John Collins was one of the deadliest in the business from dead ball situations, especially free kicks…
The former Celtic midfielder can boast an array of impressive efforts that beat an opposing wall in a Celtic shirt, a feat that has subsequently been bettered perhaps only by Shunsuke Nakamura.
The Scotland international also has the distinction of being the first professional player to score to in a top level match wearing the original iconic adidas predator boots.
The cultured midfielder achieved the feat in a 1-1 draw at Ibrox, when his 25 yard free kick swerved perfectly around the blue shirted wall to nestle in the top left hand corner of the goal right in front of the Copland Road stand.
It was a goal that literally silenced Ibrox, as it was the game that away supporters were locked out due to a ridiculous and unfair ban enforced by Ibrox supremo David Murray.
Although, rather strangely you can hear a few brave souls cheering when the goal went in!! But I doubt that was from the home supporters, as good as the goal was!
The predator boots, now worn regularly by players at the very top level, were the brainchild of former Liverpool and Australia star Craig Johnston, and would soon catch on, with serval other top class players following John’s lead in donning the new footwear.
The Aussie conceived the idea in the early 1990s by gluing rubber from a table tennis bat to an old pair of football boots to enhance ball grip and swerve.
Johnston spent significant amounts of his own money developing the boot and marketing it. After initial rejections from brands like Nike, Reebok, and Puma, he flew to Munich unannounced. He persuaded German football legends Franz Beckenbauer, Paul Breitner, and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to test his prototype in the snow. After filming their positive feedback, Adidas acquired the design.
This led to original Adidas Predator was officially released in 1994, revolutionising football boot technology with its rubber fins that allowed players to strike the ball with greater power, spin, and precision, with our very own John Collins having the honour of being the first pro to wear them, and what a fitting endorsement he gave them!
John would repeat the feat at Ibrox again four months later, producing an exact replica of his April effort, but this time the huge travelling support where present in the free Broomloan to witness the sublime effort in a game the hoops won 2-0.
While Johnston was eventually bought out of his royalty agreement prior to the boot’s massive mainstream success, his invention laid the foundation for one of the most successful and longest-running football boot lines in history.
Today, modern iterations of Johnston’s design—such as the Predator Elite and Precision—are still worn by top professionals globally and retail across sports stores like Adidas UK.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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