Gio Reyna scored an iconic goal to kick off the World Cup for the U.S. Vinícius Junior scored a dazzling one in Brazil’s opener. Kylian Mbappé scored twice to become France’s career goals leader. Harry Kane got two of his own to tie England’s mark as he and his teammates try to bring the elusive trophy home.What do they all have in common? Pink, of course.Of all the colors of the rainbow at the World Cup taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, pink is the star on soccer’s biggest stage. Dozens of players are wearing pink boots that stand out against the green grass of the pitch after multiple shoe companies produced them ahead of this tournament with an eye on performance as well as visibility.“Athletes associate this color with confidence and standing out, and that resonates,” Nike Director of Global Footwear Odinga Nimako said.
Nimako pointed to Nike’s silver, yellow and blue boots at the 1998 World Cup changing how people saw boots in the sport. Before that, black and white was the standard.This time, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Skechers and New Balance all came out with pink boots.Mbappé and Vinícius have the Nike swoosh on his feet, as does Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Norway’s Erling Haaland. Reyna, England’s Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice, Canada’s Jonathan David, Spain’s Lamine Yamal and France’s Ousmane Dembélé wear Adidas.
