Gio Reyna to kick off the World Cup for the U.S. Vin铆cius Junior in Brazil’s opener. to become France’s career goals leader. of his own to tie England’s mark as he and his teammates try to bring the elusive trophy home.
What do they all have in common? Pink, of course.
Of all the colors of the rainbow at taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, pink is the star on soccer’s biggest stage. Dozens of players are wearing pink boots that stand out against the green grass of the pitch after multiple shoe companies produced them ahead of this tournament with an eye on performance as well as visibility.
鈥淎thletes associate this color with confidence and standing out, and that resonates,” Nike Director of Global Footwear Odinga Nimako said.
Nimako pointed to Nike’s silver, yellow and blue boots at the 1998 World Cup changing how people saw boots in the sport. Before that, black and white was the standard.
This time, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Skechers and New Balance all came out with pink boots.
Mbapp茅 and Vin铆cius have the Nike swoosh on his feet, as does Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway’s Erling Haaland. Reyna, England’s Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, Canada’s Jonathan David, Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Ousmane Demb茅l茅 wear Adidas.
Whenever Neymar Jr. plays for Brazil, he’s expected to be in Puma pink like American Weston McKennie. U.S. teammate Timothy Weah is among those in New Balance. Kane and Sweden’s Anthony Elanga are sporting Skechers at the World Cup.
Skechers Director of Technical Performance Alex Bardini said the inspiration came from the company’s headquarters in southern California.
鈥淭he colorways reflect the breathtaking palette of an L.A. sunset: warm shades of pink and purple melting into white, with subtle tinges of orange,鈥� Bardini said.
From Los Angeles and Vancouver to Guadalajara, Houston, Miami and Boston, long before the World Cup is decided, pink has become a clear winner. When in Monterrey, Mexico, three came from players in pink boots: two by Yasin Ayari and another in the 84th minute by Mattias Svanberg.
Pink itself does not make players perform any better, but shoe company executives consider it a mindset. Bardini said comfort and performance are at the core of what Skechers does, and Nimako said Nike wants players to feel more aerodynamic.
鈥淭hat feeling is holistic,鈥� Nimako said. “It鈥檚 the engineering, yes, but it鈥檚 also how the entire product comes together. When an athlete puts on a Mercurial and it looks fast, feels locked in, and weighs next to nothing, that perception reinforces performance. Everything works together.鈥�
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