Only a poor craftsman, blames his tools. Or so they say. But what if better tools could make you that much better? This certainly seem to be the case in our childhood, as kickabouts down the park often started with us marvelling over the latest football boots someone’s dad had just bought them for their birthday. Back then we subscribed to the adage that with great boots, came great abilities.
After looking through our vault of discarded boots, we’ve compiled a chronological list of the football boots that history remembers as ‘great boots’:
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Puma King
In 1952 Puma introduced the world’s first screw-in studs, then in 1966 came the brand’s more famous kicks, the King. The design, which still holds up today, is lauded for the way its upper is attached to the sole and has been championed by greats like Eusebio, Pele and Maradona.
Adidas Copa Mondial
First released in 1979, and still a favourite on the field today, there icons are the world’s best-selling boots, standing the test of time as a result of the use of super soft kangaroo leather, durabilty and no-nonsense design.
Adidas Predator
With strips of rubber adorning the toe, the football world had never seen anything like the arrival of this boot in 1994. The idea was to offer added grip and outrageous swerve on shots. The jury is still our on whether the actually did so, but the hype alone was enough to scare the bejesus out of Sunday-league goalkeepers.
Nike Mercurial
In 1998 we saw the early traits of what would cvome to characterise today’s game: speed. Built for Ronaldo (the original one), they burst onto the scene to complement his pace, using the idea of a running-track spoike along with lighter sunthentic instead of leather, which was so thin it felt like lacing up a balloon.
Nike Magista
It’s the boot everyone was talking about. Nike’s design wizards took creativity to a new level by using a one-piece knitted fabric that’s essentially a sock with studs. As expected, they’re insanely light, supremely comfortable and ball control has never felt so responsive.
