According to the German sportswear giant adidas, every footballer dreams of a boot that combines the comfort and responsiveness of playing barefoot with the protection of a traditional design – and today the company launched its latest step towards that dream with the launch of the adidas Samba primeknit.

The primeknit concept, a flat knitted shoe upper was born when, in a sensational move just one day before the 2012 Olympic opening ceremonies, adidas revealed the adizero Primeknit, its first one-piece upper performance running shoe to compete with Nike’s now highly successful Flyknit running shoe range.

But adidas, a world leader in football (soccer) boots, has beaten Nike to it this time in the run up to the World Cup in Brazil this summer. And it is using Liverpool's Luis Suarez, one of the world's top strikers to promote the new boot.

The limited edition football boot (available from Monday March 17th) is the first football boot to have an upper that is knitted from heel-to-toe, providing a bespoke second-skin fit that retains the strength of a conventional boot.

According to the company, the introduction of primeknit marks the latest chapter in a rich history of revolutionary adidas football products and further cements primeknit as one of the key technologies at the heart of adidas innovation.

New levels of flexibility and comfort are said to be provided by the one-piece flat knitted upper of the boot and the yarns used to construct primeknit are said to provide stability and strength equal to conventional boots. Each yarn receives a high precision coating that adidas says guarantees water resistance even in the most challenging conditions.

“The advanced production techniques used to make primeknit also allow for the one-layer upper to be constructed with zones catering to various performance needs, ensuring that the adidas Samba primeknit caters to all aspects of the game,” the company said in a press statement today.

Adidas goes on to say that: ”The design's one-piece upper is constructed without any wastage of material; making the primeknit adidas' most sustainable football boot and the start of a brand new revolution in adidas football footwear.

Markus Baumann, Senior VP for Global Football at adidas commented on the launch of the new adidas Samba primeknit: "Every adidas product is developed with the player in mind and in particular, the needs of the player. By producing the world's first knitted football boot we have provided a brand new solution to the search for higher levels of comfort and flexibility."

"primeknit is a further demonstration of our commitment to driving relentless innovation in football and is designed to allow for a bespoke fit for each player, making performance more intuitive and responsive than ever before. primeknit is a technology that is right at the heart of adidas innovation and we're excited about introducing this development into football."

The adidas Samba primeknit is available from Monday March 17th for purchase in selected adidas retail outlets, associated stockists and via www.adidas.com/football .

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Further reading

Adidas unveils adizero Primeknit running shoe

adizero Primeknit: How it’s made