Twenty-five years ago, David Beckham’s free-kick against Greece took England to the 2002 World Cup. Now adidas is marking one of the best-known goals of his career with two Predator models.
Old Trafford, 6 October 2001. England are 2–1 down to Greece and into stoppage time. With Germany held to a 0–0 draw by Finland in the parallel game, a point will be enough to send England straight to the World Cup.
Then England win a free-kick. David Beckham has already missed several that afternoon. Teddy Sheringham, who levelled at 1–1 earlier, wants to take this one. Captain Beckham insists on taking it himself. He sends the ball over the wall and into the top corner. It’s the 93rd minute, it’s 2–2, and England are going to the World Cup.
On Beckham’s feet: the adidas Predator Precision. Twenty-five years later to the day, adidas has released two boots that recall it: the new David Beckham Predator and the Predator Precision Remade.
Two Predators for the 25th Anniversary
The David Beckham Predator is the third signature boot Beckham has developed with adidas. It is built on the current Predator generation and takes its white-and-red colourway from 2001.
For the details, adidas looks back to earlier Predator generations: a leather forefoot and a red leather fold-over tongue. Beckham’s name appears on the outer side of the boot and on the tongue, while a red silhouette of his free-kick motion features on the back of the heel. The Trefoil logo also appears on the tongue and as a repeating pattern within the Three Stripes. Following Beckham’s special edition in 2024, this is only the second Predator ever to feature the Trefoil.
The Predator Precision Remade stays closer to the original from 2001. It keeps that boot’s distinctive design, with silver stripes and a silver soleplate. Beckham’s name is embroidered on the tongue, and the No 7 he wore at the time sits on the heel.
Both boots have been available since 6 October 2026 from selected adidas stores and the official online shop.
Beckham’s Predator Years
At Manchester United, Beckham wore several generations of the Predator, including the Predator Accelerator and the Predator Precision. He stayed loyal to the range at his later clubs, too: Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
Predator models from the late 1990s and early 2000s were known for their fold-over tongues and rubber elements on the upper, designed to affect how the boot made contact with the ball.
Three years before the free-kick against Greece, Beckham had been sent off against Argentina in the last 16 of the 1998 World Cup. England went out on penalties, and Beckham faced fierce criticism at home. At the end of 2001, the British public voted him BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
