adidas Copa Pro Promo GK Gloves

Aurora Black/Platin Met./Turbo

Negative cut goalkeeper gloves, also known as "inseam" gloves, are designed with the seams on the inside of the glove. This style is increasingly popular among top-level goalkeepers for its snug, natural fit. The fingers are stitched from the inside leading to a tighter, more contoured fit around the fingers, enhancing ball control and feel. Negative cut gloves are ideal for goalkeepers with slim hands, or those who prefer a close-fitting glove. However, due to the tighter fit, they may wear out quicker than other styles, particularly for goalkeepers training on abrasive surfaces.

As you’d expect from a brand so deeply rooted in the game, the 3-Stripes have a long and storied history in goalkeeper gloves, going all the way back to the 1970s and the introduction of the first latex palms.

Older keepers might remember one such glove, the Curkovic. Typical of adidas at the time, rather than come up with a fancy brand name for the glove, they sought out and worked with an individual player, tweaked the design to the athlete’s preference, then simply named it after them instead. The keeper in question here was the Serb, Ivan Curkovic, who won multiple titles with Saint-Etienne in the 70s and 80s, and the glove itself was something of a trendsetter. Pro goalkeepers across Europe saw the “Curko” gripping the ball with ease and set about securing their own pairs.

In subsequent years, though their approach to naming gloves changed, star keepers kept lining up to put the 3-Stripes on their hands. Germany’s Toni Schumacher wore adidas gloves on the world stage in 1982, as did Oliver Kahn in 1997, and then France’s Fabian Barthez in ’98. All three were absolute classic designs – true heritage, which adi have celebrated in various ways over the decades. Special mention too for FingerSave, perhaps the most well-known protective spine technology. An important development in goalkeeping that’s protected the digits of some legendary keepers, including Edwin van der Sar and Petr Cech, FingerSave remains in use today as an option on many adidas gloves.

Now, the likes of Manuel Neuer, Emi Martinez, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen fly the flag for the 3-Stripes, showing off the next-level fit and performance of the latest Predator model. The Pred’s the glove to go for if you like the modern, streamlined style of glove, while its stablemate, the Copa, offers a more traditional feel.

• Negative cut with wrapped thumb
• Palm: URG 1.0 100% latex
• Body: 45% recycled polyester, 30% cotton, 20% polyurethane, 5% elastane
• Elastic wrist strap