About

adidas Samba

Around 1950 adidas faced a practical problem: soccer players could not train in winter. Frozen pitches were too hard for studs, and gym floors too slick for ordinary shoes. The Samba was the answer, and that makes it one of the oldest models the brand still sells.

The sole that solved the problem

Look at the edge of the sole and you will see a fine sawtooth tread running its full length. That toothed rim is not decoration but the invention: it bites on hard ground without needing studs, and it holds grip on a slick floor. The sole itself is strikingly flat and thin, because a player had to feel the ball through the shoe.

That T on the toe

Over the toe sits a suede cap that runs back down the middle, past the laces. That T shape guards exactly the part that meets the ball when you strike and trap it. The name is printed on the side panel, and the heel carries a ribbed suede tab. It is a shoe where every part has a reason, and that is precisely why so little has changed in seventy years.

From the gym to the street

The Samba stayed plain sports gear for decades, until it got picked up off the pitch, first in the stands, later far beyond them. Inside adidas it is kin to the Gazelle, which comes from the same thinking but was built for training rather than the indoor game. If you want the wider court line, look at the adidas Court family.

On this page you can see which versions of the adidas Samba are running hottest right now according to the Hypescore, from what price they’re available, and how many shops have them in stock.