Designing the Best-Selling Football Boot of All Time

How Adidas changed the shape of football

Chapter 1

The mud of Bern and the screw-in revolution

Chapter 2

Copa Mundial and the kangaroo leather classic

Chapter 3

The Predator and the rubber fin revolution

Chapter 4

The modern era of speed, knit, and sustainability

YOUR GOAL

Master of How Adidas changed the shape of football

Ch 2 · Copa Mundial and the kangaroo leather classic

adidas The design history of the Adidas Copa Mundial football boot

adidas Adidas Copa Mundial

Kangaroo leather glove, / World's absolute classic, / Made in Germany!

Before molded soles, soccer players risked being punctured by nails in their boots.

adidas Adidas revolutionized soccer footwear by inventing the molded polyurethane outsole.

The molded outsole revolution

adidas Colorful diagrams show the seamless construction of the classic Copa Mundial football boot.

Why kangaroo leather changed the game

adidas A shoemaker shapes a black Adidas Copa Mundial boot from thin kangaroo leather.

Roo Boot Kickoff

BETA

adidas Kick the winning goal to discover how kangaroo leather boots changed World Cup history.

Fun Fact

Timeless design: The Copa Mundial is still manufactured in Scheinfeld, Germany, using the same basic pattern since 1979.

Glossary

kangaroo leather (noun)
A strong, lightweight leather made from kangaroo hide, commonly used to manufacture athletic shoes. Adidas used this material to craft its iconic 1979 boot designed for the 1982 tournament in Spain.

Gossip

Black boots or colorful boots?

Quiz

Which country hosted the 1982 World Cup where the Adidas Copa Mundial debuted?

adidas French midfielder Michel Platini and his custom Copa Mundial boots

Quiz

In which year was the legendary Adidas Copa Mundial football boot first released?

Quiz

What animal leather gave the Adidas Copa Mundial its famous soft fit and strength?

Quiz

Which French football legend famously wore custom Copa Mundials in the 1982 World Cup?

Quiz

What is the best-selling football boot model of all time?

Quiz

For which World Cup tournament was the Adidas Copa Mundial originally designed?

Quiz

Which synthetic material was used to make the lightweight Copa Mundial outsole?

Quiz

Why does kangaroo leather perform better than cowhide in wet football conditions?