Ronaldo’s 2022 World Cup boots have Bangkok roots
Football fans wondering where the idea for Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2022 FIFA World Cup boots came from should look no further than the Portuguese Embassy in Bangkok.
The Nike Zoom Mercurial Superfly IX CR7’s that the Portugal captain will pull on when the tournament starts on November 22 take their colourful design from tiles that adorn the Embassy’s walls in Bangrak district.
Take a trip down Soi Charoen Krung 30 (Captain Bush Lane) from Si Phraya pier and you can get a glimpse of the Azulejo tilework designs that will be flashing before the eyes of goalkeepers in Qatar next month.
Azulejo tile designs weave major cultural influences from Portugal’s history.
“Azulejo” comes from the Arabic word for “small polished stone”, a legacy of the Islamic Moors and Arabs who arrived on the Iberian peninsula 1,300 years ago.
The original design featured simple geometric shapes and neutral colours but was adapted in each era and spread around the world through trading and colonialism.
The tiles at the Bangkok embassy were made by Portuguese ceramic factory Viúva Lamego in September 2019.
Ronaldo is set to debut the Azulejo boots in Portugal’s first match of the 2022 World Cup against Ghana in Group H on November 24. Portugal will also face Uruguay on November 28, and South Korea on December 2.
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