Soccer. Fútbol. Even football. The name may change depending on geography, but the sport remains the same: wherever you are in the world, it very much remains “the beautiful game.” And, while that beauty refers, in general, to the grace, athleticism, discipline and creativity that players bring to the pitch during those 90 minutes, that doesn’t mean there can’t be other kinds of beauty beyond the realm of technique.

Enter South Korean national captain, Tottenham forward, and all-round global soccer star Son Heung-Min’s newly-revealed boot collaboration with adidas.

Where on-pitch and on-screen football may not have the inherent bombast of the NFL or other US-oriented sports in general, footwear has long been an antidote to the bureaucracy and stuffed-shirtism of soccer – particularly when it comes to British football, where the damp and the grey are as much a part of the culture as anything else and flair, historically, has taken a back seat to physicality.

And, in that sense, the Son Heung-Min x adidas X Crazyfast boot – which arrives in a triple-toned “Lucid Lemon/Bright Royal/Lucid Pink” colorway – is a continuation of that tradition. Inspired by the nightlife of the Premier League Golden Boot Award-winner‘s home country, the boot is vivid and spectacular in the very literal sense.

Being, at the end of the day, performance footwear, the boot is necessarily more than just flash, more than just flair – proving that you can in fact have both and that, perhaps, the game is best when the two are on the pitch at once. As a piece of functional wear, the X Crazyfast is very much designed to live up to its name. Underneath the neon aesthetic, the shoes are stacked with high-end athletic tech.

In terms of those performance credentials, the Speedframe outsole includes a flexible Aeroplate inlay, designed for the kind of high-powered, moment’s-notice acceleration that can change a game in seconds. The Aeropacity Speedskin upper, too, features a refined reinforcement system – support targeted to the essential areas in order to keep the shoe’s weight down.

Beyond both form and function, however, there is a third thing worth mentioning. Given the huge number of air miles racked up by the worldwide football industry, it’s only right that – through some mechanism – the sport’s impact on the planet should be somehow mitigated. And, while it won’t solve all those problems by any means, it’s important to note that the upper section of the X Crazyfast is crafted from a minimum of 50% recycled materials.

Available in both laced and laceless versions – aka the X Crazyfast Son.3 and Son.1, respectively – the Son Heung-Min x adidas X Crazyfast boot is available to shop now through various outlets, including direct from adidas, priced at £80 GBP and £230 GBP (roughly $100 USD and $300 USD).