By: Alden Ch’ng
It’s that time of the year again. Football season is over and we have entered the summer break. But fret not for major brands such as Nike and Adidas are busy designing and crafting the next eye-catching pair of boots to be sported by their superstars.
So for this list, let us countdown 10 boots that took the world by storm through their design, innovation and performance. They may not be the most popular boots, but they have all helped to shape the modern football boot in one way or another.
1) PUMA KING (1968)
We start off this list with the KING of classic football boots, the PUMA KING.
The PUMA KING was first introduced in 1968. The boots were made out of K-leather and had the iconic PUMA stripe down the side. However these boots only took off in the 1970 World Cup when legend Pele wore a specially designed PUMA KING boots which caught the attention of the world. This was perhaps one of the first use of a major superstar in any brand’s marketing campaign. Unsurprisingly, everybody wanted a pair because of Pele.
Superstars who wore it: Pele, Cruyff
2) Adidas Copa Mundial (1979 — Present)
We continue the list with another classic. The Adidas Copa Mundial is on this list because it is arguably the first “modern” pair of boots.
At first glance there is nothing “modern” about it. However the simple design and the shape of the boot provided the perfect skeleton for Adidas to base their future designs on. The material of the boot is made out of K-leather and had foam insole for extreme comfort which is a common feature in many modern boots today.
Today, Adidas is still producing the Copa Mundial with minimal changes to the design, and thousands still continue to purchase it every year.
Superstars who wore it: Beckenbauer, Diego Maradona
3) Nike Tiempo Premier (1994)
This is probably the boot that shot Nike up against their competitors. In its early years, Nike was struggling to break the dominance of PUMA and Adidas in the football boot market. This all changed when, during the 1994 World Cup, Nike sponsored several players in the Italian and Brazilian teams for the final match.
Following their success, this iconic pair of boots was made available to the public, and has gone on to become one of their best sellers, propelling them to the number 1 spot — right beside Adidas and PUMA.
Superstars who wore it: Romario, Paolo Maldini
4) Adidas Predator Accelerator (1998)
This list would not be complete without the iconic Predator. First launched in 1994, these boots were meant to give players better control over the ball and a greater cleanness when striking it. It didn't really take off until 1998 during the World cup where Zinedine Zidane outplayed everyone while wearing a pair.
The boots themselves were considered fashionable at that time due to the red stripes. While they may pale in comparison to the designs of modern boots, they were certainly considered radical in design during 1998.
Superstars who wore it: Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham
5) PUMA V1.06 (2006)
Weighing in at 6.8oz, these were the lightest boots in the world back in 2006. Made from micro-fiber, the player wearing them could run as if he were barefooted. Many would argue that these were the boots that changed the light-weight boots category. Not even the Nike Vapours, known for their light weight at that time, could compete. Unfortunately, these never really caught on for reasons unknown. They did, however, let us dream of the future of light-weight boots.
Superstars who wore it: Eto
6) Adidas F50 Adizero Crazylight (2015)
Since we are on the topic of light-weight boots, the Adidas F50 Adizero is presently the undisputed leader in light-weight boots. When the Adizero line was first released in 2010, they were an instant hit due to their colourful designs and almost non-existent weight.
In 2015, Adidas launched a new model called the F50 Adizero Crazylight that weighs in at only 99g. Unfortunately, there are only 299 pairs of these mind-blowing boots available. Nevertheless, the main point here is that the F50 series, though it is being discontinued by Adidas has definitely increased the speed of the game forever.
Superstars who wore it: Lionel Messi, Bale, Luis Suarez
7) Nike Magista Obra (2014-Present)
These boots caught our attention for obvious reasons. A pair of boots with a collar? Absolutely unheard of before. But Nike took a leap of faith and their innovation has given us the Nike Magista Obra. Made using a combination of Nike’s FlyKnit, Nikeskin and All Condition Control (ACC), this pair of boots is probably one of, if not, the most radical pair of boots to have graced us this century. Truly an unbelievable piece of work.
Superstars who wore it: Iniesta, Gotze
8) Nike Mercurial Vapor III
Launched in 2006, these boots donned a revolutionary new teijin synthetic leather. This material was lighter than and just as durable as traditional leather. The Nike Mercurial Vapor III was a game changer for the Vapor series and many speedsters such as Ronaldo and Clint Dempsey wore them when they came out. Today, the modern Mercurial still uses teijin leather as the material of choice.
Superstars who wore it: Ronaldo, Clint Dempsey, Christiano Ronaldo
9) Adidas Samba Primeknit (2014)
The world’s first knitted football boot. The entire surface of the boot is knitted from a single yarn. The design is supposed to allow the player to feel as if he is playing barefooted or with socks to provide additional control and feel to the ball. If you are thinking of getting your hands on one of these bad boys, I'm afraid that there are only 150 pairs of them in the world. So by no means are these boots the most popular, but they are truly innovative and let’s not lie, they look amazing.
Superstars who wore it: Luis Suarez
10) Nike Mercurial Superfly (2014)
To end this list we have the Nike Mercurial Superfly. Like the Nike Magista Obra, it doesn't take a lot to understand why this pair of boots caught our attention. The boot combines several Nike technology including Flyknit, Flywire cable, Dynamic fit collar, light weight carbon fibre and All Condition Control (ACC). These boots were built for speed as well as provide the player an exceptional touch and feel to their game. Needless to say, these boots are the pinnacle of innovation in this modern age.
Superstars who wore it: Christiano Ronaldo, Alexis Sanchez
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