adidas NemezizEvery Generation
Messi in the Copa del Rey final. Tape-inspired boots, laced or laceless. Kith on the street and gold in 2021. Every adidas Nemeziz, from 2017 to 2021.
By Boots Plug · Updated October 2026
The lineup, from our own pairs: Nemeziz 17+ and 17.1, 18+, 19+ and 19.1, Nemeziz+ and the gold Messi.1.
The adidas Nemeziz was adidas's agility boot for quick attackers. Its upper used strips of stretchy tape, inspired by strapping. It launched in May 2017 with Lionel Messi and replaced his own Messi line. The Nemeziz 18 and 19 followed, then the Nemeziz+ and Nemeziz.1 in late 2020. The line ended in 2021.
The Lineup
Swipe ▸Nemeziz 17
27 May 2017, Copa del Rey final against Alavés, three days after the reveal. Messi curled in the first goal. He wore the laced 17.1, with MESSI where the name usually sits. Our pictured pair is the laceless 17+.
Strips of stretchy tape wrapped round the foot, like strapping, with bold stripes across the upper.
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adidas revealed it on 24 May 2017 as its agility boot, next to the ACE and the X. It replaced Messi's own signature line. Renato Sanches and Roberto Firmino were launch faces too. The first colours, Dust Storm (White/Solar Yellow/Core Black), dropped on 26 May.
adidas called the upper the Agility Bandage, with TorsionTapes to lock the foot down, plus a dual-lock collar and a Torsionframe soleplate. The idea came from taping. adidas design boss Sam Handy talked about "the relationship between torsion, support and agility".
Then the street side. The Nemeziz Tango 17+ put the same upper on a flat indoor or turf sole. On 3 November 2017 Kith's Ronnie Fieg dropped Kith x adidas Soccer Season 2: a black laceless Tango 17+ on an UltraBOOST sole, plus a Nemeziz 17.1 turf shoe.
The Ones We Still Chase- Dust Storm (launch)
- Ocean Storm
- Thunder Storm
- Pyro Storm
- Skystalker
- Cold Blooded
- Deadly Strike
- Kith Tango UltraBOOST
Nemeziz 18
Electric orange for the 2018 World Cup. A higher collar, a new zig-zag pattern, and Messi in his own green pair.
The soleplate didn't change from the 17. Only the laceless 18+ got the higher collar: the laced 18.1 kept the 17's height.
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The Nemeziz 18+ landed on 28 May 2018 in the Energy Mode pack (Zest/Core Black/Solar Red), at £250. Firmino, Lingard and Draxler were the faces. The tape upper stayed.
Blue Team Mode took over for the 2018/19 season. Cold Mode came on 1 November 2018, with PrimaLoft insulation to keep feet warm and dry. Initiator and Exhibit followed.
The Ones We Still Chase- Energy Mode (launch)
- Team Mode
- Spectral Mode
- Cold Mode
- Initiator
- Exhibit
Nemeziz 19
Copa del Rey final, May 2019. Messi started in the brand-new 19.1, then came out for the second half in his old 18.1. Even Messi went back to the old pair.
A V-shaped tape collar and a new Tension Tape weave on top. Underneath, "Torsion System" is printed on the sole.
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Revealed on 4 May 2019 and on sale on 7 May, in the red 302 Redirect pack, at £250. adidas named Messi, Isco and Firmino to wear it. Bernardo Silva, Moise Kean and David Alaba were lined up for it too.
adidas said the new weave gives a closer fit. Under it, a two-part soleplate with seven studs at the front and four at the back.
The packs kept coming: pink Hard Wired and blackout Dark Script in summer 2019, Mutator (white with a royal blue sole) in January 2020, Uniforia in May 2020 and Inflight that August.
The Ones We Still Chase- 302 Redirect (launch)
- Hard Wired
- Dark Script
- Mutator
- Uniforia
- Inflight
Nemeziz+ And Nemeziz.1
No more year numbers. Just Nemeziz+ and Nemeziz.1. New graphics, the familiar split soleplate, and the last years of the line.
Bolder graphics: dark outside and white inside on Atmospheric, shifting colours and an iridescent soleplate on Precision To Blur.
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It started in autumn 2020 with Atmospheric, the first time adidas changed the Nemeziz's look. Precision To Blur hit the pitch from 20 November 2020. SoccerBible called it a new generation. Footy Headlines said the tech was the same as before.
