Philadelphia Union’s young sensation Cavan Sullivan is modelling himself up to be the next big thing in US Soccer. The 14-year-old is being extensively linked to be close to agreeing a deal to join Manchester City upon turning 18.
For now, however, Sullivan is keeping himself grounded and working on his developmental work with Philadelphia Union’s academy and reserve teams. He had a highly successful 2023, winning the CONCACAF under-15 championship with the USA U-15 side. The 14-year-old also won the Golden Ball (best player) award for his heroics in the tournament.
Now, Sullivan has turned into the focal point of Philadelphia Union’s Academy (under-17) team. He also plays for their reserve side, but is mostly focusing at the academy tournaments. Cavan impressed for his side in the 2024 GA (Generation Adidas) Cup – helping his side win their second-straight edition of the competition.
The teenager produced some fabulous performances in the GA Cup, which involved a goal in the final against LA Galaxy’s academy. However, on top of that, Sullivan has also caught the eye of many by showing his slick sense of style in the tournament.
In their first match in the GA Cup, Cavan not only dazzled with his performance but also the boot he wore for the occasion. It turns out on a closer look that he donned the a boot from the Adidas x Prada ‘Crazyfast football boots’ partnership. Last, the German shoe manufacturers announced a partnership with the Italian luxury fashion brand to bridge high-end fashion with football boots.
The boot that Sullivan particularly wore for this match was the Adidas x Prada Copa Pure Luxury edition. This is a clean white football boots with a red Prada tape branding on the ‘tongue’. Adidas claims that this is made with fine leather and fabric. It has a high performance, durable and flexible sole underneath. The sole height is 30 mm, and the leather-covered insole is removable. There are two more variations of these that were released as part of this line of clothing, one that was a pure silver edition and another all-black one.
However, the particular one that Cavan Sullivan wore for the Philadelphia Union academy team was the all-white edition one. This one is actually a limited-edition boot which is priced at £426.54 in Prada’s European online store.
However, third-party retail sites like Stock X is making this available for around £543, plus additional costs for shipping. It’s also available on eBay for £775 plus shipping for those desperate enough to get their hands on this limited edition boot.
With that being said, Sullivan did not have to pay for these boots. That is because he has already agreed to have Adidas as his boot sponsors. The exact details of the 14-year-old’s sponsorship agreement with the German brand isn’t known, but he was the only USMNT U-15 player to have a boot sponsor at the CONCACAF U-15 Championship last year.
For players in the Premier League clubs’ academy or in major European countries – boot deals are often signed when young academy stars turn 11. Phil Foden, for one, signed his first major boot sponsorship deal with Nike when he was 14. But it’s rare for a USA footballer to get a boot sponsorship before they even turn 16 or 18, and the fact that Sullivan has a deal shows how highly valued he is among sponsors already. Sullivan, however, has a long career head.
If he can keep progressing at the right trajectory and prove himself in the highest level of football in years to come – he’d get to try to out many, many more different editions of Adidas boots and possibly even get his own line of customized boots if fortunate enough.
