I'm Kaka Kaka

Chapter 167 Falcon vs Assassin

"In Group A of the Champions League, Inter Milan defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 at home and ranked first in the group with 6 points; Barcelona defeated Newcastle 3-1 at home and won the Champions League for 10 consecutive victories, tying AC Milan's Champions League winning streak in the 1992-93 season and becoming the only La Liga team to win this round."

"Arsenal and Valencia had a goalless draw at home in Group B. The Gunners ranked first in the group with 4 points from one win and one loss. In the match between Roma and Ajax, Batistuta came off the bench and scored with a header, but Roma still lost 1 to 2 in the away game. Two games and two losses, the group is at the bottom..."

"In Group C, Real Madrid was tied 2-2 at home by Lokomotiv Moscow, and came last with only 1 point; AC Milan beat Dortmund 3-0 away, Kaka passed and shot, refused free kicks, and conquered the devil's home court with his skills and character."

"Shevchenko and Inzaghi both scored, 442 or 4321, Ancelotti became the happiest and most distressed coach."

"In Group D, Manchester United defeated Deportivo 2-0 at home and ranked first in the group with 6 points. Ruud van Nistelrooy felt hot and scored two goals, continuing to lead the Champions League scorer list; Juventus beat Basel 4-0 at home in the snow, ranking second with 4 points. The comeback Trezeguet took the lead and Del Piero took a penalty kick to seal the victory."

In addition to Rome's defeat, the other three Italian teams all won, which shows the strength of Serie A.

The Milan generals who came back with the victory became the darling of the media, and Kaka, who was in the limelight, became the target of reporters and fans. Unfortunately, the Brazilian's private life was cleaner than his style on the court.

For football shoe manufacturers, players are the best advertising carrier. Every movement they make on the pitch is a live advertisement. For decades, manufacturers have never stopped competing for players. With the advent of the Internet age, the competition will only become more intense.

The current Kaka is comparable to Mbappe in 2018 and 2019. At that time, Neymar was gradually sinking, and Harland had not yet emerged. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles who led the World Cup were almost undisputed young Nan Bowan.

Kaka is in a similar situation now.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Torres, Cesc Fabregas, Robben, Van Persie, Rooney, Ronaldo, Messi and other future bigwigs are either still working hard in the secondary giants, or they are still quietly leveling up in the youth team. Only Kaka showed the talent of the emperor early. Not only did he shine in the World Cup, but he also gained a firm foothold in the most dazzling club at the age of 20.

In the generation born in the 80s, Kaka is truly one of the best. As long as the eyes are not blind and the brain is not broken, it is impossible for various sports manufacturers to let go of this future football superstar who is visible to the naked eye.

The football shoe market had previously changed from a flourishing of flowers to a rivalry between Adidas and Puma. However, after entering the 90s, Puma gradually declined due to the adjustment of its sales strategy. Nike took the opportunity to rise, and the field of football shoes became a duo between Adidas and Nike.

Although the products of manufacturers such as Umbro and Under Armor are also famous for a while, it is not enough to compare the two big names.

As we all know, Nike has made Adidas a younger brother in the field of basketball shoes. If it misses again in football, the blow to Adidas will be fatal. Therefore, whether it is to create another glories for itself or to beat competitors, both sides will spare no effort in the competition for Kaka.

Adidas and Nike only really targeted Kaka after he took the lead in the World Cup. As Kaka performed better and better, their emphasis on Kaka was also increasing step by step, and the conditions became more and more exaggerated. Now it is finally time for the bayonet to see its popularity.

It's a pity that their people didn't even see Kaka's face, and they were blocked by Silva.

In Kaka's study, Kaka and Silva sat opposite each other.

"If you only talk about manufacturing technology, Nike was not as good as Adidas before, but their strategy is to walk on two legs. On the one hand, they signed big-name stars, and on the other hand, they continued to innovate in technology. Now they are gradually able to compete with Adidas." Silva obviously did his homework, and he said without pausing. "Adidas' best product now is the Falcon series that came out in 1994."

"This shoe has been optimized three times. In 1995, it used the folding tongue design for the first time. In 1996, it used the odd nail technology to make it more prominent in ball control. In 1998, it introduced the popular Tianzu concept and used an asymmetrical lacing system. It is characterized by amazing change of direction, super power and good control. You have experienced it yourself, so I won't brag about them."

"Nike has three most famous sneakers. One is the chariot T90, which just released its second generation this year. It is the one worn by Carlos. It is more suitable for power players. One is the legendary series launched in 1994, and the other is the assassin series launched in 1998."

"Legendary series... You don't think it looks good, so I won't say more. The T90 is a bit thick and not suitable for a speed player like you. As for the Assassins, Ronaldo has worn these boots in the two World Cups. You have often worn them recently. They also hope that you can become the spokesperson for the new generation of Assassins."

"So throwing away the endorsement years, endorsement fees and other things that we don't pay much attention to, now it is a choice between the Falcons and the Assassins. They both promise to launch exclusive sneakers and customize boots for you every year."

Kaka looked at the two sneakers on the table and remained silent.

From his point of view, the current Falcon and Assassin actually have a sense of age, both in style and appearance, and are far from as light and cool as the later generations, so the choice is actually the same.

From an economic point of view, Nike is actually a better choice. Their basic base in terms of sneakers is basketball. They have always wanted to open up the football market. The successful signing of Ronaldo gave them a taste of the sweetness. In the pursuit of Kaka, they are actually a big step ahead of Adidas.

In order to restore the disadvantage, Adidas also spent a lot of money, but they have more big endorsers here, such as Zidane, Raul, Beckham, Del Piero, etc., each of which is bigger than Kaka.

There are actually many stories about the competition between the two sides for the spokesperson. The Messi competition is the most typical example.

In 2002, Nike signed a contract with Messi, but Nike did not show enough sincerity and did not customize sneakers for him. After all, Messi was still playing for the Barcelona youth team, and Messi has been trying various mass-produced sneakers. Until 2005, Messi shined in the World Youth Championship and was selected for the Argentine national team in the same year. Adidas then tripled the price and snatched Messi in early 2006. won the case.

In the original history, Kaka endorsed the Falcon, but the appearance that best suits his aesthetics is actually the Nike Venom series that has not yet been born.

It's so cool.

"What I am most concerned about is which one protects the feet better."

"It's almost the same. After all, they are not fools. They must have worked hard in this regard," Silva shrugged. "At least in publicity."

"What's your suggestion?"

"Nike."

"reason?"

"They tip me more?" Silva joked first, "Adidas... can't be said to be arrogant, but it certainly doesn't pay as much attention to it as Nike. The so-called exclusive sneakers are actually just a fuss about color matching and unique logos. At most, they can make some improvements on the current Falcon. Nike, they seem to have the courage to truly tailor a pair of truly exclusive sneakers for you, um... Assassin's Son of God series?"

Kaka picked up the Falcon in his left hand and the Assassin in his right hand, patted the soles of the two shoes together, and finally put the Assassin down, "Let's talk to the people from Adidas first."

"A bet?" Silva smiled, "You must choose the assassin in the end."

"That depends on whether they are really that courageous."

(End of this chapter)