Black Superstealth and blue Superlative followed. White and orange Superspectral dropped on 20 April 2021, inspired by the first Nemeziz. A silver Showpiece Nemeziz was pictured for the Euro 2020 knockouts, but it never went on sale. The gold Messi.1 did: adidas released it in the Showpiece pack on 25 May 2021.
Back in October 2020, Footy Headlines had reported that adidas would keep just three boot lines from summer 2021: Predator, Copa and X. The X Speedflow arrived in 2021, and Messi went with it.
The Ones We Still Chase- Atmospheric
- Precision To Blur
- Superstealth
- Superlative
- Superspectral
Nemeziz Messi
Messi had his own Nemeziz from the start. His name, his colours, his custom details. From the first 17.1 to the gold Messi.1 in 2021.
Shop pairs vs match pairs. The Messi pairs you could buy put his name and colours on the normal Nemeziz. His own match pairs had a wrap-around "burrito" tongue instead of the one-piece upper.
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A laceless Nemeziz Messi 17+ 360 Agility came out on 29 June 2017, with "360 Agility Bandage" written on the instep. Messi wore the laced 17.1 instead. With the second generation, adidas stopped making the laceless Messi pair. For the 2018 World Cup the Messi pair was a laced 18.1 in Solar Green, with the 17's collar height. By the Supercopa that August, his own pair had his son Mateo's name and birth date on the left heel, and Antonella's name and his number on the right.
October 2019 brought Messi 15 Years, for 15 years since his debut. Five dots for his five Ballon d'Ors, an "M" logo, "15 AÑOS" on the arch and "82nd min – 16-10-2004" on the front of the right boot. That December, an indigo and green Messi 19.1 followed his sixth Ballon d'Or.
In March 2021 came Rey Del Balon, "King of the ball", in Solar Red/Core Black/Solar Yellow with a gold crown. The gold Messi.1 followed in adidas's Showpiece pack on 25 May 2021, at €220, with a line graphic in Barça's blue and red. In June 2021 Messi switched to the X Speedflow "El Retorno" and scored a free kick on its debut, for Argentina against Chile.
The Ones We Still Chase- Messi 17 Dust Storm
- Messi 17 Ocean Storm
- Messi 18 Energy Mode
- Messi 15 Years
- Messi 19.1 Indigo/Green
- Rey Del Balon
- Gold Messi.1 Showpiece
Four years. Then gone.
Stripes everywhere. Tape wrapped round your foot. A boot that looked like nothing else. Messi had his own pairs, but there's something about the original Dust Storm 17+. If we could keep one Nemeziz? That one. Easy.
Which Nemeziz Is Which
Laced or laceless, one-piece sole or split? Here's what to look for.
17 Or 18
17: bold stripes. 18: a zig-zag knit.
Messi Or Not
Messi pairs carry his name or logo where the main range says Nemeziz.
At A Glance
Swipe ▸| Boot | Year | Main Difference | Upper / Tech | Worn By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nemeziz 17 | 2017 | The first: 17+, 17.1 and Tango | Agility Bandage, TorsionTapes, Torsionframe sole | Messi (17.1), Firmino, Renato Sanches |
| Nemeziz 18 | 2018 | World Cup launch, orange | Higher 18+ collar, same sole as the 17 | Firmino, Lingard, Draxler |
| Nemeziz 19 | 2019 | Two-part soleplate | Tension Tape, V-shaped collar, Torsion System | Firmino, Bernardo Silva, Alaba |
| Nemeziz+ / .1 | 2020 | New graphics, 2020–2021 | Same tech as the 19 (Footy Headlines) | – |
| Nemeziz Messi | 2017–2021 | Special collection, his name and colours | Shop pairs: normal tech. Match pairs: wrap-around tongue | Messi |
Questions
How does the adidas Nemeziz fit?
Reviewers rate the Nemeziz 17+, 19+ and 19.1 true to size in length, with a medium to wide fit. The 18+ is medium-wide, not a wide fit.
Is the adidas Nemeziz good for wide feet?
Partly. The 17+ and 19.1 suit medium to wide feet. One boot reviewer put the 19+ "just on the cusp" of a wide fit. The 18+ isn't a wide fit.
Is the laceless Nemeziz hard to get on?
It depends on the year. The 17+ is easy to get on and off. The 18+ is trickier than other laceless boots. The 19+ takes a minute, with a tight opening. The laced 19.1 slips on in a second.
When did the adidas Nemeziz come out?
May 2017. adidas revealed it on 24 May 2017, and the first colours, Dust Storm, came out on 26 May. More on the Nemeziz 17.
What do + and .1 mean on a Nemeziz?
