The Best Soccer/Football Sneaker Collaborations Ever - Part II
There’s no denying that over the past few years, the worlds of football and fashion have become increasingly blurred. With brands riding the highs of the blokecore trend and tapping into their athletic roots, sponsor and club connections have surpassed the usual kits and bled into the lifestyle market, making soccer sneakers colabs all the more common. Back in 2021, we visited some of the that brands had to offer, but seeing as the trend has now reached new heights, it was only right that we revisited things. So, without further ado, here are the best soccer/football sneaker collaborations ever – part 2.
Liverpool FC x LeBron x Nike Air Max 1
After switching to Swoosh-sponsored kits in 2020, Liverpool FC and later built on their off-pitch efforts with the launch of a . The pair was unveiled back in 2022 in celebration of buying a minority stake in the club and it launched in March 2023. Dressed in colour-blocked hues of white, black and green, the style swapped out Liverpool’s signature scarlet hue and instead paid homage to the club through a debossed ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ (YNWA) motif and branded insoles.
Patta x Barcelona x Nike TN
In what was possibly the most exciting football-fashion link-up of 2023, joined forces with Nike and Barcelona to drop a . Celebrating one of the most successful football franchises in the world, the pair boasts the club’s blue and claret hues and a Culers del Món wordmark on the insoles, while Patta’s branding remained minimal, merely gracing the tongue tab. Before the drop, the colab was worn by club legend Carles Puyol, which sent fans into a frenzy.
Real Madrid x adidas Gazelle
Not to be outdone, Barca’s biggest rivals quickly followed up with a . A club-themed or is a rite of passage for any club with a Three Stripes kit deal, but they all seem to sell out ridiculously quickly regardless. This sneaker kept things simple with a navy suede build, crested tongue tab and white accents, and while we can’t deny it was clean, we think Barcelona wins this round 1-0.
Arsenal x Maharishi x adidas Handball Spezial
Is Arsenal the most stylish football club going? Having previously worked with the likes of and , the Gunners recently worked with on a capsule kit and sneaker collection. This capsule included a special-edition three-way , which came patterned with Maharishi’s new Dragon Scale motif in celebration of the brand’s anniversary and the upcoming Year of the Dragon.
Stone Island x New Balance Furon V7
Ok, so it’s not a club and it's not an off-pitch colab either, but we couldn’t not mention the x Furon V7. Debuted by Raheem Sterling at the 2022 World Cup, the pairs sport a techy camo-snakeskin upper and feature Stoney’s infamous compass logo on the sidewalls. They launched alongside a full kit collection, which was first previewed by rapper Dave at his Santan Cup tournament.
Art of Football x PUMA KING
Again, not a club, but are arguably one of the most exciting brands coming out of the UK right now, and their 2023 colabs were top tier. Among them, they teamed up with on the PUMA KING and delivered a luxe-looking take on the indoor trainer. With exposed stitching and a custom AOF tongue tab, the shoe channelled AOF’s DIY energy and offered football fans something a little different, and surprise, surprise, they sold out pretty quickly, too.
Arsenal x adidas Stella McCartney Ultraboost 22
Fusing fashion and football once again, Arsenal have also linked up with Stella McCartney for a couple of collections now, including one that featured a collaborative . Though it might not have the same streetwear-style pull as it did back in 2015, there’s no denying that the sneaker makes complete sense for a sportswear-focused capsule, so we’re gonna go ahead and add it to the list.
Nike Air Mercurial TN
Ok, once again this one isn’t a brand colab, but it's a colab (of sorts) between two Nike silhouettes. The TN isn’t a silhouette we’d normally associate with football, but its cultural relevance should never be underestimated. Here, Nike took the Tuned 1 and turned it into a football boot, and the pair was unveiled by soccer star Kylian Mbappe. Debuting in a ‘Volt Purple’ colourway, this isn’t the last we’ll see of the TN-themed Mercurial, so stay tuned for more on these releases.
Inter Miami x adidas Spezial
While might not have painted the sneakersphere pink, Inter Miami gave it a good go. Capitalising on Messi’s move to the club, the team and the Three Stripes went all in on the merch last year, even rolling out this pink-toned Spezial. Decked out in the club’s iconic colours, this pair also packed in the details: instead of the usual Spezial branding, the gold-foiled wordmark reads ‘Libertad Para Soñar’ a tribute to club fans which means ‘Freedom to Dream’, while the pairs’ tongue tabs boasted the motto In ‘Order to Be Number 1, We Must Go 2gether'.
Lionel Messi x adidas Samba
After dropping the Inter Miami x adidas Spezial colab, adidas continued to capitalise on Lionel Messi’s influence by giving him his own . Sticking to simple colour blocking, the pair started off with a white base that gave way to a grey T-toe and purple stripes and heel tabs. The purple hue most likely pays homage to the Argentina national team's away kit from 2022, where the colour was picked in support of gender equality.