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Alessandro Del Piero and the adidas Predator
The face of the Mania
Some players wore the Predator. Alessandro Del Piero was the Predator — for one photograph, at least. In January 2002, adidas gathered its biggest names for the launch of the Predator Mania, and the image that outlived the campaign was Del Piero, the Juventus captain, biting down on his new boot. More than two decades later, it is still one of the most famous football boot images ever made.
The Accelerator season
Del Piero’s best football came early. In 1997/98 he scored 32 goals for Juventus in all competitions — the most prolific season of his career — and he did it in the Predator Accelerator, the boot with the asymmetric lacing and the bold white stripes that half the players at that summer’s World Cup would wear.
It suited him. Del Piero’s game was built on precision: the curling finish from the left side of the box that Italian fans called il gol alla Del Piero, and dead balls struck with a clean, controlled contact rather than brute force.
The Mania and 2002
When the Predator Mania arrived for the 2002 World Cup, adidas put Del Piero alongside David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane at the centre of the launch. The Mania — kangaroo leather, the elasticated tongue strap, the black, white and red — became the defining Predator of its era, and Del Piero’s biting pose became its defining image.
Juventus and Italy
Del Piero spent nineteen seasons at Juventus, becoming the club’s record appearance-maker and record goalscorer, and stayed with the club through its relegation in 2006. That summer he won the World Cup with Italy. Later in his career he moved on to other adidas models, but his place in the Predator story was already fixed.
Twenty-two years later
In 2024, adidas brought the black-and-red Mania back as part of its Made in Germany series — and asked Del Piero to front it. He recreated the pose, boot between his teeth, twenty-two years after the original. See our guide to Predator remakes vs originals.
Del Piero’s Predators
- Predator Accelerator (1998) — the 32-goal season at Juventus.
- Predator Mania (2002) — the launch campaign and the famous photograph.
- Predator Mania Made in Germany (2024) — the remake he fronted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Del Piero wear Predators?
Yes — most famously the Accelerator in 1997/98 and the Mania, whose 2002 launch campaign he fronted.
What is the famous Del Piero Predator photo?
A 2002 image of Del Piero biting his Predator Mania, taken for the boot’s launch. He recreated it in 2024 for the Made in Germany remake.
Related: Predator Icons · Predator Mania · Zinedine Zidane