The All-Time Greatest Soccer/Football Sneaker Collaborations Ever - Part II
There’s no denying that over the past few years, the worlds of football and fashion have become increasingly blurred. With brands riding the highs of the blokecore trend and tapping into their athletic roots, sponsor and club connections have surpassed the usual kits and bled into the lifestyle market, making soccer sneakers colabs all the more common. Back in 2021, we visited some of the that brands had to offer, but seeing as the trend has now reached new heights, it was only right that we revisited things. So, without further ado, here are the best soccer/football sneaker collaborations ever – part 2.
Liverpool FC x LeBron x Nike Air Max 1
Liverpool fans will no doubt remember the Liverpool FC x that came out of their five-year NB partnership, but after switching to Swoosh-sponsored kits in 2020, Liverpool FC and later built on their off-pitch efforts with the launch of a . The pair was unveiled back in 2022 in celebration of basketball legend buying a minority stake in the club. However, the initial tunnel walk shots that teased the colab saw a slightly modified colourway with green-toned underlays. The shoe finally launched in March 2023, and landed with a white mesh upper. Combining this with black and green overlays, the style swapped out Liverpool’s signature scarlet hue and instead paid homage to the club through a debossed ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ (YNWA) motif and LFC branding on the right foot, as well as a 'Strive For Greatness' (SFG) motif and LeBron branding on the left.
Patta x FC Barcelona x Nike TN
In what was possibly the most exciting football-fashion link-up of 2023, Dutch brand joined forces with and FC Barcelona to drop a collaborative . And while you might not immediately associate the TN with football, we encourage you to take a trip to London or Marseille, where you'll certainly see them work their way into fans' uniforms. Celebrating one of the most successful football franchises in the world, the pair boasts the club’s blue and claret hues in an apt gradient pattern, while a Culers del Món wordmark stamps the insoles and FC Barcelona's crest locks down the laces. On the flipside, Patta’s branding remained minimal, merely gracing the tongue tab. Before the drop, the colab was worn by club legend Carles Puyol, which sent fans into a frenzy – needless to say, the collaborative TN and accompanying apparel drop didn't stay in stock for long.
Real Madrid x adidas Gazelle
The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid runs deep, and not to be outdone, Madrid quickly followed up with a colab of their own. As you'll soon see, a club-themed or is a rite of passage for any team with a Three Stripes kit deal, but they all seem to sell out ridiculously quickly regardless. Of course, this might have a little something to do with the silhouettes being a staple among football fans known as the Casuals. The resulting Real Madrid-themed Gazelle kept things simple with a navy suede build, crested tongue tab and white accents, and although they might have taken the Champions League title this year, we think Barcelona wins this round 1-0.
Arsenal x Maharishi x adidas Handball Spezial
Is Arsenal the most stylish football club going? The team has previously worked with the likes of and and in 2023, the Gunners joined forces with fellow London-based brand on a capsule kit and sneaker collection. This capsule included a special-edition three-way , another favourite among the Casual crowd, although as the name suggests, its roots lie in a different sport altogether. The pairs took on a black suede construction, while the signature Stripes came patterned with Maharishi’s new Dragon Scale motif in celebration of the brand’s anniversary and the 2024 Year of the Dragon. Maharishi branding in gold foil replaced the standard Spezial branding on the sidewalls, and the pair's tongue tabs also played host to the brand's logo. The accompanying kit took on a matching dragon motif, and tracksuits and tees also featured in the collection.
Stone Island x New Balance Furon V7
Ok, so it’s not a club and it's not an off-pitch colab either, but we couldn’t not mention the x V7. Debuted by Raheem Sterling at the 2022 World Cup, the pairs sport a techy camo-snakeskin upper and feature Stoney’s infamous compass logo on the sidewalls. It's worth mentioning that the Italian brand's place within football can be considered a slightly controversial one, as Stoney has historically been associated with hooliganism after developing a cult-like status among dedicated football fans who followed their teams across Europe in the 80s and 90s. These days, the brand has much more mainstream appeal, and even its reputation within football is beginning to soften.
The Stone Island x New Balance boot launched alongside a full kit collection, which was first previewed by rapper Dave at his Santan Cup tournament, as well as a collaborative New Balance 574 that featured the compass logo on the tongue.
Art of Football x PUMA King 21
Again, not a club, but Art of Football are arguably one of the most exciting brands coming out of the UK right now, and their 2023 colabs were top tier. Among them, they teamed up with on a footwear and apparel collection, centred around the Big Cat's most famous boot, the PUMA King. Designed back in 1970, the King was famously worn by Johan Cruijff, Diego Maradona and Pelé – that's a whole lot of football history right there.
