No way, José. That was my reaction when I saw famed lightning rod football manager José Mourinho in the ad campaign for the latest version of JJJJound’s Adidas Samba collaboration.
Mourinho, who manages Fenerbahce, appears in the campaign enjoying the simple pleasures of life, like sipping an espresso, sitting leisurely at a street cafe, enjoying a pastry while reading the newspaper, and holding a football in his arm.
The shoes are a departure from the first two Sambas that JJJJound made, which were plays on the original colorways of the shoe. Those included a black pair with white stripes, and a white pair with black stripes, both with gum soles and yellow liners.
The newer pair, which Mourinho showed off this week, has a tan upper made of suede with brown stripes. It also has a gum sole. The latest JJJJound x Adidas Samba releases on June 27.
Flat-soled, or “terrace,” Adidas models always look better in suede, in my personal opinion. That’s why this shoe is more exciting than the first two. While this one doesn’t look too different from a mainline Adidas offering that you could get through the Spezial range or from a shop like Size?, it’s a good starting point for the JJJJound consumer to discover hairy Adidas shoes.
The sneaker retails at $160, which is down from the $250 for the two previous pairs. The other JJJJound Sambas boasted that they were made in Germany, and JJJJound pushed that they were manufactured in the Scheinfeld Factory. But in a video advertisement for the sneakers, you could see a tag on the upper that said they were made in Vietnam. This isn’t an uncommon practice in the footwear and garment industry—even New Balance’s Made in USA sneakers aren’t 100 percent made domestically. It's safe to say these Sambas aren't made in Germany.
But back to Jose.
In a press release for the shoes, which will release alongside a seven-piece apparel collection, (donned by Mourinho) Adidas says, “the José campaign is an ode to Samba’s time honored legacy in sport and culture.”
While people may have knocked JJJJound for stepping into football culture with their Sambas without having a foundation in it, this campaign seems to wash away some of the concerns.
Dan Sandison, who founded football lifestyle magazine Mundial, put it simply on X: “The fellas at JJJJound read your dissertation on the intricacies of ‘football culture’ and ‘authenticity in fandom’ and went: yeh but it’s Mourinho having a coffee, look. 10/10. No notes.”
