i was probably 13 or 14 at the time so i really had no concept of good leather or whatever. i thought these looked cool in the eurosport catalog so i ordered them. ahhh. the morphos. i wanted a pair of those so bad until a buddy got them. he was always missing a stud or two, and i didn't want any part of that.
Interesting analysis....I think the standard soleplate they have used for years (that was on the Brasil) is just fine and needs no updating, they also had a fantastic HG outsole with 25+ studs that Totti had added to his boots when he wasn't using blades. That would be perfect for AG now. If going with either of those, I think it would be perfect. Some of their "modern" outsoles have sucked, a lot.Curious to see what needs to be improved on this. If they just ditched the funky crap they dropped and made quality boots again, they could probably create a niche like they have with retro style street wear shoes. They would never be a market leader like Nike, but they might do well enough for themselves. At one point recently they were quietly the number three brand in the US for soccer sales overall, even with the garbage they were making...not sure how that sits now. Dear god, I hope so...the Zico/Brasil in it's old incarnation.
I think that they could at least lighten up like the Morelia. The layout is excellent. I agree that their modern outsoles are not great at all. I would say variations of previous outsoles would be fine as long as they can drop the weight on them. I agree. When I talked to the rep he said it was very difficult because Diadora America has their own factory and kinda does their own thing (like the Maracana for example) but they also have to do what Diadora global wants. Which like the shoe I was talking about seems to be going in a better direction slowly but surely. The issue is the rep showed us some of the designs from Diadora America and they were f***ing awful. Just pure garbage. It was all sub $65 boots and they were all synthetic too. Its a hug shame because Diadora has a fantastic history and a good foundation to explode as a brand (like you side with their own niche) and could shake up some of the market. They were number 3 for my store for several years and they dropped off in the past 3 or so years. Now they are about 6th/7th brand for us. The thing that really sucks is that a few years ago I would have brought a decent (for its price point) of this new shoe in and I know it would sell well but both Diadora Global and the American branch have devalued the brand so much that any shoe that is above $150 is seen as far too pricey for them. That's part of the reason why the Brasil from last year failed even though it was one of the very best boots on the American market. I am still honest tempted just to bring a few of new one in just to see if I could sell any (we definitely have people who would spend that money given how many knit shoes we sell) but it's just getting harder and harder to justify. And that makes me sad. I like Diadora. I like what they represented as a brand. They were even going in the right direction for a good while there but I feel that ever since they got bought out by Geox they lost their way a little bit. I almost tempted to apply for a footwear design job just so that they have some fresh ideas. (Not that I am saying I would have good ones though haha!)
Glad you brought up the Geox thing...I think that was a breaking point for them. They were doing some ok stuff and then they started trying to do ventilated outsoles and other weird crap. I agree that they hurt their image by making all this garbage in the hope that 8-10 year olds would buy it because it was loud and bright - sadly it was never cool. One of the things I also noticed that really stunk was that when they had any decent player in Italy wearing the brand a few years back outside of Totti, he was often just wearing the logo on a pair of boots that was never on the market and there was nothing even close to it that was being sold to the public. Here is an example: http://www.mrs-boots.com/index/stankovic/dejan_stankovic_match_worn_boots.html As usual a very astute post...if Diadora are looking for people to shake it up, let's go in together and make moves. Haha.
Yeah I feel that Geox almost forced these things on Diadora much to the detriment of the brand. Yeah that was depressing to see how highly modified some of the professionals boots had become. But it also showed the way they should have done things. Keep it simple. Thanks! Haha right? Who knows what they are even coming up with on their own!
What are these? The original brasils or a later generation? Any idea when they were made. I had them in black, then red and blue and thought I was awesome sauce back in the day.
This was the model that followed the Brasil I posted above - this is a great boot, but not as great the older model above. I would say this falls into third place on my all time great boot list (tied with the Copa) behind the Brasil I have pictured at number one and the MIJ Morelia at number 2 (tied with the Profi Liga).
I have been hunting a pair of the black/fluro ones since I let a pair slip out of my grasp two years ago!
I had the black and fluro in blades back when they were a current model and also black and white. Greatest fitting boot ever. I also had the blue ones in conical FG, along with the red ones and green ones, black and white ones, and the prized possession of black/orange. The latter were marketed as the Faustino Asprilla model in the USA when they first arrived in the USA.
I'd happily pay premium dollar if they released something similar to this. Or even the Diadora Zico's .
Well the Brasil that I have listed as the best boot of all time is the Zico, without the toe guard. That is what I am hoping for as well (Brasil model). This Matchwinner was a great boot as well...the retail model (at least in the USA) had a carbon fiber outsole with studs bonded on top of it. It also has a neoprene "collar" that actually served a purpose and functioned unlike, say...the adidas X 15.1 retail model which is there for show. I am pretty sure this is Baggio's match worn MTM/SMU boot though given the branding (10), the outsole, and the fluo yellow logo being the material Diadora put on their player issue/SPA models for better visibility on tv and the in the stadium.
You guys are getting me really excited with all this Diadora talk. I am looking forward to this release. As a side note, they recently seemed to have released/collaborated on some casual shoes that were very well received in that community (sneaker collectors?).
Yes, they have dropped some sneakers that are pretty well received and fill a retro void with some European flare. I made mention of this a few pages ago, also hoping that they would do the same thing with some beloved old school boots. It looks like they might on some level....how deep they go back is TBD at the moment.
unfortunately, they ditched the tongue it seems..... check this out! http://www.diadorasoccer.com/Images/Download Catalog Page Images/FullF16Reduced.pdf kinda like the cheaper ones, Brasil K Plus MG 14 and the Brasil Italy LT MD (blue-white)
So the cat's out of the bag it seems. I cannot tell you enough how much I like the new boots Italy boots. The Brasil Italy LT MD is calf leather. Still a really really nice boot. And I already ordered some of the Brasil K Plus in white... Today I convinced the owner to let me order some of the Brasil Italy OGs...
Shame that the tongue has been let go , some decent looking boots there, but I doubt it will get people flocking back to diadora!
No they will get revealed on May 9th and possibly a release date around then. I'm not sure because my store's stock won't show up until the end of May.