EVERY Nike Mercurial explained - full history

Nike Mercurial football boots history - in today's video, JayMike sits down with Nike PLM Ben Stewart to go through every single generation of the Nike Mercurial football boots which were introduced in 1998. Here, JayMike and Ben will talk about every single Nike Mercurial football boot from the very first Nike Mercurial R9, over the first Nike Mercurial Vapor 1, the Superfly football boots and of course end up with the latest generation, the Nike Mercurial Superfly 9 - so if you love the Mercurial football boots and want to learn a bit more about the history and evolution of the Mercurial silo, this Mercurial timeline video is a great way to spend the next 30 minutes.

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[varelaiazul]

Being a Mercurial user and fan in these last 10 years since the Vapor 7, this was a trip down memory lane. As a kid seeing pros in the Vapor 3 and 4 back then. To right now as an adult with a Vapor 14 and a Vapor 15 Elite in my little duffle bag. I had most Nike Mercurials since 2012 when I was a teenager. I guess here is my personal experiences and anecdotes for most of the Mercurials this past decade.

Vapor 7: My first top end boot, got them discounted at the local football store. My parents bought them for me, managed to convince them. I had the White/Grey/Volt colorway with the black swoosh. Sharp looking boots. Before then I had mostly takedown F10s, some clalfskin leather boots, and who knows what else. It was a night and day difference with the Vapor 7. They were super solid and fit pretty well. The upper wasn't some cheap plastic material, the teijin microfiber was very high quality. No stud pressure from that stunning glassfiber sole. I thought they were the coolest thing ever.

Vapor 8: The MV7 hooked me, but the MV8 made me fall in love. I saved up the money from doing chores and doing small jobs. Once I got my pair in the beautiful Euro Clash colorway, I was stoked. The shape and upper was drastically different. The were slimmer, thinner, lighter, and more comfortable. They were amazing out of the box. They fit really snug, no extra space. But they weren't uncomfortable, quite the opposite. They were my first sub-7 ounce boot, they were AdiZero-esque light. Nike didn't skimp out on the quality, still felt really solid in hands and on feet. A bonus specifically withe the White/Mexican Pink Euro pack, they were a great icebreaker with the girls. Random girls would come up to me just to tell me how they loved my boots and how Ronaldo also wore them.

Vapor 9: I had two colorways of the MV9. Neptune Blue and the HI-Vis. A slight tweek from the MV8. Had a very familiar experience. Maybe they were a touch lower in the volume. Was hard to tell. The golf ball teijin upper felt sturdier. So they were even a more solid feeling boot. Still a personal favorite of mine.

Superfly 4: The hype was real and I spent a good chunk of the money I saved to buy me one. But I only had one MS4, for reasons I will explain briefly. The fancy new flyknit upper, flywire and the return of the carbon fiber plate was what drew me towards it. The Superfly 1 was a always a boot I dreamed of having as a younger lad in 2009. The MS4 was the next best thing in mind. Didn't care much for the mid-cut collar, thought they looked goofy. And I still do. The upper felt great, totally lived up the hype in my opinion. But the negatives. The heel. Don't know if it was my heel or how Nike designed the heel area. I could never get a good locked in feel. My heel would slipped upwards slightly every single step that I took. I was very disappointed. They weren't cheap and I was having heel slippage. The shape and the slippery synthetic liner ruined my MS4 experience.

Vapor X: I had a much better experience with the Vapor. Wasn't totally sold on the one piece upper, but I got used to it. Wasn't much to complain about. They fit well, super thin upper, very lightweight, and pretty comfortable. Also no heel slippage. Came in a plethora of colorways. I had the Green/Pink, Shine Through pack, and the Mango one. One caveat was they didn't feel as premium as the MV8/9. At least in my opinion. Especialy with the MV9 which felt a lot more sturdy with it's glassfiber soleplate and a slightly thicker textured upper. Still it's a great boot.

