The Adidas football boot introduced in 1994 with rubber fins was the Predator.
The Predator was developed from a prototype associated with Australian footballer Craig Johnston, who experimented with rubber elements on the boot’s upper. Those fins were designed to grip the ball during contact, helping players generate greater control, swerve, and power.
The boot stood out because its technology was visible rather than hidden inside the sole. Adidas marketed the rubber striking zones as a way to improve touch in wet conditions and make the ball respond more predictably. The Predator line later became closely linked with stars such as Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Steven Gerrard.
A common mix-up is confusing the Predator with Copa Mundial, Adidas’s classic leather boot, or World Cup, a separate Adidas football-boot family. Nemeziz was introduced much later and used a different design philosophy centered on agility and foot mobility.