アディダスの長きに渡るサッカーへの愛情史

The relationship between adidas and football goes way back. A bond that was initially formed over seven decades ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find any major football match from the past 70 years that the German brand hasn’t been part of – whether on the players’ feet, or the ref’s striped jersey. 

It’s a love story that has shaped modern football as we know it, and someone who knows the tale better than anyone is adidas historian, Sandra Tapp. Last weekend, Dazed met up with Sandra in Paris during the SS26 men’s shows, where adidas Originals had recreated a slice of its German archive on Rue de Paradis, so guests could be fully immersed in the brand’s rich history. 

While Sandra took us on a tour of the brand’s most notable trainers at the upstairs exhibition, downstairs had been transformed into an impressive listening bar, complete with a giant silver sculpture, conceived by Playlab and inspired by the steel bleachers often found near football pitches globally. The sonic experience, with music from Paris-based collective Jah Jah, featured over 150 vinyl records and a whopping 34 speakers, bringing together sport and sound as we gear up for a busy summer of both. 

By day, soul records played gently through the speakers, but by night, the sound system was tested to its limits – especially on the evening of June 27, when adidas Originals collaborator Willy Chavarria hosted his fashion show after party at the space, with a DJ set from Honey Dijon no less. 

As well as honouring the brand’s past and present, the Paris installation also guided us into football’s future, celebrating the launch of the brand new Megaride F50 silhouette. But before we get an exclusive glimpse of what’s to come, we must first take a look back at adidas’ illustrious affair with the beautiful game, starting with the 1954 FIFA world cup…

It was in Switzerland, in the summer of 1954 when adidas first changed the course of football history. Germany was up against Hungary in the FIFA World Cup final, but despite it being July, the weather was rainy and the ground was mud-laden. Until then, football boots had been heavy, cumbersome, and clunky. Luckily, Adi Dassler (adidas’ founder), provided a miracle, the Argentina boot – featuring the world’s first removable, screw-in studs and weighing only 350 grams. The lightweight nylon studs gave the players a firm grip on the turf, giving them an advantage over the powerful Hungarian team. Thanks to the Argentinia boot (as well as Helmut Rahn’s right foot), the Germans won 3-2, marking the first time that the country would win the tournament. 

After the success of the Argentinia boot, the shoe shape remained consistent for roughly 25 years, until adidas changed the game (literally) once again. In 1979, the Copa Mundial – meaning ‘world cup’ in Spanish – was born. Designed with the 1982 World Cup in mind, the boot included a narrow sole with moulded lugs, a cushioned midsole and a fold-over foam tongue that allowed players to kick the ball more accurately. The likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham have all worn the shoes, and since their inception, the brand has launched several special edition reissues. To this day, the Copa Mundial holds the record for being the best-selling football boot of all time.

Next year, the 2026 World Cup will take place in the US, 32 years after the country first hosted the tournament. To mark the World Cup’s American debut back in 1994, adidas designed the Questra ball. Meaning ‘quest for the stars’ the football was decorated with an intergalactic design and made to be lighter and more waterproof, meaning it could travel much further when kicked. In the same year, adidas unveiled the Predator Cup boot, which incorporated rubber elements inspired by a table tennis paddle. It would go on to become one of the most influential football boots of all time. The Predator Cup boot laid the foundation for 1998’s popular Predator Accelerator boot, the first of the Predator franchise to feature an anatomically perfect fit.

Ahead of 2004’s Euros, adidas introduced the world to the first F50. Designed specifically for players known for their quick, tricky footwork, the shoe was created to keep up with the speed of their movements. The letter ‘F’ even stands for ‘fast’, whilst the ‘50’ refers to the 50th anniversary since Germany won its first World Cup with the original Argentinia boot. The F50’s first iteration was the F50 TRX FG style, which included a leather upper covering the laces, making room for a bigger strike zone. The following year, in 2005, adidas released the F50+ XTRX FG, which was nicknamed the ‘spider’ due to the web-like pattern that accompanied the classic three stripes iconography. 

2006 was the last time the World Cup was hosted in adidas’ home country of Germany, and to mark the occasion, the brand released a brand new ball, the Teamgeist. Breaking away from the typical 32-panel ball construction, the Teamgeist used only 14 panels, which were thermally bonded together – rather than stitched. Like the Questra before it, the Teamgeist could travel even further, leading to longer-range goals. 