Superfly 5: Unfortunately I also had issues with heel slippage with the MS5. I thought they were uglier than the MS4/MVX generation. Only had one, they were the Floodlights pack. I feel they are the least popular Superfly, as well as one of the least popular Mercurials.

Vapor XI: Pretty similar to the Vapor X. But with two big upgrades, and that the soleplate and stud pattern. The speed rib texturing felt a little unnecessary, it made the upper thicker. It was only there because the MS5 had it in it's flyknit upper. But I still liked them. As well as being the lightest mainline Mercurial ever. I had the Floodlights, the bright green and the lce colorway.

Vapor 12 Elite: Okay I'll admit. I might have thrown a little online tantrum over the Vapor 12. I didn't like the graphics. Small toebox swoosh and that disgusting "M" on the heel. Not only that, they were flyknit instead of a Teijin microfiber. It was a risky move by Nike, my theory is Nike would rather keep everything in house, keeping more profit. Rather than pay Teijin for the rights to use their microfiber. I didn't buy them immediately. I was still very skeptical, after all I was kinda disapointed with the last two flyknit Mercurials I had. I ended up buying an Adidas X 18.1 initially. They were very good, had the Energy Mode and Team Mode colorways. As good as they were, the X didn't feel as sharp or responsive as I am used to. I did buy a Vapor 12 at the end of 2018. They colorway I purchased was that sharp looking royal blue with silver. I will admit they looked better in person, and the volt details in the tongue area was orgasmic. They were comfortable and felt super solid. More so than the Vapor X or Vapor 11. Really ended up liking the Flyknit upper. Thin, flexible, and accommodating. However to me the biggest positive change was the introduction of the suede microfiber lining the heel. Extremely secure and comfortable. I had to eat my words. The Vapor 12 Elite was awesome. To me they were on par with a lot the aspects of past Vapors. Maybe touch and feel for the ball wasn't as good as the Teijin uppers. But they were still great in their own right. I would purchase another pair in the Game Over pack colorway.

Vapor 13 Elite: They were very good, after break in. Never had much trouble fitting into and breaking in Vapors in the past. But the MV13 gave a harder time than most. Mostly trough the toebox, which was very narrow and pretty stiff. At least out of the box. I had three coloways (The alternative orange launch colorway, Neighborhood pack, and Daybreak.) and all of them had a difficult toebox from brand new. But once broken in they are an elite pair. It's meaner and leaner than the Vapor 12. The studs were longer and more aggressive. A lot of aspects were fine tuned. The fit, the upper, the soleplate, you name it. I liked them. But didn't love them. Again I feel the touch wasn't as nice as on the Teijin models. The toebox on the Vapor 13 felt ever slightly thicker and rigged when compared to the instep and outstep of the boot.

Vapor 14 Elite: Personally, I liked the Vapor 14 better than the Vapor 13. And here's why. Out of the box, it a night and day difference. The Vapor 14 blows the 13 out of the water when it came to comfort from brand new. Not only that, they were super easy to put on. I had to battle with the Vapor 12 and 13 to get them on from brand new. On the other hand the Vapor 14 treats you like a friend form day one. The flyknit tongue is super stretchy. The Vaporposite upper was a big improvement from a touch department. Very tactile and direct. The feedback was amazing and consistent throughout. Shooting felt super rewarding, passes were crisp, and the ball goes were you want it to go. Nike did a great job. But I do feel the soleplate and stud pattern was a downgrade from the Vapor 13. It just wasn't as snappy or aggressive with the 14. As a package I feel the Vapor 14 is one of the best Vapors. They fit very well and are comfortable from out of the box. Lockdown and responsiveness is still one of the best in the industry. And an great touch and feel for the ball, almost as good as the Teijin uppers. They were my favorite boot of 2021, they did a lot of things very well.

