When Brazil's Neymar Jr., one of the World Cup's standout players, was 12, he wanted a pair of gold boots. Unable to find the boots anywhere, Neymar used to spray-paint his own cleats gold.
He told that story to Nike Football design director Denis Dekovic, and the result of his childhood inspiration is the special edition Gold Hypervenom.
“The biggest challenge was getting the gold tone perfect so it had the right spray-painted look," Dekovic said. "We worked closely with Neymar to get it as close to how he remembered the color when he would apply it as a kid."
With one childhood dream realized, Neymar may be able to use his signature boots to capture yet another with World Cup glory.
