One of the most popular cleats with some of the most history behind it – the Nike Tiempo.
Nike released the “Nike Tiempo” 13 years after Nike’s original soccer cleat, which means it has been around for about 30 years.
Nike Tiempo Premier
Nike Tiempo Premiers came out just before the 1994 FIFA World Cup, hosted in the United States. Tiempos could be seen all over the field, especially on the Brazil team which had almost half of the roster in Tiempos.
Iconic players like Romario, Eric Cantona, and Ian Wright were wearing the boot, which helped Nike promote the Tiempo. With influential stars like them, it was undeniable that players and fans would end up following their footsteps and buying the Tiempos.
Technically, there was a version before the Tiempo Premiers, the Tiempo Ds in 1984, but the Premiers were the cleat that put the Tiempo name on the map.
In the beginning, Nike felt so confident in the Tiempo that there were barely any changes to it for the next decade.
Nike Air Tiempo Legend
In 2005, the biggest change yet came. The introduction of the Nike Air Tiempo Legend. This change came with a modern, sleek look, a mesh tongue for better breathability and the Zoom Air soleplate increased support in the heel. The introduction of the Legend featured one of the most famous footballers of the time to be the face of the boot, Ronaldinho. With him leading the way, the Tiempo Legend was truly on the map.
Nike knew they had to adapt to the changing game and show that the Tiempo can be a cleat that will stick around.
Nike Tiempo Legend II - Nike Tiempo Legend 9
After the first Nike Air Tiempo Legend, Nike continued to produce Tiempo Legends. From its introduction in 1994 to this current year, Nike has produced many different versions of Tiempo. The upgrades throughout the years were minimal but effective. The changes were to make it more lightweight, to give the player the softest touch, flexibility, comfort, and better control on the ball.
The design and look of the cleat never went through a drastic change. The idea was to keep it a sleek, classic cleat.
There have been some specialty versions of the Tiempo like the Tiempo Legend 3 World Cup Edition, the Totti 2015 Legend 5 Premium – Francesco Totti, the Nike Tiempo Legend 6 Pirlo Edition, and the forever iconic R10 versions made with Ronaldinho's input.
Nike Tiempo Legend 10
The newest release, the Tiempo Legend 10, came with a new feature called FlyTouch Plus.
This engineered leather provides the soft touch of k-leather the Tiempo player demands while keeping the weight and water absorption minimal. The FlyTouch Plus makes this version of the Tiempo to become the lightest version to date.
Another feature that really differentiates this newest version from previous versions is the fact that there is 55% less water retention compared to older versions, which allows the player’s foot to mold to the cleat to provide a more comfortable fit and allow the player to have better control over the ball no matter what weather conditions you are playing in.
The design is the classic Tiempo that players have loved for years. The stud shape and configuration has remained very similar to the previous versions. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
Just like the other Nike cleats, the Tiempos come in Academy, Pro, and Elite level cleats. Academy is the entry level boot that is best for social play or new players. Pros are the middle ground, and have many of the technical features found on the Elite, and a lower price. Then the Tiempo Legend 10 Elite is the model with the most features used by professional players, and the highest price.
Tiempos are a classic, reliable boot that players have fallen in love with over the years. With the success they have had, expect Nike to continue producing Tiempos everyone will love.
Are we going to see you with a pair of Tiempos on your feet soon?
