Sports gear from cleats, to jerseys, to shorts, even socks and underwear, have come a long way from their counterparts of more than just 20 or even 10 years ago. Each brand has patented thousands of synthetic material samples and designs in their quest to be on the cutting edge. We talked last month about the major industry players that are setting the best new trends in cleats, but only one company is entering the Summer of 2018 with a whole new take on goalkeeper gloves: Nike.

We’ve known about Nike’s plans for a few months (perks of working with the latest products!), but we’re starting to see the new Nike Mercurial Touch Elite Gloves are really starting to catch fire among goalkeepers all over the world. One of our fastest selling new gloves, it’s unlike anything else currently on our shelves.

Some things immediately stand-out when you see the Nike Mercurial Touch Elite Gloves next to their peers. They’re much slimmer, sleeker, more form-fitting than anything else out there. They’re entirely devoid of the back of the hand padding that has been a standard since the 90s, and maybe the biggest change: there’s no wrist cuff in sight.

That’s right, the newest high-profile glove from Nike has no wrist strap or extra way of securing it. It just fits that well, naturally on your hands, wrists and lower forearms. Much like their flagship Superfly VI, the Nike Mercurial Touch Elite glove is entirely one piece. The removal of unnecessary padding has made the glove 33% lighter and 47% thinner than its predecessors.

Letting keepers move their hands more naturally is always going to give them an advantage when making saves, but the new Nike gloves have been praised also for their ease of ball distribution. Each throw feels as natural as can be now that the glove has finally gotten out of the goalkeeper’s way. All Condition Control coated palms ensures that the grip on these Touch Elite gloves is ready for any weather conditions.

The only drawback (if you can call it that) of the new Nike Mercurial Touch Elite glove is that if you do suffer a broken finger, or wrist while playing in the gloves it’s going to be nearly impossible for the medics to get the gloves off safely. Either your field trainer, the ER, or the EMT are likely going to make the decision to cut the glove off your hand, and there won’t be much you can do about it.

Nike’s never been afraid to innovate, and with how high the demand is for the new Mercurial Touch Elite Glove it looks like they’ve struck gold in an often overlooked part of the soccer gear market.

Save a pair for yourself by ordering at www.soccercorner.com before they’re gone!