Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona

Lionel Messi will be the first player to wear the distinctive chameleon purple, white and electricity colorway during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The FIFA World Player of the Year says “I am amazed at how light the new F50 is; I can barely feel them on my feet. Speed on the pitch is a really important part of my game and wearing the world’s lightest boot will hopefully make me faster and enhance my performance during the most important games of the year!”

David Villa, who will wear the black and sun version, added “Speed is such an important part of my game and I am so excited about being even faster when I’m playing in South Africa against the best in the world in just a few weeks time.”

The need for speed in modern football has never been greater, where millimeters or a fraction of a second can make the difference between winning and losing. adidas has responded to this athlete request by reinventing the rules of speed and turning the iconic F50 boot into the lightest adidas boot ever made.

Aubrey Dolan, Senior Product Manager for adidas Football comments “Players like Lionel Messi and David Villa consistently told us they wanted boots that would enable them to be faster. Players wanted to be first to the ball, so we decided that the best way forward was to make a lightweight product which could be used at the highest level.”

The F50 adiZero will be worn by players during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The chameleon purple, white and electricity boot will be worn exclusively by Lionel Messi with Steven Pienaar (South Africa), Jozy Altidore (U.S.A), Shunsake Nakamura (Japan), Salomon Kalou (Ivory Coast), Arjen Robben (Holland) and Lukas Podolski (Germany) wearing the sun, black and collegiate gold colourway and David Villa (Spain), Samir Nasri (France), Jermain Defoe (England) and Johan Vonlanthen (Switzerland) wearing the black and sun version. The boot will hit retail on May 24th 2010 in all adidas Sport Performance stores, as well as at leading e-retailers and selected sports retailers around the world.

adiZero (Jozy Altidore - Yellow and Leo Messi - Purpule)

HOW IT WORKS / THE SCIENCE

The F50 adiZero has been revolutionized, incorporating the industry’s lightest fabrics and leading technologies to reach the ultimate weight of 5.8 ounces*. To achieve the target weight, the boot has been developed on a lightweight last which offers a wider footbed and heel to distribute forces optimally throughout the boot – which is critical in a lightweight product.

• 5.8 ounces (165 grams) at US size 9

The sleek new SprintSkin upper has been created using an innovative single layer microfiber Polyurethane (PU) synthetic to reduce the overall weight and to ensure the shoe fits like a second skin increasing the comfort of the boot. The F50 adiZero uses asymmetric parallel lacing which creates a large, clean kicking surface for optimal ball contact while a perforated Ultra Light insole has been developed to reduce weight and increase speed.

The innovative new last is complemented by a new exclusive Sprint Frame outsole which is crafted using three-dimensional bridges to create stability and support in the midfoot. Taking inspiration from a running sprint spike, the outsole features a new revolutionary triangular stud configuration which provides maximum acceleration and optimum support for the critical lateral and medial movements. Football is not only about straight-line speed.

To add stability and to support the player, the upper features an internal network of Thermo Polyurethane (TPU) bands, as well as a single TPU bottom frame on the boot which offers stability and support in the lateral and medial movements and protects the upper against abrasion providing a sleek, stylish, iconic look.

See the launch Commercial on YouTube

This summer, adidas and UEFA extended and expanded their long-term partnership.  The new deal includes the Champions League, Super Cup and the newly created Europa League. For the first time, adidas will support all official UEFA club football competitions, further consolidating the brand’s position and keeping them at the top of the soccer food chain.

One of adidas’ first announcements under the extension is the introduction of the Champions League Finale 9 match ball and the Europa League match ball. [Look for a review on ASER soon].  The official press release is below the images.

adidas and UEFA unveiled the Super Cup match ball that was used in the FC Barcelona vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk match in Monaco.

Champions League Finale 9 Match Ball

•  Design is based on the widely recognized, eye-catching starball logo of the UEFA Champions League (UCL)
• All UCL games will be played with the new adidas Finale 9 (a ball for the May 22 Champions League Final in Madrid will be introduced early next year)
• The adidas Finale 9 is available now

UEFA Europa League Match Ball

Design is based on the official logo of the new competition

• All games of the UEFA Europa League – including the Final in Hamburg on May 12, 2010 – will be played with the new ball
• The UEFA Europa League ball is available at retail worldwide now

TECHNOLOGY

•  Both balls feature the new surface structure PSC-Texture that allows players to control and direct the ball perfectly in all weather conditions in addition to guaranteeing optimum grip between ball and boot.
• NOTE: ASER Reviewed the first generation of this technology and found it to be a vast improvement in texture and durability over the world cup ball.  You can see the review here.

