Nike Mercurial SuperflyEvery Generation
From the original Flywire Superfly in 2009 to the Superfly 11. Eleven generations, the CR7 classics and the colourways we still talk about.
By Boots Plug · Updated October 2026
The lineup, from our own pairs: Superfly I to V, the Superfly 6, Superfly 7 to 11 and the 2026 CR7 RGN remake.
The Lineup
Swipe ▸
- Upper
- Flywire
- Plate
- Carbon Fibre
- Studs
- Adaptive SENSE
- Worn By
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Collar
- Low Cut
- CR7 Pair
- Safari Black
- Upper
- Flyknit
- Collar
- Dynamic Fit
- Plate
- 3D Speed Plate
- Collar
- Dynamic Fit
- Upper
- 360 Flyknit
- Plate
- Claw-Style
- Twin Of
- Vapor 13
- Plate
- Aerotrak
- Studs
- Chevron
- Plate
- Aerotrak
- Plate
- Zoom Air Unit
- Launch
- July 2022
- Upper
- Flyknit + Gripknit
- Collar
- Dynamic Fit
- Collar
- None
- Plate
- Exposed Air Zoom
- Remake Of
- The 2009 Superfly I
- Plate
- Air Zoom
The Mercurial Superfly is Nike's top speed boot. Nike launched it at Old Trafford on 27 February 2009. Eleven generations on, it has carried Cristiano Ronaldo's Safari and CR7 Chapters pairs. The 2014 Superfly IV brought Flyknit and the sock collar. From 2018 to 2024 the Elite was a Vapor with a collar. In 2026 it became its own boot again.
Mercurial Superfly I
Before the sock collars, there was Flywire. The original Superfly arrived at Old Trafford in 2009, after two years of work with some of football's biggest names.
Low cut, with Flywire cables in a very thin upper. A carbon-fibre plate with hollow studs underneath.
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Its full name was the Mercurial Vapor Superfly. Nike launched it on 27 February 2009, after two years of work with Cristiano Ronaldo, Pato, Zlatan and Robinho. It was Nike's first football boot with Flywire and, at about 185 g, Nike's lightest boot yet. It sat above the Vapor V as Nike's top boot.
Pre-orders opened on 11 March, with 1 April set as the shop date, at about £225.
Flywire is thin cables inside a very thin upper. The carbon plate wasn't new: it came over from the 2008 Vapor SL. Three-layer carbon chassis, studs injected straight into it, and eight hollow studs that saved about 12% weight. There was a grip coating on the upper where you strike the ball.
Then the trouble. Drogba, Arshavin and Luis Fabiano tore the uppers on TV, and Nike went back to the drawing board. Accounts differ on whether the orange and silver launch pair ever reached shops. A tougher black and volt yellow version followed a few months later.
The Ones We Still Chase- Max Orange/Metallic Silver (launch)
- Black/Volt Yellow
Mercurial Superfly II
Cristiano Ronaldo showed it off in London in early 2010, in front of Battersea Power Station. A CR version became his first signature boot. Flywire moved, the upper got tougher, and new SENSE studs moved with the ground.
SENSE studs under the forefoot that push out or pull back by about 3 mm. Still low cut, like the I.
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Its full name was the Mercurial Vapor Superfly II. About £275, or $400 in the US. Nike reworked the synthetic for feel and to stop the tearing.
Ronaldo's first signature boot was the CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly II. Then came the Safari, shown in October 2010: White/Total Orange/Black, with an all-over print taken from Nike's 1987 Air Safari. It was set to debut in the Madrid derby against Atlético on 7 November 2010, and went on sale from 15 November.
The Ones We Still Chase- CR Safari White/Total Orange/Black
- Voltage Cherry
Mercurial Superfly III
The last low-cut Superfly for 15 years. Then Nike went quiet until 2014. Cristiano Ronaldo's CR version came in a black-on-black Safari, and he wore it in the 2011 Copa del Rey final.
Very close to the II. Small changes, mainly where the Flywire sits.
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Its full name was the Mercurial Vapor Superfly III. Pre-orders opened on 15 April 2011 at select shops, at £275 or $400.
Ronaldo's CR Superfly III in Black/Volt/Dark Shadow was set to debut in El Clásico at the Bernabéu on 16 April 2011. He wore it in the Copa del Rey final that season and scored the only goal against Barcelona. Nike put the same black Safari on the Vapor VII too.
The changes from the II were small. Then the Superfly went quiet: Nike pushed the Vapor VIII and IX instead, and the next Superfly only came in April 2014.
The Ones We Still Chase- CR Safari Black/Volt/Dark Shadow
- Orange Peel/Black/Volt/Silver
Mercurial Superfly IV
The Superfly that changed everything. Flyknit arrived, the sock collar appeared, and Ronaldo unveiled it in Madrid.
