Ronaldo’s Camouflage Nike Soccer Cleats

World famous soccer (that’s football for my non-American readers) player and heartthrob Cristiano Ronaldo has had a custom made pair of Nike soccer cleats designed to confuse defenders called the Nike CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly III. The soccer shoes have different sized pinstripe lines going in different directions on each side of the boot. The effect is confusing to defending player’s eyes as his feet look like they are moving in different directions than they really are. In the video below Ronaldo shows off the shoes, and talks fashion:

You’ll notice that the two cleats are not mirror images of each other like most shoes (of all types) are. This is to help fool the defense through visual deception. Ronaldo was involved in the design process and despite his renown as a fashionplate, these cleats are all about strategy and not looks. Was it the shoes that helped Real Madrid’s recent 15 game winning streak, or Ronaldo’s skills? Hard to say, but as long as he’s the only one wearing these cleats, they certainly couldn’t hurt. (via thepostgame)