From Brothers to Rivals: The Story of Adidas & PUMA
The story of two brothers, that changed football history forever. Adi and Rudolf Dassler began by crafting shoes for athletes, driven by the same ambition but with different visions. Their partnership eventually fractured, giving rise to two global giants: Adidas and Puma. A rivalry that defined generations.
Humble Beginnings
In Herzogenaurach, South Germany, the two brothers, Adolf “Adi” and Rudolf Dassler, grew up with the same hunger to make something of themselves. Their father worked in a local shoe factory, which the brothers took over in 1924, experimenting with scraps of leather and bits of canvas. Adi had an inventive mind and an eye for detail, while Rudolf had the gift of conversation and the charm that could sell anything to anyone. They worked together on making shoes lighter, faster, and more comfortable, designing spikes that gripped the cinder tracks better than anything seen on the market.
By 1928, German Olympians were already competing in Dassler shoes, and in 1936, Jesse Owens’ four gold medals in Berlin brought their name to the world stage. Behind the applause and headlines, both brothers began to believe that the success of their shoes was their own creation, not a shared one. The war years changed everything for the Dassler brothers. They began working separately under the same roof. By the time the war ended in 1945, Adi stayed in the original factory and renamed it Adidas, joining his nickname with the first letters of his surname. Rudolf established Puma in another factory, determined to prove he could outdo his brother.
The Wonder of Bern
The post-war years saw Adi Dassler throw himself into his work with renewed obsession. He studied athletes, listened to their needs, and redesigned football boots from the sole up. His greatest innovation came in 1954 at the World Cup in Switzerland, when West Germany faced the mighty Hungarian team in a rain-soaked final.
Adi equipped the German players with lightweight boots fitted with screw-in studs, allowing them to adjust traction as the pitch turned to mud. As the final whistle blew on a stunning 3–2 victory, the world saw what dedication to detail could achieve. That triumph became known as the Miracle of Bern, and it turned Adidas into a symbol of national pride and technical genius.
A Crucial Moment for PUMA
Two decades later, the Dassler rivalry reached the global stage once again. The brothers had agreed on an informal truce: neither would approach Pelé, the most famous footballer on Earth. Yet as the cameras rolled before Brazil’s first match at the 1970 World Cup, Pelé knelt down to tie his boots, and the entire world caught a perfect view of his Puma Kings. Whether by plan or by chance, it was one of the greatest marketing moments in sports history. Overnight, Puma’s name travelled further than any advertisement could. Adidas still ruled national teams and official kits, but Puma had won the art of the spectacle.
The rivalry and the ongoing competition and attempt to be better than the other, grew like a wildfire between the brothers. Every new product was viewed as a statement towards the other. What began as a family feud had become a global arms race in innovation, each brother pushing the other to think faster, risk more, and never stop creating.
The Rivalry Reaches its Peak
By the time the 1974 World Cup arrived in Munich, the Dassler rivalry had reached its defining moment. Adidas supplied the kits for the host nation, West Germany, while Puma focused on individual brilliance, finding its emblem in Johan Cruyff, the Dutch captain whose genius needed no introduction. Cruyff refused to wear Adidas’ three stripes, insisting on only two, a subtle yet unmistakable gesture that symbolised both his independence and Puma’s defiance. The final itself became the perfect metaphor for the brothers’ lifelong duel. The Germans lifted the trophy and Adidas the claimed victory for themselves. But Puma had already conquered many followers by then, shaping the successful future the brands enjoy until nowadays.
Rudolf passed away on October 27, 1974, bringing an end to the personal chapter of the feud that had defined both his life and career. His death came just months after the 1974 World Cup final. Four years later, on September 6, 1978, Adi Dassler died at the age of 78, having turned his small-town workshop into one of the most influential sports brands on earth. They were laid to rest in Herzogenaurach, on opposite ends of the same cemetery.
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