Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best player of his generation as well as one of the all-time best players. The then 18-year-old was ‘discovered’ as he helped Sporting Lisbon to a 3-1 win over Manchester United on August 6, 2003 and that pivotal match is the inspiration behind the Nike CR7 soccer cleats.
The Red Devils manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was so impressed by the youngster’s play that within a week he finalized a staggering £12.24 million transfer for Ronaldo. It was the record price for a teenager in English football at the time.
“This game changed my career forever. Just 10 days after the match, I was already playing in England with my new team, embracing new challenges” Ronaldo said looking back on the historic day.
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The design of the CR7: Discovery cleats is inspired by that day. The colors of Sporting Lisbon are used on the cleat and include a modern silver dot graphic on the lateral side of the cleats along with subtle reflective wave as a nod to the silver Mercurial Vapors worn by Ronaldo in 2003.
The date of that match (06 | 08 | 03) is printed on the heel counter, Sporting’s Estádio José Alvalade that was hosting its inaugural match on that historic day, is printed on the sockliner, and the CR7 logo is placed on the medial side of the cleats.
Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the Mercurial Superfly CR7 Discovery, but fans can also purchase the Mercurial Vapor and MercurialX Proximo versions. Additionally, the new Nike Mercurial Superfly Heritage iD have been launched to celebrate the launch of the Chapter 3: Discovery and it’s a modern take on the Mercurial Vapor 1 cleats Cristiano wore back then.
CR7 Chapter3: Discovery collection will be available at World Soccer Shop.
