Women’s football is the hottest ticket on the planet. Its biggest stars are splashed across the front and back pages of magazines and newspapers, they’re starring on TV shows – and they’re featured on billboards showcasing the very best technical equipment specifically aimed at female footballers.
The adidas Predator Edge is the boot of choice for some of the most famous faces in women’s football. Here, they share what it takes to get to – and stay at – the top of their game.
A SENSE OF BELONGING
Self-confidence is everything when it comes to football – having the belief that you belong, that you can achieve. And that’s key for English striker Toni Duggan, who has scored goals at the highest level, both on her home soil and internationally.
“I think one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever had as a footballer is making sure I continue to believe in myself,” she says, “especially at the beginning when I was facing a lot of criticism and scepticism for wanting to play football. Even at that age, you’re still trying to find your place in the world – where you want to live, what you want to do or what type of person you want to be!”
And the team around you can definitely help you with that. In football, team spirit is everything. You can have the best players in the world – but if the atmosphere and squad bonds aren’t there, trophies won’t follow.
France’s towering defender Wendie Renard is one of the most-decorated players out there – winning 14 domestic titles and seven UEFA Women’s Champions League™ crowns with her club side Lyon – and she knows all about how to create and lead a brilliant team.
“When I am on a pitch, I want to win of course! I am a competitor!” Renard says. “But something that inspires me more than that is the collective effort needed in football. You have to work together in order to succeed. You have to work together as a team for the full 90 minutes. You have to remain professional until the very last minute.”
CONSTANTLY LEARNING
What helps a new player get better – and a great player get greater? The very best of coaching.
There has been lots of talk over the years about female goalkeepers – who stand in exactly the same-size goals as their male counterparts, despite being on average smaller. Chile’s number one Christiane Endler – who impressed fans the world over with a string of stunning performances during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup™ and the Tokyo Olympics – wants more and more coaches in the women’s game, particularly for goalkeepers. “I’d say not every club has the ‘right’ person in charge of ensuring that coaches are receiving the most up-to-date training,” she says.
“The game has changed a lot! And making sure that you are constantly learning in order to keep up with those changes is vital”
- Christiane Endler
According to Endler, the position of goalkeeper has also developed a lot over the years. “You now have to be great with your feet as well as your hands. You’re another player on the pitch,” she says. “So making sure coaches are aware of changes, the latest techniques and technology to help goalkeepers be the best they can be is so important.”
FINDING THE RIGHT KIT
The technology that Endler talks about includes the very best equipment.
She has long been associated with adidas – and has fond memories of her early boots. “adidas boots were the boots I wore for my national debut playing with Chile’s U17s’ side in the South American Cup. When my dad returned from a trip to Germany, he brought me back the boots David Beckham wore! I remember them very well because of that.”
Duggan, too, loved her first pair of Predators – her first-ever boots. “I felt like the coolest kid when I wore those! I’d walk onto the pitch full of confidence, and that’s something you still feel when you’re an adult. When I get a new pair of boots nowadays, as soon as I put them on, I genuinely feel like a kid again! It’s a great feeling.”
Wendie Renard – who has been with Lyon since she was 16 – knows a thing or two about how important it is to have a great pair of boots on your feet, too. “I have seen boots evolve over the years, but it’s always been really important to make sure you feel comfortable,” she says. “It’s one less thing to worry about when it comes to preparing for a game.
The adidas Predator Edge is the perfect way to do that. And the perfect way for the next generation of female footballers to take the game to the next level – and play with their very own edge.