2012 is turning into a landmark year for Nike, that with the introduction of their lightest and most environmentally friendly boot to date, the Nike Green Speed, or just GS. Now Green Speed 2 has arrived and, in this connection, with we feel it's only appropriate to take a look at the two boots with the green name.

This summer, Nike took the whole football world by surprise, when they, at the Olympics, launched their most innovative and groundbreaking lightweight boot ever, Nike GS. The boot was made to be the ultimate Speed boot and leave a big impression on the world, but at the same time, Nike didn't want the boot to leave a big impression on the worlds environment. - That's why the boot was made with the concept of using as little material as possible, both to save on the weight and to minimise waste of material.

The boot was extremely limited and only 2012 pairs were released, world wide. The only professional player who was allowed to use the boot, was the Brazilian Neymar, who enchanted audiences at the Olympics this summer and did all this in his private Nike Green Speeds.

Now the time has come for a GS2-squad, that has been put together with some of Europe's biggest young talent – Raheem Sterling, Mario Götze, Eden Hazard, Theo Walcott, Christian Eriksen and Stephan El Sharaawy. All players who use their pace and technical ability to terrorise defences, which makes them perfect for the Nike GS, that is designed to give players that venomous touch.

GS2 is, as the name implies, a continuation of the first Green Speed, and it does inherit a lot of features from it's predecessor. Both boots are equipped with an upper, that is comprised of a mid-foot made of TPU, as well as, a front-foot produced from Kanga-Lite.

The mid-foots TPU, is made of 70% recyclables – at least. On the front-foot both GS boots are equipped with Kanga-Lite, that is Nike's kangaroo-leather emulating material. In contrast to the Kanga-lite you see on the CTR 360 Maestri III, the microfibre on the GS is made from 15% recycled material.

One of the areas, where the Nike GS2 really separates itself from the original Green Speed, is actually on the nose too; where the Kanga-lite from the GS2, has been given the All Conditions Control-technology, that is incorporated into the material during production. This ensures that the boot has the same ball grip in wet weather-conditions, as it has in the dry and it looks like this is something we can expect to see in all Nike's new boots – Ohh yeah, and the colour has been changed from neon-green to a pure white.

The addition of All Conditions Control is always a big upgrade for any boot and should naturally be shown and promoted and Nike have chosen a very unsubtle way of doing so. They have chosen to wack a massive ACC-logo on the lateral side of the GS2, so it's definitely not for people scared of attention and exactly this is a big theme for the Green Speed. And just to make sure people weren't in doubt, Nike have also written ACC on the heel of the boot.

At the same time the Nike-swoosh, that used to be on the heel of the Green Speed, has been magnified and moved further down the boot, so it sits right in the curve of the medial side of the GS2. This gives a more Visual brand-impression, and is definitely a conscious move from Nike, now that more high profile players will be using the model. On top of that it looks better too, so that's just an extra bonus.

The sole of the GS2 is completely unchanged from the first model, and is therefore still super light and very strong. The most impressive part of it is, however, that the sole and heel counter are made of 50% biodegradable TPU and 50% Pebax Rnew, that is produced from 97% Castorbean-extract. From the Castorbean you can derive a natural oil, that is very potent and strong, thus making it perfect for the sole of the GS and GS2.

A small visual change has however still befallen the sole; as the central-stripe running down the middle of the boot has been coloured white on the GS2 – and this makes the concept of the central torsion-bars more apparent, even if they aren't changed design-wise. The Torsion-bars have been fitted to give added stability and a quicker transferral of power, to make you faster and more effective on the pitch.

Have you also fallen for the new Nike GS2? You can already pre-order the boot from 00.01 (CET) tonight, and you will only have to wait for December 1st, where the boot will land in our warehouse. The boot arrives in the EU sizes: 41, 42, 43 and 44, and can be yours for €333.

After asking around the office, we can conclude that the opinions are very divided, on which of the two Nike GS-boots is the coolest – and we would therefore like to hear your opinion on the GS2. Which variation is your favourite? Is the concept of ultralight and still environmentally friendly boot something you like? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section down below.