The U.S. Women’s National Team opened its 2016 season with a victory against the Republic of Ireland at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego (5-0), midfielder Carli Lloyd, who scored three goals during the match wore special-edition Mercurial Superfly “Leave Your Legacy” boots.
Designed especially for Lloyd, the pearl-colored boots with gold trim feature her number ten with “leave your legacy” displayed on the heel. The blue and yellow plate references the color of the 2015 Nike boots worn by Lloyd during the World Cup. And the three stars located inside and outside of the boot commemorate her hat trick in the women’s tournament final.
Women’s footwear is 29% of the growing global athletic footwear market, which was worth $74.7 billion in 2011. By 2018, the market value is expected to reach $84.4 billion and the women’s market share is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 1.3%. Therefore, athletic brands – such as Nike – are seizing every opportunity to highlight their sponsored athletes.
“Carli is already one of the greats of the women’s game and these boots are our way of celebrating that,” said General Manager of Nike Soccer in North America, Andrea Perez, in a statement released by Nike.
The eight-year Nike athlete who in 2005 earned her first cap with the USWNT considers scoring three goals in 16 minutes in the World Cup final as the culmination of 13 years of blood, sweat and tears.
During a video produced by Nike Lloyd reflected on the honor of receiving special-edition boots, she said: “When I look at these boots, it is really my entire careers work. It is an honor. Leave your legacy means being the best version of you. I go out there each and every day wanting to be better than I was yesterday.”

Nike has yet to release a signature shoe for a female soccer star as it has with Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo (Mercurial Superfly CR7) and Brazilian sensation Neymar (soon to be announced Air Jordan 5 Low sneaker). Although, with the increased attention surrounding Lloyd and women’s international soccer – the market is ripe for the athletic brand to develop a shoe featuring a female superstar athlete.
Hopefully, that day will come sooner rather than later. In the meantime, 20 additional pairs of the special-edition boots have been autographed by Lloyd and will be distributed to fans. To learn more, download the Nike Soccer app or follow @NikeSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.