On the football pitch their is a fierce battle that rages between adidas football boots and Puma football boots. This special rivalry has run for many years and goes back to the respective founders of each company: Adi Dassler and Rudi Dassler, alternatively known as the Dassler brothers.
Back in the 1920s Adolf 'Adi' Dassler started a workshop creating sports shoes in the family house in Herzogenaurach, Germany. In 1924, his brother Rudolf 'Rudi' Dassler joined his business and they became 'Gebruder Dassler Schuhfabrik' or Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory. Together they were successful selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II, however the successful partnership lasted until 1948.
The Dassler brothers split after a dispute tore them apart. Rudi took charge of a secondary plant, and in 1948 they both launched their rival brands, vowing never to speak to each other again the football pitch became their battlefield.
Adi Dassler was to name his company 'Addas' using the first syllables from his name, but as this clashed with an existent company he changed to 'adidas'. The famous three stripes were invented so his products were distinctive and could be spotted from a distance, becoming immediately recognisable.
First blood was drawn by adidas at the 1954 World Cup. Despite both adidas and Puma coming up with innovative designs for their football boots and introducing screw-in studs, the West German national side opted for adidas football boots due to Adi's connections. The result of the World Cup was the Germans famously defeating the seemingly unbeatable Hungarians led by Puskas 3-2 in the Final, as adidas had supplied the football boots they became the national heroes for creating the winning football boots.
Puma had to wait until 1970 to get their revenge. Rudi Dassler had planned to call his company 'Ruda' but after being persuaded this was uninspiring he opted for 'Puma'. Opting for a single thick stripe which gradually curved toward the heel where it thinned, Puma's logo became known as the 'Formstripe'.
Pre-1970 World Cup both adidas and Puma agreed that Pele was such a huge star that a bidding war would become astronomical, so they made a pact to both leave the Brazilian. Puma, however, had other ideas and snapped up the extraordinary talent who promptly delivered Brazil and Puma the World Cup, scoring 4 goals including the opener in the Final.
All-out war ensued between the two companies with neither brother breaking their silence, even as Rudi lay dying in 1974 there was no final farewell. The rivalry even heightened after Adi passed in 1978 as both companies were ran by their respective sons.
To this day adidas and Puma's rivalry continues. They will coincide launches of football boots, such as the Puma v1.08 football boots and the adidas F50.8 football boots at EURO 2008. Even rivalling team kits, such as Puma kitting out World Champions Italy, while adidas kit out the European Champions Spain.