Samba

adidas Samba: the football shoe from 1950

What are Samba shoes?

Samba is an adidas model that debuted in 1950 as a football shoe designed for grip on icy pitches. Today, the brand sells it in several versions that differ in their uppers, tongues and soles. You can find other adidas classics in the collections of adidas Gazelle, adidas Handball Spezial and adidas Campus.

What’s the difference between adidas Samba and Samba OG?

Samba is the name of an entire family of models, while according to adidas, the Samba OG stays true to the model’s heritage: a low profile, a soft leather upper, suede T-toe overlays and a gum-colored rubber sole. This is how the brand describes, among others, the Samba OG Cloud White (B75806). According to adidas, the Samba Classic is a lightweight model with an extended tongue, and Sneaker Freaker adds that it was made for indoor play and has a synthetic leather upper and a non-marking injected EVA foam sole.

What types of Samba are there?

W collection includes the following versions. Samba OG: leather, suede T-toe overlays and a gum sole. Sambae: according to adidas, a platform version available only in women's sizes. Samba XLG: an enlarged version with a more padded tongue and a thicker sole. Samba LT: full-grain leather and a fold-over tongue that nods to the model's football roots.

Samba Decon: a deconstructed version without reinforcing layers, with a leather upper. Samba Vegan: looks like the original, including the T-toe, but is made of faux leather, with no animal-derived materials. Samba Classic: a lightweight model with an extended tongue.

What’s the difference between Samba and Spezial?

Their origins and uppers. Samba was created for football in 1950, while Handball Spezial debuted in 1979 as a shoe for top handball players, designed for indoor play. The Samba OG has a soft leather upper with suede overlays, while Handball Spezial has a suede upper, which adidas also offers in corduroy and synthetic fabric versions. Both models have a gum-colored rubber sole.

Samba versions and collaborations in the collection

Samba OG: white Cloud White and White Green, black Core Black and Core Black Gum, brown Preloved Brown and Dark Brown Yellow, burgundy Maroon Gold Metallic, beige Cream White Sand Strata, navy Night Navy Cream White Gum, and green Collegiate Green, as well as the Made in Italy Black Croc and Cow Print versions.

Collaborations: Wales Bonner (including Samba Nylon, Studded Pack, Brown Croc, and Navy Croc), JJJJound, Kith, Liberty London, Bape, Maha, Sporty and Rich, and Jason Dill, as well as Consortium Cup editions: Extra Butter, END., and Sneaker Politics. There are also the Samba Inter Miami CF Messi, Samba Team Mexico, and Samba Millenium.

adidas Samba sizing

On the Samba OG page, adidas says the fit is true to size and recommends ordering your usual size. W its size guide, the brand adds that the Samba can feel narrow, so those with wider feet may want to consider going up half a size. adidas gives the same advice for the Samba Classic, Samba XLG, and Samba Vegan: order your usual size, or half a size up if you have wider feet.

On the Samba OG page on adidas Australia, sizes are listed in both men's and women's scales, e.g., US M4.5 / W5.5. EU sizes in adidas's chart increase in 2/3-size increments, e.g., 38, 38 2/3, 39 1/3, and 40, with each increment corresponding to half a UK size. According to the adidas.pl chart, EU 39 1/3 is UK 6, US men's 6.5, US women's 7.5, and a foot length of 24.2 cm. Most pairs in the collection are available starting from EU 36. If you're not sure what size to choose, contact us before placing your order.

Why choose adidas Samba from Saturaise

Every pair at Saturaise is authentic and comes with an authenticity guarantee. W one collection, you'll find the Samba OG, other versions of the model, and collaborations, making it easy to compare, for example, the Samba OG with the XLG or Sambae.