By Chris Wright
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.