A knitted sock collar and a Flyknit upper. Still on a carbon plate.
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Cristiano Ronaldo walked it out at Nike's summit in Madrid on 25 April 2014. It went on sale on 12 June, the day the World Cup kicked off.
Four years of work. Almost everything changed: Flyknit upper, high Dynamic Fit collar, Brio cables knitted in and locked to the sole, and a two-layer carbon plate (the old one had three), with extra studs at the heel and toe.
A UK 8.5 weighed about 200 g, around 45 g less than the Superfly before. At about £230 it was £50 below earlier Superflys. The Vapor X was its low-cut sister.
It ran for two years in 32 colourways, seven of them for Ronaldo. It was also the first Mercurial with women's-only colourways, including a Carli Lloyd Ballon d'Or edition. Ronaldo's 324K Gold (January 2016) marked him becoming Real Madrid's all-time top scorer, and Quinhentos (March 2016) his 500th goal.
The Ones We Still Chase- CR7 324K Gold
- CR7 Quinhentos
- Carli Lloyd Ballon d'Or
Mercurial Superfly V
Nike showed it in New York in March 2016. It hit shops at the end of May in the Euro 2016 colours, part of the Spark Brilliance pack. The carbon plate was gone.
No carbon plate underneath. Same sock collar as the IV.
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The new 3D Speed Plate was a single layer shaped to the foot, billed as 40% lighter, with studs angled for braking and pushing off. Dynamic Fit collar and ACC for grip in the wet. Launch price: $300.
The 2016 ladder: Superfly V at the top, then the low-cut Vapor XI on the same plate ($230), Veloce III, Victory VI and Vortex III.
Ronaldo's CR7 Chapter 3, Discovery (November 2016), is a Superfly V. It goes back to Sporting v Man United on 6 August 2003, and "06 / 08 / 03" sits on the heel. Neymar's first signature Mercurial, Written In The Stars (July 2017), came as a Superfly V too, at $325, though he played in the Vapor.
The Ones We Still Chase- Spark Brilliance (Euro 2016)
- CR7 Discovery
- NJR Written In The Stars
Mercurial Superfly 6
Announced on 7 February 2018 and on players' feet that weekend, in Total Orange. Flyknit wrapped right round the foot, on a claw-style plate inspired by a cheetah's paw.
The knit runs under the foot too, with a Flyknit collar. The top Vapor 12 was the same boot, bar the collar.
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Also called the Superfly VI or Superfly 6. At Pro:Direct from 14 February. Each size got its own chassis. Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Asensio were part of the launch.
Buyers mix the two up, so we list Superflys in our Mercurial Vapor collection too.
Ronaldo's seven CR7 Chapters ran from October 2015 to September 2018, one boot for each stage of his career. Chapter 4, Forged For Greatness (April 2017), was on his feet in the Cardiff Champions League final: two goals in a 4-1 win over Juventus. The run ended on this boot: Born Leader (March 2018), a 154-pair Edição Especial for the World Cup knockouts (one pair per cap), then Built On Dreams on 18 September 2018, with a 7 on the forefoot.
The Ones We Still Chase- Total Orange (launch)
- CR7 Born Leader
- Edição Especial
- CR7 Built On Dreams
Mercurial Superfly 7
Shown on 6 July 2019 and in shops the next day, in Racer Blue and Stealth Black. A Vapor 13 in everything but the collar.
The Aerotrak zone under the forefoot is new. Otherwise it looks a lot like the 360.
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Flyknit with a thin NikeSkin layer, a slightly stiffer plate and ACC. Only small changes from the 360.
A Laser Orange Superfly 7 followed that July, limited to 2,019 pairs. In September 2019 Nike started the Mercurial Dream Speed series: nine limited editions up to November 2024, fronted by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Ones We Still Chase- Racer Blue (launch)
- Stealth Black
- Laser Orange (2,019 pairs)
- Dream Speed 001
Mercurial Superfly 8
Cristiano Ronaldo debuted his CR7 Spark Positivity in Portugal's Euro 2020 opener against Hungary, 15 June 2021, and scored twice in the last ten minutes. Not a bad debut.
Chevron studs on the Aerotrak forefoot plate. No Air Zoom yet.
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Worldwide on 11 February 2021 in the Spectrum pack, at £250 ($300). Stretchier Flyknit, a stretchy collar, chevron studs, a grip insole and ACC.
Spark Positivity came in Chile Red/Black/White/Total Orange. Portugal won 3-0, and the boot went on sale from 28 June.
The Progress pack stripped the Flyknit back with a blueprint print, a microfibre top layer, a softer collar and the Aerotrak 2 plate, at about 7.2 oz.
The Ones We Still Chase- Spectrum (launch)
- CR7 Spark Positivity
- Progress
Mercurial Superfly 9
In shops on 1 July 2022. The big change was under the foot: a football-specific Zoom Air unit in the plate.
