Nike HypervenomEvery Generation

Nike built it to replace the Total 90: a boot for attackers who make sharp, quick moves in small spaces. NikeSkin is a thin mesh fused with polyurethane, with ACC for grip in the wet. Underneath: conical studs and a groove through the forefoot. The flipped Swoosh came from the Mercurial. That launch orange? Taken straight from Nike's shoeboxes.

Three tiers at launch: the Phantom at the top ($224.99, about 7.2 oz), the Phatal in a soft synthetic and the budget Phelon. Rooney debuted it in Rio too, and the early squad had Ibrahimović, Isco, Higuaín, Thiago and Sneijder.

At the 2014 World Cup Neymar switched to a one-off gold pair, Sonho Dourado (Golden Dream), for the knockouts. It ended hard: he was injured against Colombia in the quarter-final, and Brazil lost 7-1 to Germany. About 19 colourways dropped in total, and Cavani moved into it in January 2015.

• Black/Bright Citrus (launch)
• Flash Lime/Black
• Electro Purple/Volt
• Neo Lime/Poison Green
• White/Blue Lagoon
• Golden Dream
• Liquid Diamond

It landed in late May 2015, about two years after the Rio launch, in Wolf Grey/Total Orange/Black. Liverpool's Jordan Ibe was first seen in it. Nike added the high Dynamic Fit collar, Flywire in the midfoot, a softer plate and bolder graphics. £230 at launch, about 209 g.

The tiers: Phantom II DF at the top, the low-cut Phinish, then Phatal II, Phelon II and Phade II.

Neymar wore it for about four months, then moved to the Mercurial in September 2015. His Ousadia Alegria pair followed in early 2016, then the NJR x Jordan in June 2016. Lewandowski got his own red and black pair with the Polish eagle after scoring five goals in nine minutes against Wolfsburg. And Nike gave Vardy and Mahrez a custom "VAHREZ" pair for Leicester's last game.

Not everyone was sold. The common view: stiffer, more structured, further from the first one.

• Wolf Grey/Total Orange (launch)
• Radiant Reveal
• Ousadia Alegria
• NJR x Jordan

Made for Rooney and Kane, in shops from early June 2015. At about 198 g it was lighter than the 209 g Phantom 2, and cheaper at £160. In February 2016 Kane was seen in a modified low-cut pair with a custom tongue.

In May 2016 Nike brought the Phantom 1 upper back to the second generation. Nike's Max Blau said the newer upper took longer to break in. The Euro 2016 Phinish, in the Spark Brilliance pack, went on sale on 29 May 2016. Some shops call these later pairs the Phinish II.

From 2017 the Phinish name was gone: the low cut became the plain Phantom 3.

• Radiant Reveal
• Pitch Dark
• Spark Brilliance (Euro 2016)

It launched in January 2017 in green and orange, part of the Radiation Flare pack. Aubameyang, Lewandowski and Vardy wore it from the start. The Strike Night pack went on sale on 27 February, and Nike's Strike Night event in London followed on 1 March 2017.

Nike's designer Nate VanHook reworked the whole boot, with a plate about 17% lighter than the Phantom 2's and more flexible. Kane and Lewandowski helped test it. Kane asked for a choice of high and low cut, so Nike made both. It was billed as Nike's first Flyknit low-cut football boot.

Nike dropped the Phinish name: the high cut became the Phantom 3 DF and the low cut the plain Phantom 3. Below them sat the Phatal, Phelon and Phade. US prices: $300 for the DF, $250 for the low.

Cavani and Icardi got a Nike x EA Sports edition in September 2017. And in 2026 Michael Olise wore custom Phantom 3 DF pairs at the World Cup.

• Radiation Flare (launch)
• Strike Night
• Laser Orange
• Raised On Concrete

Nike folded its striker boots into the Phantom family. We couldn't find an official reason. The common view: the second and third generations drifted from what made the first one special.

The RGN SE dropped on 29 May 2025 in Black/Bright Citrus: the original NikeSkin upper, ACC on the tongue and the Phantom 3 soleplate. £230, style code HQ8561-001.

The Transform Hydra followed on 2 June 2025, a remake of the 2015 Transform SE. Its upper changes colour when it's wet, and a spider takes the skull's place. $260, style code HV0153-001.

Footy Headlines reports a full return in 2027. Nike hasn't confirmed it.