Zinedine Zidane's Match Worn, Photo-Matched, Dual Signed Adidas Predator Pulse Football Boots, Worn During The 2004/05 Season

Zinedine Zidane’s Match-Worn Adidas Predator Pulse Boots (2004/05)
A Museum-Grade Study of Two Pairs from a Defining Season

 

Widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Zinedine Zidane occupies a rarefied space in the history of the game. Not merely admired, but revered, Zidane was a footballer whose influence extended far beyond results and statistics. His game was built on balance, timing, restraint and devastating intelligence — qualities that made even the most hostile stadiums fall momentarily silent when the ball reached his feet.

David Beckham once described Zidane as “the greatest of all time.” Roberto Carlos spoke of supporters arriving early at the Santiago Bernabéu simply to watch him warm up. Ronaldinho called him one of his idols, praising his elegance and vision. Michel Platini, perhaps the most fitting judge of all, summed it up best: “Technically, I think he is the king of what’s fundamental in the game — control and passing.”

In this blog, we present not one, but two match-worn pairs of Zidane’s Adidas Predator Pulse boots from the 2004/05 season — the same model, same colourway, same campaign — yet each telling a different chapter of the same story. One pair bears something almost never seen on Zidane memorabilia: dual, hand-signed tongues. The other shows additional structural modifications requested by the player himself. Together, they form a complete, museum-level record of Zidane’s final peak years with Real Madrid and France.

 

⸻

 

Match-Worn Zidane: A Different Category Entirely

 

 

A match-worn boot from any elite footballer is difficult to obtain. A match-worn boot from an icon — a player whose career helped define an era — exists in an entirely different category. Zidane’s match-worn equipment is notoriously scarce. He was not a prolific signer. He did not habitually gift boots to staff, fans or charity auctions. When items did leave his possession, they almost always did so through official channels or personal connections.

That scarcity is magnified further when we consider that these boots were worn during a period when players were supplied with far fewer pairs than they are today. In the modern game, elite professionals may rotate boots weekly or even match-to-match. In the mid-2000s, even Adidas’ most valued athletes would often wear the same pair across long stretches of a season.

The result is wear that can be tracked, studied, and authenticated through match photography — allowing these boots to be placed precisely within Zidane’s final years at the top of the game.

 

⸻

 

The 2004/05 Season: Zidane at the Bernabéu

 

By 2004/05, Zidane was a Galáctico in the truest sense. Real Madrid’s midfield revolved around him. Matches slowed when he wished them to. Accelerated when he allowed them to. This was not the explosive Zidane of 1998, nor the raw physical force of his Juventus years. This was the complete conductor — controlling games through economy of movement and absolute command of space.

It was during this season that Zidane wore the Adidas Predator Pulse almost exclusively — from pre-season tours through La Liga, UEFA Champions League nights, and iconic El Clásico encounters.

The two pairs presented here — an X-TRX FG and an X-TRX SG — were worn across a remarkable list of fixtures, including Champions League ties against Juventus, domestic clashes at the Santiago Bernabéu, and some of Zidane’s most memorable late-career goals.

 

⸻

 

The Adidas Predator Pulse: Retail Icon vs Athlete Reality

 

 

The Predator Pulse sits comfortably among the most revered silhouettes in Adidas’ Predator lineage. Premium leather, a traditional fold-over tongue, and a sense of authority that mirrored the midfield generals who wore it.

But as with all elite-level football boots, the retail version only tells part of the story.

Zidane’s boots were Made To Measure (MTM) — hand-built inside Adidas’ Athlete Services facility in Herzogenaurach, Germany. This factory exists for one reason alone: to create uncompromising equipment for the world’s best players. Every element is adjustable. Every request considered. Every boot built to withstand the demands of football’s biggest stages.

The size labels inside these boots show UK 9.5 (US 10), but this designation is only a reference point. MTM boots are shaped directly to the athlete’s foot — meaning they are not true retail equivalents in any meaningful sense.

Upper Construction: Leather Beyond the Retail Standard

 

 

The first detail that becomes apparent when examining Zidane’s Predator Pulse boots is the quality of the leather. Even more than 20 years on, the uppers remain remarkably supple — a testament to both material selection and craftsmanship.

Additional reinforcement stitching is visible across the forefoot vamp on the XTRX FG pair specifically, designed to control stretch and preserve shape. This is not cosmetic. It is functional — allowing Zidane to enjoy the touch and feel of premium leather without sacrificing long-term structure.

This level of leather quality simply did not exist on mass-produced retail pairs.

 

The Fold-Over Tongue: Culture, Habit, Identity

 

 

Few boot features are as iconic as the Predator tongue. For many players, its positioning became ritual.