An Air Zoom unit in the plate, the first on a Superfly.
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The launch colours were White/Coconut Milk/Bright Crimson/Off Noir, at $275. The Vapor 15 Elite launched next to it at $250.
Mercurial Dream Speed 006 came on the Superfly 9 in February 2023, in Cobalt Bliss/Black/Fuchsia.
The Ones We Still Chase- White/Coconut Milk (launch)
- Dream Speed 006
- 25th Anniversary
- Air Max Plus TN
Mercurial Superfly 10
Launched on 3 July 2024 in the Blueprint pack, and worn at Euro 2024 that summer. Nike smoothed out the Air Zoom unit and brought in Gripknit.
A smooth Air Zoom unit with no flex grooves. The last Superfly with the sock collar.
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Nike took the flex grooves out of the Air Zoom unit, added speed fins at the forefoot and cut the Flyknit from five layers to three, about 30% thinner. The collar stayed. For now.
The Blueprint launch pair was white and blue (style HJ9293-100), at £265, with AtomKnit on the sides and an orange iridescent plate. It was part of a 13-product Air collection.
The Ones We Still Chase- Blueprint (launch)
Mercurial Superfly 11
June 2026: the Superfly 11 and Vapor 17 launched as different boots again. The Superfly 11 Elite is low cut, with no Dynamic Fit collar, and shows its Air Zoom unit from below.
No sock collar on the Elite, and the Air Zoom unit is on show under the forefoot.
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On Nike.com from 1 June 2026, then in shops worldwide from 4 June.
The Elite: exposed Air Zoom unit, ZoomX foam and a Flyweave Ultra upper. The Pro keeps Air Zoom and Flyweave and is about 25% lighter than the 2024 Pro. The Academy has a knit cuff and a FlyLite plate. Nike's US prices: Elite $295, Pro $170.
The Vapor 17 went its own way, with a FlyLite plate and an Atomknit upper. Now the Superfly is built for long sprints, the Vapor for quick bursts. The Scorpion pack followed on 9 July 2026.
The Ones We Still Chase- Scorpion
Some Superflys are more than just boots.
The early Flywire pairs and Cristiano Ronaldo's CR7 editions, from the Safari to the Chapters, are where the heat is. The numbered ones have a real count behind them. Still one of the most asked-for boots in our DMs.
The OG Is Back
The classics keep coming back. In April 2026 Nike brought the 2009 Superfly I back in Max Orange as the CR7 Mercurial Superfly RGN, the first RGN in a Superfly shape.
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At Pro:Direct from 7 April 2026, as the fourth chapter of Nike's RGN series. A reworked Teijin upper with Flywire, an Air Zoom plate and a carbon-fibre sole that nods to the original. A gold CR7 RGN followed on 24 June 2026, during Ronaldo's sixth World Cup, at $300.
The RGN series started with the Vapor 1 RGN in December 2024, then the Hypervenom RGN in May 2025.
Before that, in June 2020, the CR7 Safari came back for the 10th anniversary of his first signature boot: the 2010 print on a Superfly 7, with his celebration pose on the sockliner.
↑ All GenerationsOriginal Or Remake
Original or remake? Each of these is one thing to look for.
The Plate
The 2026 RGN has an Air Zoom plate. The 2009 Superfly I has none: Air Zoom only came with the Superfly 9 in 2022.
The Collar
The 2010 CR7 Safari is a low-cut Superfly II. The 2020 Safari is a Superfly 7 with a sock collar.
The Insole
The 2020 Safari has Ronaldo's celebration pose on the sockliner.
The Model
The 2020 Future DNA used the 2009 orange and silver on a Vapor 13, not a Superfly.
At A Glance
Swipe ▸| Boot | Year | Main Difference | Upper / Tech | Worn By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superfly I | 2009 | Flywire, low cut | Thin upper, carbon plate, hollow studs | Drogba, Arshavin, Luis Fabiano |
| Superfly II | 2010 | SENSE studs | Flywire, tougher upper | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Superfly III | 2011 | Small update on the II | Flywire, low cut | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Superfly IV | 2014 | Flyknit and the sock collar | Dynamic Fit collar, two-layer carbon plate | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Superfly V | 2016 | No carbon plate | Dynamic Fit collar, 3D Speed Plate | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Superfly 6 (6) | 2018 | Knit under the foot | 360 Flyknit, claw-style plate | Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Asensio |
| Superfly 7 | 2019 | Aerotrak forefoot | Flyknit, NikeSkin, stiffer plate | – |
| Superfly 8 | 2021 | Chevron studs | Stretch Flyknit, Aerotrak plate | Cristiano Ronaldo |
| Superfly 9 | 2022 | Air Zoom in the plate | Football-specific Zoom Air unit | – |
| Superfly 10 | 2024 | Smooth Air Zoom, Gripknit | Three-layer Flyknit, speed fins | – |
| Superfly 11 | 2026 | No collar on the Elite | Flyweave Ultra, exposed Air Zoom | – |
| CR7 Superfly RGN (remake) | 2026 | 2009 look, modern plate | Flywire, Air Zoom plate, carbon-fibre sole | – |
Questions
How does the Mercurial Superfly fit?
