Growing up, I was a soccer fanatic. I played for eight years, from the age of 5 to 13. Obsessed with the game, I played year-round, outdoors on the field and indoors on the hard court. I was particularly fond of the latter, as I loved playing the ball off the wall, and I swooned over the sound of my Adidas Sambas sneakers squeaking against the floor. Naturally, I became so enamored with the look, feel, and sound of the shoes that they became my go-to every day sneakers. After all, unlike traditional soccer cleats, my Sambas worked especially well for walking (and running) through the linoleum halls of my elementary and middle schools.
While it’s been 18 years since I set foot into a pair of Sambas, now that the style is back and more popular than ever—search interest for women’s versions has