The adidas PredCopX is a real Predator successor.
As a kid who picked up fútbol late into my teens, focusing more on street football, the adidas Predator never really held the same sort of legendary status for me that it had for others. I was always more enamoured by the idea of joga bonito instead of crunching hard tackles or a 30-yard grass cutter.
All that changed when my friends passed me a pair of the adidas Predator PowerSwerve as a birthday present. The weight gain took some getting used to at first, but I loved that extra protection and OOMPH when making crunching tackles as a defender, as well as the idea of hitting sweeter crosses with that grippy Predator element.
My belated flings with the Predator silo meant that, unlike other Pred heads out there, I’ve never had any nostalgia attached to a specific Predator. For me, the quintessential ideal of a Predator was simple – a comfortable boot, with elements that helped with grip, put together with the most cutting-edge technology that adidas had at their fingertips. That remained true with the subsequent Predators before its decline – adiPower, LZ and Instinct series (there are rumours that there was another Predator released, called Predator X but I don’t buy that, literally).
Last year adidas blessed us with another flex of their modern technology with the adidas Dragon Predator 20+. This year, they’ve continued flashing their innovation chops with the adidas PredCopX, which if you ask me, sounds like adidas throwing a sly wink at us that this is in fact a Predator CopX.
With your powers combined, I am PredCopX
When images of the adidas PredCopX first leaked, I knew instantly that I HAD to get a pair. As a below average player, I’ve always had a thing for crazy-looking boots filled with tech gimmicks that created a placebo effect for improving my game.
Combining the best elements of the adidas silos: the upper from the adidas Copa Sense, the Demonskin 2.0 from the adidas Predator Freak as well as the Carbitex tooling from the adidas X Ghosted, the PredCopX felt like the ultimate unfair advantage you could get from your boot.
Team work makes the dream work
What I liked in particular was that the PredCopX also solved several issues that I had in their other silos. While I loved the Demonskin spikes on the Predator Freak, its tight midfoot and extra wide forefoot fit didn’t agree with my foot. Similarly, while I rate the Carbitex tooling on the X Ghosted as the most functional technology on the market today, I preferred a more padded and comfortable upper akin to the adidas X19.1.
The use of the Copa Sense upper delightfully ticks both of those boxes for me. The fit feels more consistent throughout the boot, allowing me to go with my usual UK8. The length and width was more snug than tight at first, but the butter soft kangaroo leather at the forefoot quickly moulded to my feet after a short 10-minute wear session.
Additionally, adidas also made some under the hood improvements to the Copa Sense upper too, using a more comfortable suede heel liner for the sense pods in the heel and Achilles areas which help to provide better lockdown than the material found on the original Copa Sense. I didn’t have issues on the Copa Sense, but this feels that much more secure and comfortable – a huge plus.
And then there’s that Carbitex tooling. I’ve waxed lyrical about it several times in my X Ghosted.1 and adidas F50 Ghosted adizero reviews but I never miss an opportunity to talk about them. The magic of the X Ghosted.1 tooling comes in two ways.
The first is of course, the Carbitex spine which adds extra rigidity, helps your foot to transition from landing on the midfoot, to pushing off on the forefoot during sprints more easily.
The second, is that the tooling actually “lifts” the front of the boot, making it even easier for your foot to land closer to the balls of your feet to push off more easily, in tandem with the Carbitex spine-aided transition.
The one true Predator
Now if you asked most Pred heads out there what constitutes a Predator, you’d likely be confronted with various elements – the tongue, a leather upper, swerve elements, and a certain weight for the Predator OOMPH. Interestingly, thanks to the fusion of all 3 silos, the adidas PredCopX actually ticks almost all of these boxes.
You’ve got your leather upper in the forefoot where you need it, those swerve elements that add a ridiculous amount of grip on the ball when hitting those free kicks as well as that Carbitex stiffens the tooling to an extent that you could even consider it as a successor to the PowerPulse or PowerSpine on previous Predators.
Could it have come in better colours? Definitely, but as a whole package, this is definitely one of the best boots ever produced and for me, a welcome glimpse at what a modern day Predator should be. Well-played adidas, well-played indeed.
