First in history: Liverpool hero, Man Utd stars and Villa sensation: Top 10 footballers who wear Adidas Predators

Since their 1994 debut, Adidas Predators have continued to be among the most recognizable football boots in the world. The distinctive foldover tongue is back in the Predator 30, a new limited edition that the company released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first pair.

Some of the game’s greatest ever players sported Predators throughout their trophy-filled careers. Zinedine Zidane was wearing a pair when he scored a spectacular volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2002 Champions League final and Steven Gerrard was also sporting a red colourway version when he scored his own thunderous volley in the Champions League against Olympiacos in December 2004, ensuring Liverpool’s progress to the knockout stages.

In order to promote the latest release, Adidas have recruited some of the best players of the modern era to model the boots in addition to the elite talents who were already signed with them. With that in mind, GIVEMESPORT have ranked the 10 best players in the world today who currently wear Predator boots. You can check out our ranking criteria below:

Ranking criteria:

• Current ability. Determined by the level of competition each footballer currently plays at and their proven track record of success in terms of silverware
• How cool they make the Predators look. A subjective quality but regularly scoring 30-yard belters while wearing them is a lot more impactful in raising the Preditors’ cultural significance than hoofing away clearances and shuffling passes across the back four.
• Performance statistics. Goals, assists, clean sheets and appearances are all taken into consideration.

10Andre Onana

Manchester United and Cameroon

While he hasn’t made the most convincing starts to his time at Manchester United, there is no doubting that Andre Onana is a talented goalkeeper when at his best. The peak of his career came in the summer of 2023 when he reached the Champions League final with Inter Milan, and the Cameroonian was sporting a pair of Adidas Predator Accuracy+ as his side narrowly lost to Man City.

The shotstopper first broke through at Ajax and made over 200 appearances for the Dutch giants before he was banned from playing for nine months in February 2021, after being found guilty of taking a banned substance. Once Onana had served his ban, he joined Inter and spent a successful season in Italy before sealing a big-money move to Man United in July 2023, which saw him reunited with Erik ten Hag, who had been his boss back in Amsterdam.

9Sofyan Amrabat

Manchester United and Morocco

Joining United alongside Onana in the summer of 2023 was another face of the Adidas Predators brand in Sofyan Amrabat. The defensive midfielder wore a pair of Adidas Predator Edge throughout the 2022 World Cup, as he announced himself on the global stage with his stellar performances for Morocco, who shocked everyone by reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.

Amrabat was playing for Fiorentina at the time after spells with Utrecht, Feyenoord, Club Brugge and Hellas Verona prior to his arrival in Florence. After helping the Italian side reach the 2023 Europa Conference League final, which they lost 2-1 to West Ham, he earned a move to Old Trafford, initially on loan but with an option to make the signing permanent for a fee of £21.4m.

8Eder Militao

Real Madrid and Brazil

Eder Militao has enjoyed a successful career with Real Madrid and has worn Adidas Predators throughout his time at the Santiago Bernabeu. When he helped his side win the Champions League in 2022, he was sporting a pair of Predator Edge as they narrowly beat Liverpool 1-0 in the final.

The centre-back made his professional debut for Sao Paolo in 2017 at the age of 19 and a year later he signed for Porto and earned a place in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year for the one season he spent in Portugal. In 2019, Los Blancos purchased the Brazilian for €50m in the same summer in which he won the Copa America with Brazil, and he would follow that up with the La Liga title in his first season in Spain.

7Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Barcelona and Germany

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has established himself as one of the most reliable goalkeepers in Barcelona’s history, having made over 350 appearances in between the sticks for the Catalan giants. He has been sponsored by Adidas throughout his career and can often be seen with a pair of Predators on his feet.

The German began his career with Borussia Monchengladbach and played over 100 times for his hometown club before Barcelona signed him as a 22-year-old in 2014. He finally became first-choice goalkeeper at the Nou Camp after two years of playing second fiddle to Claudio Bravo, but is yet to have similar luck dislodging Manuel Neuer as Germany’s No.1.

