With the three previous colourways, the 98M, 02M and 06M it comes as no massive surprise that Nike now launch the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX FF 10M. Nike hereby complete the Mercurial World Cup-series, which they started in December by celebrating the first Mercurial boot from 1998. We have taken a look at the boot, which is made as a reincarnation of the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II Elite Series.

The World Cup in South Africa will be remembered for many things. Those god awful vuvuzelas, Spain’s impressive victory, Nigel de Jong’s wild kung fu- moves and last, but certainly not least Nike’s Elite Series. It was the second time Nike released all their silos in one colourway.

It was on the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II that Nike for the first time introduced the innovative NikeSENSE stud-configuration. It was a stud-system, which drilled into the ground and this gave significant acceleration advantages and Nike actually revealed that the thinking behind the talon studs on the back, came from a Cheetah’s claws. And what better animal to model by, when designing a top speed boot.

At the World Cup in South Africa Nike chose to make an Elite-version of their football boots. For the Superfly this meant that the regular sole was replaced with a lighter and more responsive version. Furthermore the choice of colour was also one of the significant changes on the new Superfly boot, which was made for the World Cup.

For the design of the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II the research team had investigated the human sight and discovered that 99% of a normal person’s sight is peripheral, while just 1% is focused. This means that a boot, which has been made very visible, will also be detected quicker. Therefore Nike picked the very striking combination of purple and orange.

With the football boot from 2010 Nike also used their Flywire technology, which was a new, light and flexible material that helped to support the foot, without weighing it down. Whether or not this is why Cristiano Ronaldo managed to win Man of the Match in all three of Portugal’s group games in South Africa is hard to say, but Nike’s Superfly II has won many hearts since.

The ninth generation of the now legendary Mercurial-collection has already made a massive imprint on the speed-boot market. With its just 185 grams it weighs significantly less than most, but Nike have still been able to fill it with innovation and technology, like the Speed Control and ACC.

The upper has changed a lot and this is apparent because of the many small dimples in the upper. It is a technology, which Nike call Speed Control and as the name insinuates, it is made to give improved control, when going at high speed.

The eternal battle with the weather gods can also have a negative impact on your ball control, which is especially apparent in wet conditions. This is however something Nike have found a solution for too, thanks to the now very well known and loved ACC. All Conditions Control is a technology, which is worked into the upper during production and ensures you have the same grip on the ball in wet weather, as you would otherwise have in dry conditions.

Also in connection with the stud-configuration Nike have done something out of the ordinary. With just two studs on the heel, the thoughts behind it are that they enter and exit the ground quickly. This gives the explosive speed, which the boot is known for. Some think the two studs are too unstable, but with the Mercurial only one thing counts: speed, speed and more speed, something the Vapor certainly delivers.

And speaking of Cristiano Ronaldo, he was also the front figure for the boot in 2010, when Nike presented their Superfly II Elite Series. It is therefore only appropriate that the world’s best footballer from 2013 would honour the last of the Mercurial boots in the World Cup Fast Forward pack. And what better way to do that, then show them off in one of the world biggest derbies, when Real Madrid face Barcelona on Sunday.

With the latest colourway update for the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX you can really stand out on the pitch, even when going at top speed. The boot is designed for the player, who dares stand out and who has complete faith in their own abilities. If you want to increase your team mates chances of spotting you, then the new Nike Mercurial Vapor FF 10M is just the boot for you.

With the orange and purple colours, Nike have a speed boot, which has been given an impressive colourway update, making the boot even more eye-catching. What do you think about the latest Nike’s Mercurial Vapor IX colourway? And is it a boot you might get your hands on? We would love to hear from you in the comment-section down below, or on Facebook and Twitter.