It's getting a serious problem for Nike now. FC Barcelona superstar Neymar returned to training today wearing the Squadron Blue Nike Mercurial Vapor 10 Boots after he debuted the Hyper Pink Nike Mercurial Lightning Storm Pack Boots in yesterday's La Liga defeat against Celta Vigo.
These questions arise: Will Neymar return to the Nike Hypervenom Boots in the near future? If not, who could become the new cover athlete of the Nike Hypervenom silo? And what does that mean for the future of the Nike Hypervenom?
Will Neymar Return to the Nike Hypervenom?
Neymar has been facing problems with the next-gen Nike Hypervenom Phantom II Boots since he laced up in a blackout Prototype of the second generation in early January 2015. While other players wore a black-out version of the upcoming Nike Hypervenom II Cleats in a few training sessions only, the Brazilian striker received various different modified Nike Hypervenom II Prototype Cleats.
After Nike officially launched the next-gen Nike Hypervenom Phantom II Boots featuring an all-new design including the iconic Dynamic Fit collar, it was Nike Hypervenom cover athlete Neymar who laced up in the first-generation of the Nike Hypervenom Boots in Barcelona's next match.
However, it was crucial for Nike that he would switch to the next-gen Nike Hypervenom Cleats ahead of the 2015 Champions League Final. So it was no surprise that Neymar debuted the second generation of the Nike Hypervenom Phantom Cleats in Barcelona's last La Liga match, and also laced up in the brand-new cleats in the Champions League Final against Juventus.
It was a big surprise that Neymar switched to the Nike Mercurial Boots on Monday after he had worn the Nike Hypervenom Phantom II Boots since four months. And as he returned to today's training session wearing the Squadron Blue Nike Mercurial Vapor Boots, which were launched just three days ago, it's very likely that he will stick to the Mercurial Boots in the next few weeks.
Who could become the new cover athlete of the Nike Hypervenom?
There was a similar case earlier this year. FC Barcelona midfielder and Nike Magista cover athlete Iniesta switched to the low-cut Nike Magista Cleats after he had launched the all-new silo ahead of the 2014 World Cup. And Nike quickly responded to this major problem. Mario Götze became the new face of the Nike Magista Cleats with the launch of the next Nike Boots Collection. Who are possible new cover athletes for the Nike Hypervenom?
A quick search using Football Boots DB reveals that the choice is not extensive but offers one player who would be something like an ideal replacement. High-profile players who wear the Nike Hypervenom Phantom II Boots are Lewandowski, Aubameyang, Cavani, Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck, while Rooney and Kane opt for the low-cut Nike Hypervenom Phinish.
It's quite obvious that Robert Lewandowski is the best player wearing the Nike Hypervenom Boots featuring the Dynamic Fit collar after he scored five goals in nine minutes for Bayern Munich. He would be anything but a poor replacement.
However, the following weeks and months will show whether Neymar returns to the Nike Hypervenom or if Nike actually have to find a new cover athlete for their agility silo.
As there is certainly no other silo which is defined by one player as strongly, things just started to get really interesting. What certain is that the next weeks will be crucial for Nike.