For their collaboration, PUMA and Art of Football chronicled the history of the boot, opting to put a retro-inspired take on the modern King silhouette. Alongside a functional football boot, the duo also worked on the PUMA King 21 and delivered a luxe-looking take on the indoor version of the shoe. With exposed stitching and a custom AOF tongue tab, the colab channelled AOF’s DIY energy and offered football fans something a little different, and surprise, surprise, they sold out pretty quickly, too.
Nike Air Mercurial TN
Ok, once again this one isn’t a brand colab, but it's a colab (of sorts) between two Nike silhouettes. As we said, the TN isn’t a silhouette we’d normally associate with football, but its cultural relevance should never be underestimated and its connection with the game only strengthened with this release. Here, Nike took the Tuned 1 and turned it into a football boot, and the pair was unveiled by soccer star Kylian Mbappe. Debuting in a 'Voltage Purple' colourway, the Nike Mercurial Vapor x Air Max Plus paid homage to the 1998 Air Max Plus release with uppers that mimicked the TN's palm tree-inspired caging and gradient-toned upper. The drop was also accompanied by a retro of the OG Nike TN silhouette. The Swoosh later followed up the release with a 'Sunset' colourway of the boot, showed off by Vinicius Jr.
Inter Miami x adidas Spezial
While might not have painted the sneakersphere pink, Inter Miami gave it a good go. Capitalising on Messi’s move to the club, the team and the Three Stripes went all in on the merch last year, even rolling out this pink-toned Spezial. Decked out in the club’s iconic colours, this pair also packed in the details: instead of the usual Spezial branding, the gold-foiled wordmark reads Libertad Para Soñar, which is a tribute to club fans that means ‘Freedom to Dream’. The pair’s tongue tabs boasted the motto In ‘Order to Be Number 1, We Must Go 2gether'. Since the Spezial's release, the club have also dropped a couple of themed Sambas – these have come in both pink and black versions, as well as two -coloured releases.
Lionel Messi x adidas Samba
After dropping the Inter Miami x adidas Spezial colab, adidas continued to capitalise on influence by giving him his own Samba. Sticking to simple colour blocking, the pair started off with a white base that gave way to a grey T-toe and purple stripes and heel tabs. The purple hue most likely pays homage to the Argentinian national team's away kit from 2022, where the colour was picked in support of gender equality. Messi then followed up with a couple of other Samba releases, including the aforementioned pink Inter Miami colab, as well as another pair in Argentina's national colours, which featured an embossed logo at the ankle and a gold heel tab that nodded to the team's World Cup win.
SNS x adidas Football Collection
Having started out as a solution to coping with icy football pitches, it's no surprise that Sambas are an obvious choice for football-inspired collaborations, but we can’t deny just how clean this effort from is. Ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championships, the Swedish-born retailer linked up with adi for a three-piece .
Leading the line-up was a vintage-inspired Samba JP, which saw an intricately stitched toebox that mimicked the padding on football boots. Following the Samba's lead, the duo also teamed up on the Predator and Mundial Team. The Predator Mundial is a lifestyle model that cleverly blends two of adidas’ most famous boots, while the Mundial Team is geared up for the astroturf with a specially-designed sole unit, putting a practical spin on the collaboration.
Aimé x Leon Dore x New Balance Furon 7+
Following on from their Stone Island x Furon boot, New Balance also worked with to tease the ALD x NB Furon 7+. The pair debuted on the feet of Arsenal and England star , who’s been a New Balance athlete since 2021. Though we’re still yet to see clear images, the promo video and singular still show the pair embrace ALD’s signature aesthetic, with gold branding standing out against a white backdrop. Stay tuned to see if these make an appearance on the pitch for the Euros!
Overkill x adidas ZX 8000
Another stellar effort from a Team Trefoil collaboration, paid homage to the history behind German football, and – given that the 2024 Euros are taking place in Germany – it's only right that the two brands honoured the event taking place on their home turf. For this pair, the duo produced the Heimspiel, which translates to ‘home game’, and the resulting ZX 8000 came correct in corresponding national colours. Starting with a crisp white base, the pair's Stripes each take on a gold, red or black hue, while sandy-beige suede accents the forefoot and heels. Elsewhere, branding hits arrive in the form of logo-adorned insoles, Overkill and adidas branding on the heels, Overkill tongue tabs, and Germany's colours on the back of the tongues.