Ronaldo Nazário’s Nike Mercurial R9 Inspires This Cryoshot Release

Nike’s 2026 FIFA World Cup push is just now beginning in earnest. The latest sidewalk-ready soccer cleat to emerge from the Cryoshot line takes inspiration from Ronaldo Nazário’s iconic Mercurial R9 boot from 1998, arguably one of the greatest and most consequential boots of all time.

Regular readers will recall that this isn’t the only Cryoshot Mercurial R9 dropping for the World Cup. Patta’s Cryoshot collaboration, one of seven of its kind, also exists on the Mercurial R9, though that style subs in black, silver, and orange for the Netherlands. This non-collaborative style stays true to the original, proudly flying the Mercurial R9’s iconic “Brazil” colorway in blue and yellow.

Nike Cryoshot is a new lifestyle category featuring designs inspired by some of the Swoosh’s most iconic soccer cleats, and the Mercurial R9 is as essential a storytelling piece as any in that regard. The boot debuted in 1998 to coincide with the FIFA World Cup in France, serving as the first chapter in what’s gone on to become Nike’s most iconic and longest-running soccer line. Its early attachment to Ronaldo Nazário (R9), one of the most explosive and gifted strikers of the late ’90s, gave it all the marketing power it needed to become an immediate classic. Nearly three decades later, this lifestyle version has the potential to do numbers all the same.

The Nike Cryoshot Mercurial R9 OG is expected to drop sometime during the World Cup for $200. See official images below and stay tuned for updates.

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