6David Alaba

Real Madrid and Austria

Legendary defender David Alaba has sported Adidas footwear throughout an illustrious career that has included over 20 major honours.

Alaba was picked up by Bayern Munich as a 16-year-old in 2008 and had become a regular starter for the Bavarians within three years. He made 431 appearances and won ten Bundesligas and two Champions League titles during his time with the Germans, before he joined Real Madrid in 2021, with whom he won his third Champions League medal in his very first season.

5Emiliano Martinez

Aston Villa and Argentina

Emiliano Martinez had to wait a long time for his chance to shine on the world stage, but was recognised as the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper of 2022 for his performances at the World Cup. His goalkeeping heroics while wearing Adidas Predator Edge boots helped Argentina triumph over France in the final and win their third World Cup.

Having barely featured in almost nine years at Arsenal, Martinez was finally given a run of games in 2020 while covering for injured first-choice goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The Argentinian impressed between the sticks and was snapped up by Aston Villa for £20m, where he was immediately regarded as an important player. He started every league match in his first season, and his high level of performance saw him finally make his international bow in June 2021 at the age of 28.

4Gabriel Jesus

Arsenal and Brazil

Gabriel Jesus is another player who has worn Adidas on his feet throughout his playing career. The Brazilian has been a long-term fan of Predators and throughout the 2022/23 season, he could be seen sporting a pair of Accuarcy+ boots.

The forward was signed by Manchester City in January 2017 and was a reliable back-up to club icon Sergio Aguero. The arrival of Erling Haaland in the summer of 2022 signalled the end of Jesus’ time in Manchester, and he joined Arsenal for £45m, helping Mikel Arteta’s side push his old employers all the way for the Premier League title as he weighed in with 11 goals and seven assists in his first season at the Emirates.

3Pedri

Barcelona and Spain

Pedri was making headlines from a very young age after breaking through at Las Palmas aged 16 and earning a move to Barcelona. He was soon snapped up by Adidas and went from being one of the faces of Copa to Predator in February 2023, sporting the Accuracy+ edition during the second half of the 2022/23 season.

The Spaniard made his professional debut in 2019 and was signed by Barcelona the following year. Despite his young age, he would immediately become a regular for the Catalans, appearing in all but one of their 38 league matches in his first season. He won the Golden Boy award in 2021, and La Liga in 2023, after making 35 appearances and scoring seven goals for Barcelona across the campaign.

2Trent Alexander-Arnold

Liverpool and England

Trent Alexander-Arnold had been with Under Armour since 2017, when he first broke into the Liverpool team at the age of 19. But in November 2023, he signed a lucurative deal with Adidas and immediately became one of the main faces for their Predator brand.

Wearing a pair of unreleased boots, Alexander-Arnold scored the equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Man City in his first game since signing the deal, before going on to net the winner in a 4-3 thriller with Fulham the following week. He’s been regarded as one of the Premier League’s most creative players ever since he became a regular in the first team of his boyhood club and has won four major honours with the Reds, as of December 2023.

1Jude Bellingham

Real Madrid and England

Jude Bellingham enjoyed a meteoric rise early in his career, and by December 2023 was regarded as one of the best players in the world, despite only being 20 years old. Therefore, he was an obvious choice to be the first player to model the brand new limited edition pair of Adidas Predators in a 4-2 win over Napoli in the Champions League, during which the midfielder grabbed a goal and an assist.

He came through the ranks of his boyhood club Birmingham City, who somewhat controversially retired the number 22 that Bellingham had worn at St. Andrew’s when he was sold to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, despite the fact he had only made 44 appearances for the Blues. Bellingham continued to go from strength-to-strength with the German side, as well as the England national team, and earned himself an enormous move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2023, where he started like a house on fire, scoring 15 goals in his first 17 games for Los Blancos.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.