Nike Football Boots

The first comprehensive history of Nike's iconic football boots, tracing their evolution from the early 1970s to the present through four defining product lines: Tiempo, Mercurial, Total 90, and Phantom. Drawing on over 500 images from the Department of Nike Archives, the book documents boot close-ups, action shots, conceptual designs, prototypes, sketches, material swatches, and ephemera spanning more than five decades of design and technical development. A 12-page glossy insert showcases every boot model in the collection, from the all-black leather boots of 1971 to today's technologically advanced designs.

Beyond the visual catalog, the book tells the stories of the athletes who shaped these boots: Ronaldo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Megan Rapinoe, Kylian Mbappe, and others whose performances helped define Nike's football legacy. Caleb Azumah Nelson contributes chapter introductions contextualizing each era, while historian Thomas Turner analyzes the technical innovations behind each generation. Published to coincide with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.