Predator Mania... Mania

Collecting stuff is one of the most addicting things in life. You star with just one... Something, it may be a magazine, a DVD, an action figure, and you end up with a room just to contain all you've collected. In this case, Drcoolmouse decided to collect Predators, one of the most famous football boots by adidas. So, once seen his unbelievable Instagram profile, we decided to contact him to understand how this amazing collection was begun.

So, with all the football boots that you can find right now, why did you choose the Predators?

That's a good question. I can write a 1000-word-article (may be longer than that actually) about the reason why I choose Predators as my main collection. But to be short: first, in my opinion, the Predator silo is the most successful and most popular football boots model by adidas (maybe, among all the football boots brands), worn by a bunch of legendary football players such as Zidane, Beckham and so, and I feel more than fulfilled as a collector by collecting them. Second, the designs and colorways of these classic boots really are able to grab my eyes and heart and I don't have to mention the fascinating tech elements applied on each generation during their evolution. Thirdly, some of the models of these old school boots are valuable and some can be really rare, so it's been challenging for me to collect all of them. It can be very enjoyable when you find a pair of rare Predators there, waving hands to you. Last but no least, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of Predator lovers on the planet and it always feels great to communicate people with a similar hobby, but with different backgrounds.

Right now, how many Predators do you own? Have they all their own story or you just buy them randomly?

I have 1 pair of 1994s, 1 pair of 1995s, 1 pair of 95 Rapiers, 2 pairs of Predator 3s, 1 pair of Rapier 2s, 9 pairs of Accelerators, 7 pairs of Precisions, 27 pairs of Manias, 7 pairs of Pulses, 5 pairs of Absolutes, 3 pairs of Powerswerves, 3 pairs of Xs, 2 pairs of Adipowers, 1 pair of LZs, 1 pair of 2014 instincts. That's all. The total would be 71 pairs. I bought most of them in second-hand markets and some of them do have stories. One unforgettable pair were the Trezeguet Player Issued Mania. They were given to me by one of my collector friends as a new year gift, I felt so blessed and grateful.

What’s the thing you love the most about the Predators?

The fold-over tongues, the aggressive control stripes form (in earlier generations) and studs, the brilliant three-stripes, and the classic black-white-red color can increase my heartbeat with no doubt. And most importantly, David Beckham is my all life idol and he wore this type of boots all trough his career.

Have you some kind of goals as a collector? Like owning a thousand Predators or something like that?

I'd say not thousands of pairs, but to get all the colorways produced. Even if that seems an impossible mission because I'm also picky about sizes and conditions.

Are there some other boots that you like in particular?

Nike Tiempos and some limited editions made for Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi.

There are many rumors about a Predator Mania come back in 2017, would you be excited about that?

Of course, I'm dying for that. I already bought a pair of leaked sample in November 2016, but this cannot quench my craving. I'm counting the days for them.

Name a footballer that you identify with the Predator Mania? Beckham, Zidane, Del Piero?

Beckham, even if actually three of them all wore Manias in 2002-2003. The 2002 World Cup is the most memorable tournament in my life. Also, in the same year the Mania model made the world crazy. I think that every football fan can identify what were on Beckham's feet when he stroke the Penalty against Argentina, in that year's world cup playoff.