I remember flipping through catalogs and coming across the Samba Derivatives…I thought they were awesome. Everyone seemed to have Sambas growing up…I was never crazy about the traditional pair. I think I was turned off by the fact that they were so popular.

I saw kid wearing a pair of the Oak Derivatives while watching my older sister’s indoor game. He was the best player on her team…my mind was set…I had to have a pair of the Jack Tripper-esque Sambas.

There was one problem…the Samba Derivatives were only sold for a limited time.

Eventually I came across a pair…in a Play It Again Sports store. Yep…I bought and wore a pair of used shoes. It kind of grosses me out now…but at the time, at the time I didn’t care.

For those keeping score at home, they looked better than they felt. I got so many blisters from those bastards.

The scan is courtesy of the Fall 92/Spring 93 Soccer World catalog.

Nike introduced the eighth version of the Mercurial Vapor…they say the boot is “berry”…it’s pink.

I predicted that Djibril Cisse would be the first player to don the boot…he’s never struck me as one to shy away from anything flashy. I was wrong…I spotted both Franck Ribery and Niklas Bendtner wearing the boot over the weekend. Ribery wears them better.

Check out some colorful Gazelles…courtesy of SoccerPlus

This guy’s tai chi pose from the fall 94 TSI catalog would have made a lot more sense if they hadn’t potatochopped the ball out of the shot.

I like that he’s wearing Puma’s while modeling the Adidas Warm Up. Rudi and Adi Dassler are pleased.