Beckham wore his low, almost grazing the toe box. Gerrard favoured a mid-position. Zidane, characteristically, kept it neat and functional — strapped around the midfoot, revealing just enough of the tongue for the Adidas logo to remain visible.

On the X-TRX FG pair, each tongue has been hand-signed by Zidane himself — an astonishing rarity. Zidane-signed match-worn boots are scarce. Dual-signed tongues from the same pair are almost unheard of. This elevates the FG pair into a category reserved for the very finest collections worldwide.

 

FG vs SG: Two Tools for Different Battles

 

 

The FG pair was worn primarily in dry conditions and on pristine pitches, while the SG pair features the metal-bladed X-TRX soleplate designed for softer ground.

Interestingly, Zidane appears to have favoured SG insoles even inside the FG boots — a detail that reveals his preference for additional underfoot padding and stability.

Removing the insoles reveals reinforced insole boards — a modification still seen today in elite-level boots worn by players such as Lionel Messi. These boards increase torsional rigidity and overall stability, particularly important for a player whose game relied on balance and subtle shifts of weight.

 

Heel Modifications: Solving a Known Issue

 

 

Earlier in his career, Zidane was known to tape his heel area to prevent blistering. Adidas responded by engineering bespoke heel constructions for him.

On these Predator Pulse boots, the heel is raised by approximately 13mm compared to retail models, with custom padding distribution shaped specifically to Zidane’s foot. These changes are subtle in photographs, but dramatic in-hand — and impossible to replicate outside the Athlete Services environment.

 

Personalisation: Understated, Permanent

 

 

Unlike many modern players, Zidane opted for minimal personalisation. Each boot features simply his surname — “Zidane” — embroidered in silver thread along the lateral side. 

Importantly, this embroidery was applied at a stage of manufacture prior to the interior lining being added, meaning it cannot be seen from inside the boot. This confirms it was part of the original manufacturing process — not a later addition. A crucial detail which separates genuine Zidane match-worn boots & counterfeit copies.

This level of embedded personalisation is rarely seen today.

 

⸻

 

Match History and Provenance

 

These boots were worn across a substantial portion of the 2004/05 season, including:

• UEFA Champions League fixtures vs Juventus • La Liga matches at the Santiago Bernabéu • El Clásico victories where Zidane found the net • Pre-season international tours

The dual hand signed X-TRX FG pair were used in the following fixtures;

• 1st August 2004 – Tokyo Verdy 0-4 Real Madrid – Zidane scored a stunning opening goal of the game.
• 3rd November 2004 – Dynamo Kyiv 2-2 Real Madrid – UEFA Champions League Group Stage.
• 15th February 2005 Football for Hope, Camp Nou – Zidane assisted in a star-studded charity match raising £7m for tsunami relief.
• 17th April 2005 – Levante 0-2 Real Madrid – La Liga. 

The X-TRX SG pair were used in the following fixtures;

• 16th January 2005 – Real Madrid 3-1 Real Zaragoza – La Liga –Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 5th February 2005 – Real Madrid 4-0 Espanyol – La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu – Zidane scored the opening goal of the game.
• 19th February 2005 – Real Madrid 0-2 Athletic Bilbao – La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 22nd February 2005 – Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus – UEFA Champions League – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 9th March 2005 – Juventus 2-0 AET Real Madrid – UEFA Champions League – Delle Alpi.
• 20th March 2005 – Real Madrid 1-0 Malaga – La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 10th April 2005 – Real Madrid 4-2 FC Barcelona  La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu – Zidane scored the opening goal of the game.
• 23rd April 2005 – Real Madrid 2-1 Villarreal – La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 7th May 2005 – Real Madrid 5-0 Racing – La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 14th May 2005 – Sevilla 2-2 Real Madrid – La Liga – Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
• 21st May 2005 – Real Madrid 0-0 Atlético Madrid – La Liga – Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
• 28th May 2005 – Real Zaragoza 1-3 Real Madrid – La Liga – La Romareda.

The extent of use alone places these boots among the most significant Zidane match-worn examples in existence.

 

⸻

 

Predator Legacy: Zidane’s Boot Journey

 

 

From Copa Mundials to Accelerators, Precisions, Manias and Absolutes, Zidane’s boot history mirrors the evolution of modern football itself. The Predator Pulse represents a late-career synthesis — tradition refined by innovation.

 

Final Thoughts: Football as Art

 

These two pairs of match-worn Adidas Predator Pulse boots are not just relics of matches played. They are physical extensions of Zidane’s philosophy — control, elegance, restraint, and devastating effectiveness.

They belong not merely in collections, but in museums.

At BC Boots UK, it is a privilege to present artefacts of this calibre — tangible connections to one of football’s true masters.