* 2016 sales and net profit seen up 10-12 pct
* Adidas under pressure from investors to chase Nike
* Q4 sales of core brand strong in Europe, North America
* Reebok grows more slowly
* Shares down (Adds details from news conference, shares)
By Emma Thomasson
HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, March 3 (Reuters) - The outgoing chief executive of Adidas presented results on Thursday that show the German sportswear company is making a comeback on its home turf of western Europe and in soccer, but still with much to do to catch Nike.
Herbert Hainer is handing over to Henkel's Kasper Rorsted in October after the longest-serving boss of a German blue-chip company came under pressure from investors for failing to keep pace with bigger U.S. rival Nike.
Adidas has fallen into third place in the key U.S. market behind Nike and fast-growing Under Armour and seen Nike threaten its dominance in soccer and western Europe.
In response, Adidas has closed stores in Russia, put its troubled golf business up for possible sale and hiked marketing spending by more than a fifth, particularly in U.S. sports but also by ousting Nike as a kit supplier to soccer clubs including Manchester United.
"We realigned and reorganised our business, rolled up our sleeves and set to work. The result is a textbook example of a perfect comeback in sport," Hainer told journalists, with a flourish.
Adidas said its fourth-quarter net loss narrowed to 44 million euros on sales up 15 percent to 4.167 billion euros ($4.53 billion), broadly meeting average analyst forecasts after the company published provisional results last month.
Adidas shares, which hit a new record high earlier this week, were down 0.4 percent at 1042 GMT, compared to a flat German blue-chip index.
Sales of the core Adidas brand grew a currency-neutral 16 percent, accelerating in particular in western Europe and North America to 31 percent and 12 percent respectively, driven by strong demand for soccer and lifestyle products.
Hainer expects another year of double-digit growth in both regions, as well as in greater China in 2016, helped by the European and Copa America soccer tournaments and the Olympics.
"Our order books are full across all major performance and lifestyle categories. And our brands are set to shine at this year's major sporting events," Hainer said.
CHASING NIKE
Overall, Adidas forecasts currency neutral sales and net income to both increase between 10 and 12 percent this year, compared to last year's rise of 10 percent for sales and 12 percent for net profit.
Nike is growing even faster, boosted by strong demand in North America and China. Nike orders for delivery from December through April rose 20 percent, excluding currency effects.