Vapor 15 Elite: Haven't much use, after all I bought the launch White/ with the Red "Air" branding. And I don't want to beat them up too much. Been eying the yellow ones. Just from on feet. You do feel the air zoom pocket, it's a positive feeling that makes you want to go forward. They feel pretty alright. Not as comfortable as the Vapor 14 out of the box. Felt the Vaporposite+ upper was more rigged from brand new. It is thinner though, once broken in a little it is even better than the the MV14's Vaporposite. The heel and fit is still top notch. Not as easy to put on like the 14 was form brand new, but I didn't struggle with them like the "Vapor 360" generations. Until I get some serious playtime in a Vapor 15, I can't really comment too much.

Also I regret not buying the Flyknit Ultra. But it's too late for that. A flyknit Mercurial based on the Vapor 11. With a lowcut and a normal heel construction. I'm sure I would've loved them. KInda regret no getting the Air Zoom Ultra too, that upper looked sick.

[gigazam]

My great great great grandma - Ah i remember when dinosaurs created nike football boots. These boots have gotten far 😢

[ziaoemmanuel]

I honestly think the the Vapor 12 was the best vapor so far in my opinion. It had comfort, was lightweight and wrapped around your foot like a glove. My only mistake was acquiring two pair, I should have bought more.

[rosalesrodriguezdiegomigue]

Nike mercurial Superfly 4 my favorite boots of all times

[victornico]

This was such a good interview, loved every second of it!

[Bunch.]

4:18 - wow! Mercurial Vapor from 2002 are beautifuul. Ronaldo had it on Euro 2004. These are the best! Still the best! he most beautiful.

[SpencerX]

I’ve had my Nike mercurial victory 5s for 8 years. I spent $64 in 2015 and have played every year except for 2 years when I took a break and yet those $64 boots have lasted me the entire time. I’m now looking at the mercurial vapor 15s in pink and green to keep up the pink legacy but I love my mercurials and I don’t think I’ll ever change

[skillafootball]

Gotta agree with JayMike! Vapor 11's were top tier 🔥

I haven't really been a big fan of the knitted uppers but after using Vapor 12, 13, 14 and now 15, I'm getting used to it. Not as good as 11, but I'm excited for the future of Vapors 💎

[Leftycpe]

This was an incredible interview. My favorite personally will be the Vapor X, so many fond memories from college ball in those, but I've had the 13 pros and I just ordered the 15 Elites in the AG variation so I think I may have a new favorite after giving those a run!

[stevengaote]

I have bought football boots (Nike Zoom Mercurial Superfly 9 Elite FG) and I am very happy with this purchase! They are very comfortable and last season I scored 23 goals in 26 games with them.
Тhis is the best brand in my opinion!

[RightBootsACC]

I love Mercurial, was my first great boot for INDOOR so... that's it after R9. CR7. Neymar (sad to be at puma now :/ ) and other great players feels right about it. i could watch this for hours haha Great video as always!! love unisport .

[azzazz]

I scored wearing the Vapours but my record number of goals were scored wearing the Total 90's

[unisport]

DROP YOUR FAVOURITE MERCURIAL BELOW ⬇ /Jay

[NoGamerLikeThis]

This was a trip down memory lane. Thank you so much🥺

[aidenabarca]

Just got the Mbappe Superfly 9 and while he isn’t my favorite player, the boot looks great and feels even better.

[sail_or]

the superfly 3 will always be my favorite mercurial with the lightning bolts and carbon fiber/sense studs/ and fly wire. But the Superfly 4s are the GOAT

[Dudditsrnp]

the vapor 2 was my shoe that i loved in college, but i vlow the plate out so many times.

[TotakTosong]

Mercurial Vapor 2 was the sexiest boots ever made, and still is.

No boots has a better silhouette compared to MV2

[phoenixww]

My brother had the 98 R9 boots!

I still have both of my 2002 Vapors 1 Cleats and Indoors on the display shelf!!

[luisaguirre]

I don’t know if I’m ready for this nostalgia.