A few years ago during the first lockdown, I spotted a cool photo of England forward Emile Heskey. Now while the ex-Liverpool striker is an icon in the world of football, his off-pitch dress sense was not something he was known for. Either way, in the photo shown below, Heskey is seen posted up with three other England teammates in their rest day attire. All of them are rocking a form of Moc hybrid, however, the main man steals the show with his murdered-out pair of Nike Mercurial Slides.

Having acknowledged the Mercurial line as a legendary football boot during my younger years, this Hyrbid Moc was definitely a piece of footwear I was eager to get my hands on. Since March 2020 I kept my eye out for them, searching far and wide, only coming across the occasional UK6 at a hefty price point. Naturally, my hopes began to fade, this was until four years later when an impromptu lunchtime Vinted-browse finally had me stumbling across them. Frantically messaging the seller for more photos and a size confirmation, I managed to secure them for just under £30.

Granted they did look a little worn, but nothing I couldn’t brush past with a fine comb and a can-do attitude. Collecting them from the local In-Post locker a few days later, anticipation was so high that I ended up ripping apart the packaging and waving them in the air like that toilet paper scene out of Stepbrothers (if you don’t do this every time you buy a 12 Pack then get in the mix).

As soon as I made it back home they went straight on feet, envisaging myself enjoying a day off from the National Team’s training in a full Umbro tracksuit … oh and also as Emile Heskey (the latter of which was harder to imagine). The mood took a slight hit once I found out that the left foot smelt of cigarettes, a risk any Vinted warrior has to endure from time to time, needless to say the top-down view was worth marvelling at.

Waking up the next day and checking up on how the “freshening up” process was going, I was also hit with the fact that they were a size UK11 and not UK12. A detail not too upsetting had it not been for me asking the seller to double check if the sizing was correct but alas, I would still be able to prance around the house feeling like an off-duty Heskey so not all was lost.

In hopes of lifting my spirits, I trekked down to the Thames to snap a photo of my new favourite Mocs in front of Tower Bridge. A questionable act, yet one that made sense in my head. Finally hunting down a grail which admittedly smelt of a forty-pack and was one size too small felt good, so to celebrate the achievement I decided it necessary to photograph them in front of the symbolically powerful Tower Bridge. For any of you still trying to hunt down that elusive item, dreams can come true!