How the adidas Samba became the world's most popular football boot

Football boots are often considered a world apart, understood only by those who wear them to tread the green turf, or by those who follow the sport so closely that they become nerds of every player's favourite footwear. As a result, apart from very rare examples, boots have hardly made their way into everyday life the way basketball shoes or running shoes have. Although fashion has tried to bring shoes to the catwalk in recent years, starting with Dirk Bikkembergs at the beginning of the millennium, to Gosha Rubchinskiy, Miu Miu and Burberry, to the examples of BOTTER or Martine Rose last year, the experiments have never brought the desired success.

There is, however, one shoe that was born precisely to be worn on a football pitch and, after 70 years of an honourable career, has become one of the must-haves of the season, amidst top models and constant sell-outs. We are talking, of course, about the adidas Samba, last year's most coveted shoe, which is suddenly only available on the secondary market at astronomical prices. Blame it on the hype created by the many celebrities in love with the silhouette and the critical situation of a supply chain that is not yet back to pre-sale levels.

The adidas Samba has never been so coveted and at the same time so far from its origins. It was in the late 1940s when Adi Dassler decided to find a solution to the problem of frozen football pitches in northern Europe by designing a new shoe with a black kangaroo leather upper and a non-slip rubber sole. However, the debut of this brand new model took place at the Brazilian World Cup in 1950, not exactly a ground suitable for frost-proof shoes. To resolve this contradiction, Dassler thought of renaming his latest creation, which was still unnamed, Samba, to pick up on the Carioca aesthetic that was very much in vogue then and now.And the adidas Samba was a huge success in its first version. It introduced a new shape for football shoes, even before the subsequent technical revolution in the late 1960s. Mainly because of their slim shape and gummy sole, they became an absolute classic in futsal, where they are still regularly used. But even after the end of their footballing life, the Samba remained close to the pitches on the feet of the hottest fans across Europe. In fact, the model was very often worn in the outfits of recreational players who took advantage of the new look that adidas gave the shoes. Over time, the Samba became slimmer, the tongue was made smaller and the colour palette expanded. So, especially in the limited editions, it became the shoes to take home after away trips. 

35 million shoes sold later, the adidas Samba is experiencing a new youth, revitalised by a series of collaborations with companies as diverse as Gucci, Wales Bonner, Pharrell Williams and Sporty&Rich that have underlined its extreme versatility. Much like the Nike Dunk the year before, the Samba brings a touch of individuality and uniqueness to a model that is all things neutral and goes with any outfit. It's a style that's perfect for the blokecore trend, where vintage football jerseys are worn over jeans or straight-leg trousers and a pair of classic, timeless trainers that may escape the inattentive eye. It is therefore no coincidence that adidas has chosen the model to work with teams associated with the Three Stripes, from Manchester United to Juventus to national teams like Mexico. In fact, the Samba represents the great tradition of the sports shoes that were born in the cold of West Germany, were called the most colourful carnival ball and have now become once again the most sought-after trainers in the world.