Predator Mania

Ask anyone to picture a Predator, and most will picture this one.

Released around the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea, the Mania brought a kangaroo leather upper, an external heel counter and an elasticated strap to hold down the fold-over tongue. The rubber elements were refined, the shape sleeker, the whole boot more modern — without losing any of the character.

Then there was the “Champagne” colourway, worn by Beckham. Few football boots have ever become objects of desire in their own right. The Mania did, and has been remade many times since.