

Close-ups of the upper of the first and second generation of the Nike Hypervenom cleats.
The first-ever Nike Hypervenom boots were unveiled by Barcelona and Brazil star Neymar in May 2013. Debuted in a Brazil – England friendly in early June, the upper of the original Nike Hypervenom was designed to offer a feeling that would be as close as possible to that of playing barefoot.
“The Hypervenom’s upper is created using the new NikeSkin system. This execution of NikeSkin features a soft, supple mesh bound with a thin polyurethane film.” – Nike Hypervenom press release.
To achieve this, Nike experimented and came up with the iconic honeycomb-like structure of the original Hypervenom. And it was a success, which proved popular amongst professionals and boot lovers alike.“Ultimately, every component of the original Hypervenom evolved into something better for Hypervenom II.” – Nike press release
Two years later, Nike released the second generation of the Hypervenom. In order to bring something new to the table, Nike not only added a heightened collar to the top model, the Hypervenom Phantom II, but also completely altered the upper, both in structure and material composition.