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David Beckham and the adidas Predator
No player is more closely tied to a football boot than David Beckham is to the Predator. The boot was built to put swerve on a football. Beckham made a career out of swerve. It was a perfect match, and it lasted almost his whole career.
David Beckham and the Predator. Image: adidas
1996: The Touch and the Halfway Line
Beckham’s Predator story starts on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, at Wimbledon.
He had heard good things about the new Predator Touch and asked adidas for a pair. The only pair available in his size had been made for Rangers midfielder Charlie Miller — with Miller’s name embroidered on the tongue. Beckham wore them anyway.
In the 87th minute, with Manchester United 2-0 up, he picked the ball up just inside his own half, looked up, and lobbed Neil Sullivan from the halfway line. It was the goal that announced him to English football. That season he won the league, earned his first England cap and was named PFA Young Player of the Year.
1998: The Accelerator Years
By the 1998 World Cup, Beckham was wearing the Predator Accelerator, the boot of that tournament. France 98 brought the lowest moment of his career: the red card against Argentina, and a year of abuse that followed him to every ground in England.
He answered it the only way he knew — by playing. The following season, Manchester United won the treble.
2001: The Precision and Greece
On 6 October 2001, wearing the black, white and red Predator Precision, Beckham scored the free kick of his life. England were 2-1 down to Greece at Old Trafford in stoppage time, heading for a play-off. From more than 30 yards, he curled the equaliser into the top corner and sent England to the World Cup.
It is the defining image of Beckham and the Predator. Read the full story of Beckham vs Greece.
2002: The Champagne Mania
At the 2002 World Cup, adidas gave Beckham the Predator Mania in a colourway called Champagne, designed to complement the tournament ball. He wore a different personalised pair for each England match.
Against Argentina, four years after France 98, England won a penalty just before half-time. Beckham struck it down the middle, through the laces of his Manias. England won 1-0. The redemption was complete.
The Champagne Mania remains one of the most sought-after Predators ever made, and adidas has remade it more than once.
Beckham with one of his Predators. Image: adidas
2004 to 2007: Pulse, Absolute and PowerSwerve
Beckham moved to Real Madrid in 2003 and kept wearing Predators through the Pulse — in silver at Euro 2004 — and the Absolute.
Then came the Predator PowerSwerve in 2007. Built around a microfibre upper and a moving-weight system for a more powerful, more swerving strike, it could have been designed with him in mind. For many fans, it was the most personal Predator he ever wore.
Beyond the Boots
Beckham went on to play for LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, retiring in 2013 as the first Englishman to win top-flight league titles in four countries. Through almost all of it, he wore the Predator.
Beckham, boots in hand. Image: adidas
adidas has returned to his boots again and again since — remakes of the Precision, the Mania and the Accelerator have all leaned on his name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What boots did David Beckham wear?
Beckham wore the adidas Predator for almost his entire career, including the Touch, Accelerator, Precision, Mania, Pulse, Absolute and PowerSwerve.
What boots did Beckham wear for the halfway-line goal against Wimbledon?
The adidas Predator Touch, in 1996. The pair had originally been made for Rangers midfielder Charlie Miller.
What boots did Beckham wear against Greece in 2001?
The adidas Predator Precision.
What were Beckham’s Champagne boots?
A special Champagne colourway of the Predator Mania that Beckham wore at the 2002 World Cup.
Related: Beckham vs Greece, 2001 · The Predator Precision · Predator signature editions · All Predator Icons