Out of Play
Ronaldo says Man Utd drove him to be world’s best as he reveals new boots
CRISTIANO RONALDO has unveiled his latest pair of Nike Mercurial Superfly boots, while admitting his days at Manchester United convinced him he could be the world’s best.
The Real Madrid star, 33, showed off yet another variant on the bright orange footwear on Instagram.
CR7 captioned the Instagram post: “Dedicated since the Beginning. #BornMercurial. Get the Mercurial Superfly 360 now at nike.com/Bootroom”
In the video, Ronaldo spoke of his humble beginnings in football and playing for “fun” before his days at Old Trafford inspired him to work to become the greatest of all time.
The Galacticos star – a five-time Ballon d’Or winner – said: “In the beginning I was dreaming of being the best player in the world.
“Friends of mine, they looked at me like, ‘what are you talking about?’ I was playing for fun, for a joke… but in my mind, I thought I had potential.
“When I started in Manchester, this is when I started to believe. I don’t see many people with my talent, my dedication, my work, my ethic of football.
“No-one’s going to be compared with me, no-one’s going to be Cristiano Ronaldo. You’re going to be yourself, I’m going to be myself.”
Earlier this month the Portuguese star showed off a pair of bright orange Mercurials on social media, complete with what appear to be leopard spots.
The boots may in fact have been made in collaboration with Louis Vuitton, after he tagged their artistic director Kim Jones in his social media post.
However, on the “plain” pair, Ronaldo earlier revealed: “Hi guys, I’m so excited today. I got something very special to show you.
“As you know, I’m a Mercurial player. Today is the launch of the new Mercurial boots. Wow. I’ve never seen something like that before.
On the Mercurials, Nike claim: “The Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 Elite Firm-Ground Football Boot wraps your foot for a perfect fit and exceptional ball touch, while the forefoot plate provides explosive acceleration on the pitch.”
Nike first launched the Mercurial range in 1998, with Brazilian star Ronaldo the poster boy.
Ronaldo then became the first player to have his own signature Mercurial shoe – the R9 – recently relaunched as the Mercurial Puro Fenomeno, now worn by PSG’s £198million star Neymar.