

Alright, alright, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but after seeing Cristiano’s newest footwear things are definitely pointing towards some changes from Nike. The word on the street is that the next Superfly generation will be made with an upper of Flyweave, which is basically the new generation of Flyknit, and these picture certainly don’t make those rumours less interesting.

Flyweave is, as Flyknit, a woven technology. The technology should however create a far more durable, strong and stable upper than Flyknit. Nike already use the material on their basketball shoes, golf shoes, american football cleats and training shoes. So if the progression of Flyknit is anything to go by, then football should be the next step.

Apart from the upper, the other noticeable difference is the Dynamic Fit Collar, which is significantly lower than on the current version. Cristiano does use a modified version of the current version, so this might just be a test for him, but maybe his input has swayed Nike into making it the standard version?

How far along this prototype is we honestly have no idea about, but one thing is certain - we will be keeping a sharp eye on the development and are looking forward to seeing the final result. What improves and changes do you hope to see on the new generation of Mercurial Superfly?