The Nike Mercurial Victory II indoor are probably some of the most popular indoor/ turf soccer shoes on the market, I was curious to find out why, and to be honest, I don’t really know why. The shoe appears to have a similar streamlined shape and appearance to that of its’ big brother, the Vapor VII, but when you put it on your foot, it’s an entirely different feel.
For those of you that have asked me whether or not this feels like the Vapor, the answer is no, not even close. When I put this boot on my foot, I immediately noticed the strangely high arches that the shoe has, which isn’t a bad thing, but it felt very weird to have that in a soccer shoe. I also noticed almost immediately that the boot feels a little on the chunky side when they’re on your feet. They aren’t bulky shoes by any means, but the somewhat sloppy fit makes for a very undesirable feel. The reason for this is because Nike have made a shoe that fits very wide, all the way through, allowing it to fit nearly any foot type. This means that this shoe will fit you, it just may not fit you well. The toes box is very wide and the midfoot area is fairly wide as well. That being said, this is still a fairly comfortable shoe.
The padding that these shoes provide is not the best, but it is enough to play comfortably. The upper of this shoe is very soft, but also feels a little on the cheap side. Although the finish on the outside of the shoe appears as the Vapor upper, it is not at all the same material. The Victory upper is a much more layered material, that is much thicker, where as the Teijin Microfiber on the Vapor is a very thin, single layered material. The synthetic upper is nice and soft, making for minimal break-in time, and it also doesn’t stretch much at all, which is a plus. I wore my usual size 9US for review and they fit well in the length. If you’re looking to order a pair of these boots, I would recommend ordering your regular size.
Weight
It’s funny, because if you read what Nike claims, it doesn’t actually match the boot. This boot weighs in at 10oz, which isn’t heavy at all in comparison to a running shoe, but there are plenty of other indoor and turf soccer shoes that weigh less and are not marketed as speed boots, many of which come from Nike. This boot is about average weight for an indoor/turf soccer shoe, and it certainly won’t weigh you down. Just keep in mind that it isn’t a lightweight soccer shoe like the Vapor.
Traction
The sole of this boot is somewhat unique, in that the midsole area is almost completely cut out. Although I don’t think that this has any affect on the traction, it does affect the durability of the shoe, which I will talk about later. The sole is made of a colored gum rubber, but it definitely doesn’t feel as tacky as other gum rubber soles that you might find on some higher end indoor shoes. The sole will perform very well on gym floors or wooden floors as long as the floor is not dirty. If the floor is a little bit dusty, you will slip simply because the gum rubber sole is not tacky enough. The turf version of this shoe sports a fairly standard turf configuration. It will perform very well on turf, and is very aggressive. I would not recommend using the turf version on an indoor surface because of how aggressive it is.
Touch
This is probably the biggest let down in my opinion. The touch on this shoe isn’t bad, but I was hoping for a more barefoot feel, that I just didn’t get from the Victory. The upper is the exact same as the outdoor Mercurial Victory, the lowest shoe in the Mercurial line, and is made of several layers of what appears to be a predominantly mesh upper with the standard Mercurial finish on the outside. Like I said earlier, it looks like the Vapor, but it doesn’t feel like the Vapor. The upper to me felt a little on the cheap side and just didn’t provide the close touch that I always look for in a synthetic shoe. To me, the upper felt a little bulky, and although this may be completely related to the fit and not the upper itself, it does have a major effect on the entire boot. Overall the touch isn’t bad, it just isn’t that premium synthetic that you might be used to from the high end Mercurials.
Shooting
Since this is a Victory, the tongue does have a little bit of padding, but not much. Shooting with this boot does have a little bit of a thinner feel, which is good if that is what you’re looking for. Like I usually point out, shooting is not a big part of indoor soccer, so that really shouldn’t be one of your main concerns when looking for an indoor boot. I do feel like the finish on the upper does offer a little extra grip when curling the ball, but that may just be me.
Durability
This is an area, which concerns me a little bit with this particular boot. The split sole design looks really cool, but when it comes to durability, it may not have been the best innovation. Since much of the midfoot has very little rubber covering it, when you step down, you aren’t stepping down on rubber, you are stepping down directly on to the upper of the shoe. This will cause the finish on the upper to scrape off. Although this is only the bottom of the shoe and it doesn’t really matter, it is a starting point for the finish of the entire shoe to begin peeling away. Of course this may not happen to everyone, it is worth noting. Other than that, this shoe should hold up well, but only if you wear it on the recommended surfaces. Using these boots on the street will tear them up, and quickly.
The Verdict
I believe that these are such a popular shoe simply because they look very cool and because the Mercurial line in itself is just overall very popular, and for good reason. Many people buy this shoe because they have had a good experience with the outdoor version of the Vapor, but I’m sad to say that the Victory really doesn’t come close to the Vapor. That’s not to say that this is a bad shoe, I just feel that there are much better options in the same price range.
| Comfort/Fit | 7 out of 10 |
| Weight | 7 out of 10 |
| Traction | 7 out of 10 |
| Touch | 6 out of 10 |
| Shooting | 7 out of 10 |
| Durability | 7 out of 10 |
| FINAL SCORE | 41 out of 60 or 68% |
