Adidas Release Debonair New ‘Limited Edition’ White Version Of Classic Copa Mundial Boots (Photos)

Chris Wright

1st, October 2013

12 Comments

By Chris Wright

COPA_MUNDIAL_WHITE_LEAD_IMAGE

The Adidas Copa Mundial is a nailed-on classic of the football boot genus and has been pretty much since they were first released in 1978 ahead of the 1982 Spanish World Cup (hence the name), quickly becoming synonymous with class, reliability and quality – thanks largely to esteemed feet upon which they have been laced over the years: think Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, Zico, Diego Maradona, Franco Baresi, Matthew Upson, etc, etc.

The current design is unchanged since 1982, with the Copa Mundial by far and away the best-selling boot in football history, shifting over 10million units worldwide since Adi Dassler produced his first pair. Indeed, the Mundials were Dassler’s swansong product design for Adidas, with the revolutionary sportswear behemoth dying in 1978.

Photos (click for full-size versions)…

Love. Love. Love. Want. Want. Want.

Fun fact: Jari Litmanen used to have the soles of his Copa Mundial’s specially split (see the last image in the gallery) at the heel to help support his weak ankles. A pair of the Finn’s modified boots are currently on view in the Ajax museum.

Posted in Kits & fashion, Newsnow, Photos, Retro

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12 Comments

  1. Michael_D says:

    Those. Look. Exquisite. Seriously, I’m gonna have to pick me up a pair; I have the white/orange Adidas adiPure Pro’s but these look far and away better, and the leather looks like it’ll fit and feel like a glove.

  2. One Man Went to Mow says:

    Not wanting to piss on the parade of some truely exquisite boots but, Maradona was a Puma King man.

    • Chris says:

      @One Man: He was known to wear the Copa Mundial’s once or twice for a brief period (that’s according to Adidas themselves) though I can’t seem to track down any photographic evidence…

  3. pz says:

    Problem is, the are not kangaroo leather (full grain) and made in Indonesia, according to an Adidas rep I spoke with yesterday. Quite a steep price for that.

  4. Chris B. says:

    Copa Mundials are my all-time favorite. I’ve tried all the Predators, Vapors, etc., but I always come back to my ten-year-old pair of Copas. Never understood the appeal of white shoes, however.

  5. Mr Sensible says:

    How could Pele ever have worn these if he retired a year before they were released?

    He’s a Puma man (Pony during his brief Cosmos days), so is Maradona and Cruyff, arguably 3 of the most iconic players ever. No idea why Puma have never bothered to do any kind of advertising using these guys. Large images of each player in full flow with Puma Kings in full view, would work better than any of the shit advertising Nike and Adidas do recently.

  6. Count Seaworth IX says:

    Dear Mr Sensible,
    you have a fair point. These legends in Puma shoes juxtaposed with the onesie 2004 Cameroon jersey and the 2002 Cameroon sleeveless shirt would destroy any attempt to grandeur instantaneously.
    This could be attributed to Cameroon of course, but just as easily could the influence of the shoes on Cruyff, Maradona and Pele be discarded.
    Kind regards,
    Count Seaworth IX
    (the previous 8 perished in unfortunate aquatic ventures)

  7. The Copa Mundial design has changed slightly since 1982. They used to have the trefoil logo on the heel tab (now it just has “adidas”), and the three stripes used to continue until they met the sole (now they are interrupted by a supportive leather insert).

    Although even the earliest images of Maradona usually show him in Puma boots, for those of you searching for photo evidence of the great Diego in adidas boots, look no further:

    http://www.losandes.com.ar/fotografias/fotosnoticias/2010/10/19/int-340770.jpg

  8. Hasselhof says:

    I will forever and always have a special place in my heart for Copa’s, and their SG brother the World Cup. Love these as well. I know the adipures are the evolution of these boots, but I’d still love to see Adidas do a run of Copa’s with a modern tech sole. Keep the uppers unchanged, but throw them on a sprint sole similar to the adipure SL’s.

  9. Chris says:

    These are nailed on classics. I play wearing yy Adidas World Cups. I get made fun of because i wont progress to wearing the new style boots. There is no comparison, sturdy, comfortable, and wonderful for ball control. Call me old school but anyone wearing coloured boots in my day (I’m 39) had to be a total charmer on the ball or they’d get a right good kicking.

  10. Red_Devil says:

    When I would play competitively for traveling squads and high school, I would get Vapors and Predators for Christmas and birthdays, because I would break those things down every season. I was always grateful that my family would get me those, yet there was always one cleat I always wanted, and that is the Copa Mundials. I wish I still played so I could get my hands on these.

  11. Kake Yun says:

    Just a marketing trick by Adidas to invent new colours but i still love the copas, not sure if they are worth an extra $60 for a colour change…but if interested, here is a comparison between copas and pantofola on youtube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJArdM9Xu-Y

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