In the same year, the eighth iteration of the Predator franchise, the Predator Absolute boot was launched, meanwhile the F50 expanded its family too. The F50 TUNIT Teamgeist used TUNIT footwear technology to allow players to adapt their own boots. They could adjust the studs, and mix and match the upper and chassis too. 

Then came a football boot of fashion legend. The F50 YY TUNIT collection marked a major moment in Yohji Yamamoto’s history with the brand. Making its debut during Yohji’s AW06 men’s fashion show, the designer brought together football and fashion like never before, introducing a boot inspired by Japanese mythological creatures – the dragon, the wolf, the eagle and the tiger. The boots featured intricate drawings by Taishi Hayashi and were super limited edition, with only 1000 pairs per design. 2006 also symbolises the peak of Y2K style, a trend that has resurfaced in recent years and is likely to stick around well into 2026 – especially if the 20-year cycle is anything to go by. 

As well as sponsoring football clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich, Newcastle United FC, Inter Miami CF and Juventus, in 2019, adidas rekindled an old flame with fashion’s favourite football club: Arsenal. Together, adidas and Arsenal have worked with some of the world’s coolest fashion houses, from Stella McCartney to Maharishi. Then, in September last year, during London Fashion Week SS25, Labrum worked with adidas to become the first fashion brand to stage a show inside Arsenal’s Emirates stadium. It was a huge feat, eternalised as a major moment in LFW lore. Mid-fielder Declan Rice even walked the show, alongside Ghetts and Clara Amfo. 

This week, the women’s Euros kicks off in Switzerland (come on Lionesses!), and already, there’s buzz around next year’s men’s World Cup in the US. On TikTok, the hashtag #BootsOnlySummer has racked up millions of views, acting as more proof that the beautiful game is a fashion muse both on and off the pitch. As unveiled during Paris Fashion Week last weekend, adidas Originals are toasting a summer filled with football, fashion and music, by bringing together two of its most legendary silhouettes – the F50+ XTRX FG and the a3 Megaride – to create the brand new Megaride F50. And if the new shoe wasn’t exciting enough, Dazed also got a glimpse of the brand’s upcoming collaborations, continuing its story with the likes of Wales Bonner, Willy Chavarria, Y-3, Avavav, Brain Dead and more. Sure, the brand may be stepping into the future boot-first, but football has always been adidas Originals’ main muse. 

The relationship between adidas and football goes way back. A bond that was initially formed over seven decades ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find any major football match from the past 70 years that the German brand hasn’t been part of – whether on the players’ feet, or the ref’s striped jersey. 

It’s a love story that has shaped modern football as we know it, and someone who knows the tale better than anyone is adidas historian, Sandra Tapp. Last weekend, Dazed met up with Sandra in Paris during the SS26 men’s shows, where adidas Originals had recreated a slice of its German archive on Rue de Paradis, so guests could be fully immersed in the brand’s rich history. 

While Sandra took us on a tour of the brand’s most notable trainers at the upstairs exhibition, downstairs had been transformed into an impressive listening bar, complete with a giant silver sculpture, conceived by Playlab and inspired by the steel bleachers often found near football pitches globally. The sonic experience, with music from Paris-based collective Jah Jah, featured over 150 vinyl records and a whopping 34 speakers, bringing together sport and sound as we gear up for a busy summer of both. 

By day, soul records played gently through the speakers, but by night, the sound system was tested to its limits – especially on the evening of June 27, when adidas Originals collaborator Willy Chavarria hosted his fashion show after party at the space, with a DJ set from Honey Dijon no less. 

As well as honouring the brand’s past and present, the Paris installation also guided us into football’s future, celebrating the launch of the brand new Megaride F50 silhouette. But before we get an exclusive glimpse of what’s to come, we must first take a look back at adidas’ illustrious affair with the beautiful game, starting with the 1954 FIFA world cup…

It was in Switzerland, in the summer of 1954 when adidas first changed the course of football history. Germany was up against Hungary in the FIFA World Cup final, but despite it being July, the weather was rainy and the ground was mud-laden. Until then, football boots had been heavy, cumbersome, and clunky. Luckily, Adi Dassler (adidas’ founder), provided a miracle, the Argentina boot – featuring the world’s first removable, screw-in studs and weighing only 350 grams. The lightweight nylon studs gave the players a firm grip on the turf, giving them an advantage over the powerful Hungarian team. Thanks to the Argentinia boot (as well as Helmut Rahn’s right foot), the Germans won 3-2, marking the first time that the country would win the tournament. 

