Adidas has made the laceless athletic shoe a reality.

The shoe and sportswear manufacturer released the Ace 16+ Purecontrol, the world’s first laceless, high-performance soccer boot. The cleat was initially announced in 2015, with plenty of skepticism on how such footwear could be made functional. As FourFourTwo reports, the laces have been replaced with three points of stability to lock the foot into the boot, resulting in a glove-like fit. The larger surface area reportedly allows users to generate more power for strikes. According to Engadget’s Matt Brian, the boots are made from similar materials used in smartphone cases.

Adidas have selected a handful of athletes to show off the cleats starting Jan. 23, with Arsenal star Mezut Ozil and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic wearing the laceless boots in-game for the first time ever.

Ozil had a key role in the product’s development and said the boots were like a dream product.

“My whole career I have tried to minimise the impact of laces on my strike and ball control,” he said.

“I revealed to adidas in 2014 that in the changing room I knot the laces over and over again and then tuck in the ends, that way they do not interfere with my touch.

“When they came to me last year with the laceless boots, it was like they have created my dream product.

“I cannot wait to wear them on the pitch.”

The boot has undergone extensive testing, from the football field to “cutting edge robotic trials.” A limited number of them will be available to the public through flagship Adidas stores in cities such as Paris, London and Manchester, in addition to as yet unannounced select retail partners. You can read more about the boot at the official Adidas website.

[FourFourTwo]

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com