Press Release:

As part of its partnership with UEFA, adidas today introduces the official match ball for tonight’s Super Cup in Monaco between FC Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk – photos attached. The futuristic ball features the new surface structure PSC-Texture that allows players to control and direct the ball perfectly in all weather conditions, guaranteeing optimum grip between ball and boot.

In addition to the Super Cup match ball, adidas and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi have designed a special F50i Argentina colorway boot for today’s match. As a tribute to Messi’s home country, the F50i features colors of the Argentinean national flag (gold, white and sky blue) together with the flag’s sun emblem.

Messi will wear the new boot for the first time today in the UEFA Super Cup and then again on September 5 when Argentina faces Brazil in Messi’s hometown of Rosario. Only three adidas soccer players – David Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer and Uwe Seeler – have received a personal football boot; Messi is the fourth. The new F50i Messi football boot will soon be available at specialist stores worldwide and at Eurosport.

In celebration of the UEFA Champions League Final, adidas is unveiling the newest generation of TUNIT, the F50i, which introduces the games most innovative upper technology to-date – SprintSkin. Lionel Messi will debut the boot on Wednesday May 27th at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome for the Final. Pioneering technologies and innovative design treatments make the F50i the ideal boot for elite players seeking performance benefits.

“I’ve never felt so good in new football boots. The extremely thin shell allows me to play to my full potential on the pitch. Perfect contact with the ball is essential for me,” says Messi, who has already tested the F50i for several weeks during team training for the Final.

Inspired by Messi’s lightning footwork, the TUNIT F50i incorporates design elements to enhance Messi’s game style. Starting with the strikingly bold cyan-colored upper, the F50i is the first single-layer football boot. SprintSkin, a new proprietary technology, envelops the player’s foot like a second skin and the synthetic material is supple, water-repellent and lightweight, ultimately providing a perfect fit. The ergonomically correct lace structure is enhanced with a thermo-bonded lace cover for optimal fit and ball strike. The complete customization offering TUNIT is known for continues with the F50i model. A complete kit of studs and chassis’ gives each player personal control over their boot per game and pitch.

Starting on June 6, 2009 the TUNIT F50i will be worn by top players from all over the world during the qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010™.

The TUNIT F50i will retail for $195 and will be available in Messi’s cyan/black/white color at adidas Sport Performance stores, www.shopadidas.com and soccer specialty stores starting in June. The boot will also be available in white/black starting in August.

Others players endorsing the F50i in addition to Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona) and Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal FC) include: David Villa (Valencia CF), Samir Nasri (Arsenal FC), Arjen Robben and Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Salomon Kalou and Ashley Cole (Chelsea FC), Lukas Podolski (FC Bayern Munich), Johan Vonlanthen (Red Bull Salzburg), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur) and Steven Pienaar (Everton FC).

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Also see:

• Messi YouTube Video
• ASER F50.7 TUNIT
• ASER F50.6 a3 Turf
• ASER 2006 Innovative Product of the Year

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL EXCLUSIVE

ZIDANE: EVERY TEAM NEEDS TO PLAY AS ONE

As the Champions League Final quickly approaches, adidas continues to give fans fresh and exciting content to celebrate the beautiful game and the importance of team. And, who better to chime in on the conversation than the legendary Zinedine Zidane.

Starting this week, the iconic midfielder will be featured in a series of private interviews where he shares his first-hand experience, passions and beliefs about success on the field. Zidane’s first entry focuses on the essential team-based philosophy: Every team needs to play as one.

Watch Zidane credit his career successes, including the 2002 UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid, to his collective team at: http://www.adidas.com/etn?CMP=OTC-PY5567094982&site=10000&link=01010daaaa0905

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL EXCLUSIVE – PART II:

adidas Unveils Sneak Peak at New Boot for Messi

Six days to the UEFA Champions League Final and adidas is giving fans an advanced look at the newest generation of TUNIT boot technology called the F50i which Messi will debut on Wednesday in Rome.

Check out “The Spark” teaser clip of Messi in his new boots first here.  Guest starring Zidane*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edtgiFBkRnI

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL EXCLUSIVE – PART III:

NEW VIDEO WITH ZIDANE: THE JOURNEY BEGINS

The Champions League Final is almost upon us and Zidane is back.

His mission? To create the ultimate team.

Messi is locked in.

Now let the journey begin…….

Check out the “Every Team Needs a Beginning” teaser video at: http://www.youtube.com/profile?v=WZkKripnSw0&user=adidasfootballtv