After the success of the Argentinia boot, the shoe shape remained consistent for roughly 25 years, until adidas changed the game (literally) once again. In 1979, the Copa Mundial – meaning ‘world cup’ in Spanish – was born. Designed with the 1982 World Cup in mind, the boot included a narrow sole with moulded lugs, a cushioned midsole and a fold-over foam tongue that allowed players to kick the ball more accurately. The likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Diego Maradona, Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham have all worn the shoes, and since their inception, the brand has launched several special edition reissues. To this day, the Copa Mundial holds the record for being the best-selling football boot of all time.

Next year, the 2026 World Cup will take place in the US, 32 years after the country first hosted the tournament. To mark the World Cup’s American debut back in 1994, adidas designed the Questra ball. Meaning ‘quest for the stars’ the football was decorated with an intergalactic design and made to be lighter and more waterproof, meaning it could travel much further when kicked. In the same year, adidas unveiled the Predator Cup boot, which incorporated rubber elements inspired by a table tennis paddle. It would go on to become one of the most influential football boots of all time. The Predator Cup boot laid the foundation for 1998’s popular Predator Accelerator boot, the first of the Predator franchise to feature an anatomically perfect fit.

Ahead of 2004’s Euros, adidas introduced the world to the first F50. Designed specifically for players known for their quick, tricky footwork, the shoe was created to keep up with the speed of their movements. The letter ‘F’ even stands for ‘fast’, whilst the ‘50’ refers to the 50th anniversary since Germany won its first World Cup with the original Argentinia boot. The F50’s first iteration was the F50 TRX FG style, which included a leather upper covering the laces, making room for a bigger strike zone. The following year, in 2005, adidas released the F50+ XTRX FG, which was nicknamed the ‘spider’ due to the web-like pattern that accompanied the classic three stripes iconography. 

2006 was the last time the World Cup was hosted in adidas’ home country of Germany, and to mark the occasion, the brand released a brand new ball, the Teamgeist. Breaking away from the typical 32-panel ball construction, the Teamgeist used only 14 panels, which were thermally bonded together – rather than stitched. Like the Questra before it, the Teamgeist could travel even further, leading to longer-range goals. 

In the same year, the eighth iteration of the Predator franchise, the Predator Absolute boot was launched, meanwhile the F50 expanded its family too. The F50 TUNIT Teamgeist used TUNIT footwear technology to allow players to adapt their own boots. They could adjust the studs, and mix and match the upper and chassis too. 

Then came a football boot of fashion legend. The F50 YY TUNIT collection marked a major moment in Yohji Yamamoto’s history with the brand. Making its debut during Yohji’s AW06 men’s fashion show, the designer brought together football and fashion like never before, introducing a boot inspired by Japanese mythological creatures – the dragon, the wolf, the eagle and the tiger. The boots featured intricate drawings by Taishi Hayashi and were super limited edition, with only 1000 pairs per design. 2006 also symbolises the peak of Y2K style, a trend that has resurfaced in recent years and is likely to stick around well into 2026 – especially if the 20-year cycle is anything to go by. 

As well as sponsoring football clubs such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, FC Bayern Munich, Newcastle United FC, Inter Miami CF and Juventus, in 2019, adidas rekindled an old flame with fashion’s favourite football club: Arsenal. Together, adidas and Arsenal have worked with some of the world’s coolest fashion houses, from Stella McCartney to Maharishi. Then, in September last year, during London Fashion Week SS25, Labrum worked with adidas to become the first fashion brand to stage a show inside Arsenal’s Emirates stadium. It was a huge feat, eternalised as a major moment in LFW lore. Mid-fielder Declan Rice even walked the show, alongside Ghetts and Clara Amfo. 

This week, the women’s Euros kicks off in Switzerland (come on Lionesses!), and already, there’s buzz around next year’s men’s World Cup in the US. On TikTok, the hashtag #BootsOnlySummer has racked up millions of views, acting as more proof that the beautiful game is a fashion muse both on and off the pitch. As unveiled during Paris Fashion Week last weekend, adidas Originals are toasting a summer filled with football, fashion and music, by bringing together two of its most legendary silhouettes – the F50+ XTRX FG and the a3 Megaride – to create the brand new Megaride F50. And if the new shoe wasn’t exciting enough, Dazed also got a glimpse of the brand’s upcoming collaborations, continuing its story with the likes of Wales Bonner, Willy Chavarria, Y-3, Avavav, Brain Dead and more. Sure, the brand may be stepping into the future boot-first, but football has always been adidas Originals’ main muse.