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The twice-capped Socceroo - who signed with AZ Alkmaar last month - was part of the worldwide promotion for the new Hypervenom boot, specifically aimed at strikers.

Designed from feedback from the world's best, Nike have created a boot aimed at helping strikers dodge the new breed of defenders who are as quick and agile as forwards - and then score.

Brazil striker Neymar told designers: “Help me make space more often and more quickly. I want a boot that helps enhance my agility and gives me the space to get my shot off before I’m closed down.”

Nike footwear boss Phill McCartney added: “Neymar’s input was invaluable.

"He had been wearing the Mercurial Vapor IX boot, a pure speed product designed to help athletes look and find space to beat a man.

The Hypervenom focuses oncreating the space in order to put the ball in the net. It’s a small but important nuance."

The Nike Football design team, led by Nike Football Design Director Denis Dekovic, began by looking at the attacking forces in today’s game.

“The game is changing. It used to be that speed was the focus of the attacking side of the game, but now everybody has pace,” Dekovic said. “

The Nike Hypervenom is a response to the way the game is changing. Players want to be quicker, not just in a foot race, but quicker with the ball at their feet in small spaces.

"They want to create chances from nothing. These faster, more agile defenders need to be combatted and the Hypervenom is designed to do exactly that.” 

The Hypervenom’s upper features a soft, supple mesh bound with a thin polyurethane film, dubbed Nikeskin, and has a special finish to help ball control in both wet and dry conditions.  

Nike says their sole is their most anatomical to dat after working with podiatrists to put the foot closer to the ground and ball while also increases the player’s ability to make a first step away from the defender.

A groove in the forefoot is said to help activate the first metatarsal quickly for improved reaction times and the chassis is designed to deliver strength while being incredibly light.

The stud configuration and length is also said to allow for faster penetration of the surface, and ultimately a quicker release, with the aim of ultimately creating space faster than ever.

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