+ is the laceless version (like the Nemeziz 17+ 360 Agility). .1 is the laced version (like the Nemeziz 19.1). Both were top-tier boots, made across the main range.
What's the difference between the Nemeziz 17+ and 17.1?
The laces. The 17+ 360 Agility is laceless. The 17.1 has laces, so adidas changed the Agility Bandage to fit them. The rest is the same idea: TorsionTapes, a dual-lock collar and the Torsionframe soleplate.
What is the adidas Nemeziz 360 Agility?
The full name of the laceless top pairs, like the Nemeziz 17+ 360 Agility and 18+ 360 Agility. "360 Agility Bandage" is the laceless tape-style upper that wraps the foot. More on the Nemeziz 17.
How many adidas Nemeziz generations are there?
Four: the Nemeziz 17 (2017), 18 (2018), 19 (2019) and the Nemeziz+ / .1 (late 2020 to 2021). Sources disagree on whether that last one counts as a new generation. Each main-range generation came in + and .1, and the Messi editions are a special collection.
What did the Nemeziz replace?
Messi's own signature boot line. adidas launched the Nemeziz in 2017 next to the ACE and the X.
What's the difference between the Nemeziz 18+ and 18.1?
The laces and the collar. The 18+ is laceless, with a higher collar. The laced 18.1 kept a collar about as high as the 17's. Both kept the 17's soleplate.
Why did adidas stop making the Nemeziz?
We found no public reason from adidas. In October 2020 Footy Headlines reported that adidas would go down to three boot lines from summer 2021: Predator, Copa and X. The Nemeziz ended in 2021, and Messi moved to the X Speedflow.
What replaced the adidas Nemeziz?
No new line, Footy Headlines reported. adidas kept Predator, Copa and X, and Messi moved to the X Speedflow in June 2021 with the "El Retorno" pair.
Did Messi wear the laceless Nemeziz?
Not that we found. adidas sold a laceless Messi 17+, but Messi wore the laced 17.1. adidas stopped the laceless Messi pair with the second generation. More on Messi's Nemeziz.
What boots did Messi wear in the 2017 Copa del Rey final?
A custom, laced Nemeziz 17.1, with MESSI where NEMEZIZ usually sits. He scored the first goal as Barcelona beat Alavés 3–1 on 27 May 2017. More on the Nemeziz 17.
Why did Messi change boots in the 2019 Copa del Rey final?
No reason was reported. He started the 25 May 2019 final in the new Nemeziz 19.1 and came out for the second half in his older Nemeziz 18.1. More on the Nemeziz 19.
What's the difference between the Nemeziz 17 and 18?
The 18 has a zig-zag pattern instead of the 17's stripes, and the 18+ has a higher collar. The soleplate didn't change.
What's the difference between the Nemeziz 18 and 19?
The 19 has a split soleplate (Torsion System), a new Tension Tape upper and a V-shaped tape collar. The 18 kept the 17's one-piece Torsionframe sole.
What's the difference between the Nemeziz 19 and the Nemeziz+?
Mostly the graphics. The Nemeziz+ and .1 came from autumn 2020 with bold new designs. Footy Headlines said the tech stayed the same as the 19.
What is the Messi 15 Years Nemeziz?
A 2019 Nemeziz for 15 years since Messi's debut, on sale from 19 October 2019. It has five dots for his five Ballon d'Ors, "15 AÑOS" on the arch and "82nd min – 16-10-2004" on the right boot. More on Messi's Nemeziz.
What is the Nemeziz Tango?
The street version: the Nemeziz upper on a thin indoor or turf sole, with no studs. More on the Nemeziz 17.
What is the Kith x adidas Nemeziz UltraBOOST?
A Kith street shoe from Kith x adidas Soccer Season 2, out on 3 November 2017: a black, laceless Nemeziz Tango 17+ upper on an UltraBOOST sole, with the Kith logo and 3M stripes. The same drop had a Nemeziz 17.1 turf shoe.
What were the 2021 Nemeziz releases?
Superstealth and Superlative, then Superspectral on 20 April 2021. The gold Nemeziz Messi.1 came out in adidas's Showpiece pack on 25 May 2021. A silver Showpiece Nemeziz was pictured but never went on sale. adidas didn't name a final pair.
How do I tell which Nemeziz I have?
Check the laces, the pattern and the sole. No laces: +. Laces: .1. Bold stripes: 17. Zig-zag, one-piece sole: 18. Split sole with Torsion System: 19 or the later Nemeziz+ / .1. Messi's name or logo: a Messi edition.
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