South American footballers are obsessed with retro Nike Mercurials Richard Ríos, Brian Rodríguez, and Daniel Muñoz are just a few names
All readers born between the 1990s and the 2000s will remember that, before the Nike By You program, the same service existed under the name Nike iD. A program launched in 1999 by Nike that allowed customers to customize products and also included a page entirely dedicated to the customization of football boots.
@geoff0w_ They're bringing the game back. #footballboots #football #soccercleats #richardrios #nikefootball sonido original - Luis Jonathan
That is probably where the tendency of many kids of that era—then teenagers or very young—to become passionate about products such as football boots originated, especially toward the end of the 2000s. During that period, Nike, with the Mercurial line (particularly in 2008, with the release of the Nike Mercurial Vapor IV), began to go all out with details and colorways that made young footballers and fans dream and have fun. We like to imagine that South American players such as Richard Ríos, Brian Rodríguez, Daniel Muñoz, as well as the Mexican (North America) Alexis Vega, spent more than a few hours on Nike iD: in fact, they are among those players who still enjoy taking the field wearing boots released years ago, or versions made ad hoc to recall the iconic colorways of the past.
Michael Olise and Edon Zhegrova
For this to happen—that is, for players to be able to take the field wearing the boots they prefer—there is one fundamental prerequisite: they must have a contract that is expiring or practically expired with the brand they wear. This is why Michael Olise, until a few months ago, experimented so much with his choices, or why Edon Zhegrova currently plays, wearing the Juventus shirt, in a pair of Mercurial Superfly IV released as far back as 2016. In the same way, Richard Ríos, who has officially moved to Benfica, stopped rotating his beloved Mercurials after signing a sponsorship deal with adidas.
Brian Rodríguez and Alexis Vega
The absence of a contract, on the other hand, leaves complete freedom: last year Brian Rodríguez went as far as sporting a pair of Nike Mercurial Superfly 7 CR7 Safari, released in 2020, a remake of one of the most iconic boots, as well as the Mercurial Superfly from 2010. Alexis Vega, meanwhile, also opts for customized boots, such as when he wore a custom pair with the Jumpman logo on the heel area during the 2025 Campeones Cup between Toluca and LA Galaxy.
Where to buy custom and retro boots
As for customs, there are obviously several specialized workshops that produce them by using current boots as a base, painting them in neutral colors such as black or white and then repainting them as desired (in other words, commissioned) by the player in question. As for players who wish to play in boots released even 15 years ago, there are specialized resale platforms with practically prohibitive prices, such as Boots Plug, where players purchase the models they prefer.
