Crowned again: The Evolution of an Icon
For almost 60 years, the PUMA KING has shaped football. With its latest evolution, a new generation of Kings rises.
December 23, 2025
Some of us saw it on the television. Others were not even born. But everybody remembers. 1986. Eleven touches, six English players left behind, and a run that redefined what was possible on a football pitch. With that goal, Diego Maradona wrote himself into history – and he did it wearing PUMA KING’s. Pelé, the greatest of his era – wearing PUMA KING’s. Borussia Mönchengladbach, the most dominant club of the 1970s in Germany – wearing the PUMA KING’s.
With the 20th Edition launched this November, PUMA is reinventing its most iconic football boot once again. Discover the KING legacy and explore the innovation behind the greatest evolution of a true classic.
Brazilian football DNA brought into the new PUMA King
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Ilan Fiszbejn grew up in street-soccer culture surrounded by pure love for the beautiful game. Following several years in Brazil’s sneaker industry, he is now the expert and lead product manager of the new PUMA KING at the Headquarters in Herzogenaurach.“KING is back. We’re going up with this one. From all we have heard of, from all the consumer insights we’ve tackled, it’s going to be a success,” Ilan puts it clear and right at the beginning. “This generation will create many KING’s out there. The product is just great.”
Going twelve months back in time, there was no sign of the KING 20 at all – just two men walking through storage racks on floor -1 in the PUMA Headquarters in Herzogenaurach: the fascinating home of the PUMA Archive. “We went through our KING history from ’66 to the present day, tracing each generation and realised that we’ve had 19 different boot generations along the way,” recalls Tung Hoang, PUMA Archive Manager. That discovery set everything in motion and led to the creation of the 20th KING.
The first PUMA KING was born in 1966 – and its inventor was nobody less than Eusébio da Silva Ferreira. During the World Cup in England, Eusébio became the tournament’s top scorer and one of the biggest superstars the sport had ever seen. At that time, while soles on football boots were still stiff and unyielding, Eusébio asked for more flexibility. Rudolf Dassler, founder of PUMA, and his team worked closely with him, turning his feedback and wishes into a softer, more agile construction. Once the World Cup had finished, all those insights were translated into the very first “KING Eusébio.”
Read more about Eusébio on 3 Legendary Eusébio Moments.
Read more about Eusébio on 3 Legendary Eusébio Moments.
Defining the New King
Every new boot begins with an idea. But redefining a legend like the KING is an entirely different challenge. Generations change; today’s consumer does not want the old-school black leather boot anymore. “How can we make it modern? How can we make it progressive? What needs to be improved – and what should not be touched?” Ilan points out. Turning all those early thoughts into a final product brief required countless back-to-back meetings – a demanding process driven by dedication.
From these challenges, Ilan and the team sharpened the identity of the next KING. “The KING 20 has a clear DNA,” he says – built on the foundation of its 19 predecessors. A KING is defined by three essentials: comfort, touch, and reliable traction. Comfort remains its first promise – a KING has to be the most comfortable boot a player has ever worn. Touch comes next: that unmistakable feeling from the iconic leather, reinvented over decades and now evolved into a non-animal, more sustainable material. And finally, reliable traction – giving players confidence in every movement.
Built on Innovation – A Philosophy That Started Early
Today’s DNA, defined by those three essentials, continues a near 60-year-old tradition of pioneering ideas long before anyone else. Built on those early breakthroughs from 1966, new milestones followed: In the 1970s, the S.P.A. heel design reduced strain on the Achilles tendon, setting new standards for comfort and protection. 1982, when Armin Dassler, son of the founder, introduced the Duoflex system: The first shoe to be flexible like a running shoe, allowing for more sensitive ball control and perfect rolling motion without fatiguing. Many milestones built on these breakthroughs – with every KING made right in Herzogenaurach up until 1993.Helmut Fischer, who has worked for PUMA since 1978 and is known as Mr. PUMA, reflects on decades of innovation and change,
“Everything has changed with constant Innovation driving us forward. The only thing that has remained the same is the name ‘KING’ and the philosophy behind it, which Rudolf Dassler, the founder of PUMA, established.”
A Shoe Made for the Best in Every Team
That philosophy found its origins back in 1966, when Rudolf Dassler put it simply: “The KING is my best boot – for the best player on the pitch.”That idea took the KING to the very top – worn by some of the greatest players in football history. Pelé, Eusébio, Matthäus, Netzer, Buffon, Cruyff, Maradona, and several more. The PUMA KING became a player on the world stage, and an icon of the brand. The King is connected to PUMA – and PUMA to the KING.
“When I’m guiding visitors through our history on the iconic PUMA Bridge, I always say that the T7, the Suede and the KING are the foundation on which PUMA rose to global greatness,” says Helmut.
Ready for the Next Kings
Everybody knows the KING, there is no doubt about that. With the new generation, PUMA is spreading the belief that anyone can be the next great player – the next KING. Ilan makes the strategy very clear: “KING’s history is very important, it sets the foundation of the legacy but we are building the future for the new Kings out there with this one.”As the interview with Ilan comes to a close, what remains is more than just information about the new KING. You feel his passion behind every word – the dedication to something far beyond his job. Or, as PUMA founder Rudolf Dassler put it 77 years ago: “Without passion, no quality”.
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