Twenty years. Six tournaments. Ten goals. No other player in football history has stepped onto six different World Cup stages and scored in every single one — Cristiano Ronaldo became the first to do so, netting in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and now 2026, at 41 years and 138 days old.
But beyond the records and the statistics, there is an almost invisible thread running through each of those campaigns: the boot. From his debut in Germany to the pitches of North America in 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo never changed brands — he remained faithful to Nike’s Mercurial line throughout his entire career. What changed, tournament by tournament, was the model on his feet — and that evolution tells, by itself, a parallel story to the player’s own.
2006 — Germany | Nike Mercurial Vapor III
The Nike Mercurial Vapor III is widely regarded as one of the greatest boots ever made, and it was the model that accompanied CR7 on his World Cup debut. A still-young Ronaldo, aged 21, wore the number 17 on the Portuguese shirt — and the Vapor III on his feet. Portugal reached third place, and the forward scored his first goal at a World Cup.
2010 — South Africa | Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II
Ronaldo went to the 2010 World Cup with an Elite pair of the Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, specially designed for South African pitches. It was also the year Nike launched, mid-tournament, a limited-edition pink version of the same model. Portugal fell in the round of 16 to Spain, but CR7 still got his goal at the tournament.
2014 — Brazil | Nike Mercurial Superfly IV
CR7 returned to the Superfly line in 2014, wearing the FlyKnit boots throughout the World Cup. It was a difficult tournament for Portugal — eliminated in the group stage — but Ronaldo left with a goal to his name, and, months later, with his third Ballon d’Or.
2018 — Russia | Nike Mercurial Superfly VI
The 2018 World Cup remains Ronaldo’s finest individual campaign at a tournament — four goals in the group stage, including a historic hat-trick against Spain. On his feet, the Mercurial Superfly VI, the next generation of the line, with a redesigned Flyknit upper. Portugal was eliminated in the round of 16, but CR7 left as one of the standout names of the edition.
2022 — Qatar | Nike Mercurial Air Zoom Superfly CR7
The last signature boot Ronaldo received was the Mercurial Air Zoom Superfly CR7, delivered to him ahead of the first-ever winter World Cup. The design was inspired by Portuguese azulejo tiles, and he wore them until Portugal crashed out in the quarter-finals to Morocco. It was the 31st and last edition of the CR7 Nike signature series up to that point.
2026 — USA/Canada/Mexico | Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 / Superfly RGN Gold
Ronaldo was confirmed to wear the Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 “Gold Scorpion” for the remainder of the tournament — a limited-edition model with a gold finish, launched in tribute to the record of six World Cups. Nike also released the Mercurial Superfly RGN SE in metallic gold, with a “GOAT” inscription on the outsole and a silhouette inspired by the original 2009 Superfly 1, closing a 20-year cycle.