Most Superflys fit true to size on length and are made for narrow to medium feet. The sock collar is snug and can take some work to get on at first. The Superfly IV, the 7 and the 10 are the tightest; the V, 6, 8 and 9 have more room. Of the early low-cut ones, the III fits true to size and the II is tighter.
Should I go a size up in Superflys if I have wide feet?
No. Take your normal size: going up won't fix a boot that's too narrow, and the sock collar doesn't stretch out over time. With wider feet, the Superfly 8 and 9, or the Superfly 11 Pro, have the most room.
How does the Superfly 11 fit without the collar?
True to size, best for narrow to medium feet. Next to the Vapor 17 it's a touch wider across the forefoot, tighter at the toes and more locked in.
When did the Nike Mercurial Superfly come out?
Nike launched the first Superfly at Old Trafford on 27 February 2009. Pre-orders opened on 11 March, with 1 April 2009 set as the shop date.
Was the 2009 Superfly low cut?
Yes. The Superfly I to III were all low cut, with Flywire uppers. The sock collar only came with the Superfly IV in 2014.
How many Mercurial Superfly generations are there?
Eleven: I (2009), II (2010), III (2011), IV (2014), V (2016), 6 (2018), 7 (2019), 8 (2021), 9 (2022), 10 (2024) and 11 (2026).
Why was there no new Superfly from 2011 to 2014?
After the Superfly III, Nike put the Vapor VIII and IX first. The next Superfly, the IV, came in April 2014 after four years of work, with Flyknit and the sock collar.
What's the difference between the Superfly and the Vapor?
From 2009 to 2011 the Superfly was a separate, pricier boot above the Vapor, with Flywire and a carbon plate. In 2016 they shared one plate. From 2018 to 2024 the top Elite versions were the same boot apart from the collar. In 2026 they split again: the Superfly 11 has an exposed Air Zoom unit and a Flyweave Ultra upper, the Vapor 17 a FlyLite plate and Atomknit. Superfly for long sprints, Vapor for quick bursts.
What's the difference between the Superfly IV and V?
The plate. The IV (2014) sits on a two-layer carbon-fibre plate. The V (2016) swapped it for the 3D Speed Plate, a single layer shaped to the foot. Both have the Dynamic Fit sock collar.
Which Superfly was the first with Flyknit and the sock collar?
The Superfly IV, in 2014. The Superfly I to III were low cut with Flywire uppers.
Which Superflys had a carbon-fibre plate?
The Superfly I had a three-layer carbon plate, carried over from the 2008 Vapor SL. The IV kept carbon, cut to two layers. From the V in 2016 the carbon was gone. The 2026 RGN remake brings back a carbon-fibre sole.
What was Cristiano Ronaldo's first signature boot?
The CR Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, in 2010. The first Superfly of all, the Superfly I of 2009, was not a signature boot.
What is the CR7 Safari?
A 2010 Superfly II in White/Total Orange/Black, with an all-over print from Nike's 1987 Air Safari. It went on sale from 15 November 2010. A black-on-black Safari followed on the Superfly III in April 2011, and Nike brought the Safari back in June 2020 on a Superfly 7.
What are the CR7 Chapters?
Seven Superfly boots from October 2015 to September 2018, each for a stage of Cristiano Ronaldo's career. Chapter 3, Discovery, is a Superfly V; the last, Built On Dreams, is a Superfly 6.
Which Mercurial Superfly has Air Zoom?
From the Superfly 9 (2022). The 10 smoothed out the unit, and on the 11 it's on show under the forefoot. The 2026 RGN remake has one too.
What is the Mercurial Superfly RGN?
Nike's 2026 remake of the 2009 Superfly I, in Max Orange, as the fourth chapter of its RGN series. A gold CR7 version followed in June 2026. More in Remakes.
What's the difference between the 2009 Superfly and the 2026 CR7 RGN?
The RGN brings back the 2009 look in Max Orange, with Flywire and a carbon-fibre sole. Underneath it's a modern boot: a reworked Teijin upper and an Air Zoom plate, which the 2009 Superfly never had.
What's the rarest Mercurial Superfly?
Nobody has counted every pair, so there's no single answer. The smallest documented runs: the 2018 CR7 Edição Especial (154 pairs) and the 2019 Laser Orange Superfly 7 (2,019 pairs).
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