Nike’s reign as provider of the Premier League ball is soon coming to an end. However, they’re not going quietly. The brand is officially re-releasing three iconic Prem balls as part of the ‘Heritage Collection’ to mark the end of an era.
We all know the Nike Premier League ball era is coming to an end. After a successful 25 years of the brand being in charge of designing the ball for the Top Flight, PUMA are set to take over from the beginning of the 25/26 season . During this time, we have seen some iconic footballs grace the pitch with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba scoring absolute worldies with a Nike football.
Of course, after 25 years, Nike want to end their reign in charge with a bang. And that is what we are about to see. Over the past couple weeks we have seen promo images from Chelsea and Liverpool that reveal the players training with a Nike Geo Merlin and Ordem Premier League ball – leading to speculation on whether a comeback for these famous footballs were on the cards. Now we know that they are. The Geo Merlin, Ordem 3 and Seitiro are all making a return in the Heritage collection for the end of this season. Serious nostalgia.
Nike took over from Mitre as the Premier League ball maker in 2000, making their debut with the Geo Merlin. Charlton’s Andy Hunt was the first player to score with this ball, the Geo Merlin then continued to hit the back of the net 991 more times during that season. After 25 years, the Geo Merlin is back.
The Seitiro ball, of the 11/12 season, was the first ball since 04/05 to not carry the T90 mark. The ball was crafted for optimal visual signal on the pitch, designed with Rapid Decisive Response technology. You may remember this ball from one of the most iconic moments of Premier League history when Sergio Agüero ruined all Manchester United fans year when he scored in the 90+3 against QPR to hand Manchester City the title. AGÜEROOOOOO.
The Ordem 3 was one of the most stunning Nike balls that saw Leicester City go against all odds to lift the Premier League trophy. An insane season with an insane ball. Whilst Harry Kane became the first Englishman since 99/00 to pick up the golden boot with an impressive 25 goals.
All in all, a class collection to mark the end of an era.
The Heritage Collection is available now at prodirectsport.com/soccer
