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Nike Launches New World Cup Mercurial Boot Built For Speed

Nike is gearing up for its quadrennial FIFA World Cup showdown with Adidas, as the two companies battle for soccer bragging rights on the global stage. Nike unveiled its World Cup offerings in footwear, apparel and accessories in Madrid the past two days. Nike fired its latest shot Friday with the unveiling of the Mercurial Superfly boot worn by global superstarCristiano Ronaldo, who will represent Portugal in this summer’s World Cup in Brazil. “Nike is football’s most innovative and powerful brand,” said Nike CEO Mark Parker at the Madrid event.
Nike still trails Adidas slightly in terms of its soccer business when it comes to revenue. Soccer represents less than 10% of Nike’s $27 billion in sales over the last 12 months. Adidas, which is the official sponsor of the World Cup, expects soccer revenues to hit $2.8 billion this year. Nike is outfitting a World Cup-high 10 teams, including Brazil, England and the U.S. The sportswear titans each have one of the world’s two biggest soccer stars in its stable with Ronaldo shilling for Nike and Lionel Messi for Adidas.
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The new Mercurial boot is a product of four years of R&D in the Nike Sport Research Lab. It was created to “revolutionize speed.” The Mercurial first launched in 1998 and this is the fourth version of the Superfly. “It really allows the boot to be an extension of the foot,” says Phil McCartney, VP of Sport Performance Footwear.
Technological advances for the Mercurial include a new three knit weave that puts less material between the foot and ball to improve a player’s touch. The basketball sneaker like high-top design is intended to create a better fit. In addition, the boots have added studs at the heel for stability and extra traction at the toe for enhanced grip. “We are not trying to make the lightest boot, but the fastest one,” says McCartney. The high-end version of the shoes will retail for $275 and are available June 12 when the World Cup opens with a match between Brazil and Croatia.
Ronaldo promises to be one of the stars of this summer’s World Cup. He is FIFA’s reigning player of the year and has led the Champions League in goals scored the past two years, tying the 14 goal record during the current campaign. Ronaldo is the sport’s most marketable active player going into the World Cup. His annual earnings off the pitch are more than $20 million a year from sponsors like Nike, Castrol and Emirates.

Ronaldo is able to reach a global audience better than any other athlete in the world thanks to his Facebook (79 million) and Twitter (26 million) followings, which are both tops among all athletes. Ronaldo is a bargain for Nike at a cost of $8-9 million a year. The new four-minute ad below features Ronaldo,Neymar and Wayne Rooney with cameos by Kobe Bryant and Ronaldo’s supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk. Ronaldo has shown that he can do anything on the pitch, but can he help Nike topple Adidas off of it?
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How to Choose the Right Men's Shoes

The last thing I want to do is stereotype by implying that men don't care about shoes, or that all women do. Those suggestions are ludicrous and insulting. I've known guys who have extensive footwear wardrobes, and who could match me pair for pair. I've also know women who couldn't care less whether or not wedges are "hot" this season. 

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Ronaldo’s Incredible Season Honored With Stunning Limited Edition Mercurial

In honor of a quite remarkable personal season for Cristiano Ronaldo, Nike celebrates one of the world’s greatest footballers with a new, limited edition Mercurial. 
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Choosing Shoes for Healthy Feet

Our feet are the unsung heroes that get us to places. We always put our best foot forward in the hopes of gaining positive impressions. We should however, make this statement true, literally.
We should right away draw an inventory of all our shoes—which fit perfectly and which don't. Comfort should be as much an issue as aesthetics. If those pair of suede pumps looks ravishing but hurts like hell, sack them.
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Best Women's Dress Shoes for the Office

When you dress for the office, you want to make sure you look clean and professional. This goes for your shoes, too. While what you wear on your feet doesn't get as much attention as the clothing you choose, your footwear still matters just as much. Learn more about the different styles of women's shoes available with our Women's Shoes Buying Guide, and read the following guidelines to determine which styles are both appropriate and comfortable to wear to the office.
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PRIMAL 2 REVIEW

The Primal 2

The Lems Primal 2 features the following characteristics:
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NIKE LEBRON JAMES XI REVIEW


LEBRON 11

reviews lebron xi 03 Nike LeBron XI

Nike Hyperposite technology is the ultimate addition to James’ arsenal of innovation.

Traction

The traction overall is very good. Not the best but its close. One thing is that I do feel the LeBron X has better overall traction and I wish that I
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