Nike Mercurial R9 1998 World Cup Prototype Unreleased Logo SG
New - left boot signed by R9 in instep, see pics 3 and 7
Everything you need to know:
These are the most iconic boots to ever live, the original 1998 Mercurial R9, the first ever Mercurial and the first ever signature Ronaldo R9 boot as worn in the 1998 World Cup
The iconic colorway, but this pair is a has an UNRELEASED LOGO and hand signed by R9!
This is a pre production prototype, a late stage production of the boots, where mostly everything is similar to retail versions, but the main difference on this pair is the logo design
Refer to pics 2 and 4, the famous R9 logo that was used on the entire R9 line is not here, there is a different logo
This logo, referred to as the "wings" logo was based off the previous World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet
Many similarities went into the logo from the trophy, and before Nike mass produced these boots with this logo, they were forced to change it due to legal concerns
Only a handful of these boots were ever made with this logo, sometimes given to Salesman as samples, and also commonly given to designers or people that worked on the project
If you look at the tags, picture 5, there is no production date on them, but the ink used is in red. Retail pairs used black ink that had production dates
Also, before mentioned, this pair is SIGNED BY R9 HIMSELF! There is no certificate of the signature, but here is the back story:
This pair came from a former designer that worked on the Mercurial line for several29 years, one of the pioneers for the Mercurial and Mercurial Vapor. He worked closely with Ronaldo on many pairs. This pair was his former pair that he saved and he had the left boot signed by Ronaldo. The boots will come with a letter confirming this information as well.
These are absolutely holy grails of football boots, a boot that you may have never known even existed. Everyone knows about the OG R9 1998, but this unreleased logo is one of only a few pairs in existence, and this is certainly the only signed pair. An exceptionally rare opportunity to own an incredible piece of Mercurial and Ronaldo history.
