With the new season fast approaching and transfer activity truly hotting up, many of the marketing machines behind football are starting to whirr.
Player sponsorships are big business, and they don’t come much bigger than football boots. From signature boots to football players endorsing the latest offerings from big name brands such as Adidas, Nike, and Puma; many players deploy their star power and talented feet to increase a cleats popularity.
Our team at Greaves Sports have cast our eyes to the turf and researched which football boots your favourite players wear, so read on below!
Adidas X
Adidas X Football Boots
First appearing in 2015 after the demise of the popular Predator and F50 boots, the Adidas X football boot is the German sports giants answer to Nike’s Mercurial line of football boots.
Engineered for speed and precision, Adidas have stripped back these boots during design to produce an incredibly lightweight yet comfortable product.
The X packs in plenty of features aimed at increasing acceleration and control for the player, including a low-cut Clawcollar for stability, a skin-tight fit which eliminates the need for laces – improving touch, and Adidas’ Speedmesh upper which increases the players first contact with the ball.
Among the players to advocate the Adidas X football boot, you’ll find speed merchants such as Gareth Bale, Paulo Dybala, Marcelo, Angel Di Maria, Arjen Robben and Gabriel Jesus to name but a few.
Nike Mercurial
Nike Mercurial Vapor Football Boots
One of the most iconic of football boots, the Nike Mercurial first featured 20 years ago, designed in 1998 for a young Ronaldo (the Brazilian one).
Meticulously pieced together to match his explosive speed, power and style of play; the original Mercurial revolutionised the industry’s approach to football boots, making them much thinner and lighter.
This trend has continued through the decades, as Nike strive to produce the lightest boots with each incarnation of the Mercurial. It’s perhaps unsurprising then to notice a pattern in the types of player that chooses to wear Nike Mercurial football boots.
Poster boy Cristiano Ronaldo is the obvious inclusion, but you’ll also find modern stars such as Neymar; Kylian Mbappe, Eden Hazard, Ousmane Dembele, Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial among the boot’s suitors – all of whom are recognised for their explosive, pacey style of play.
Adidas ACE & Nemeziz
Adidas Nemeziz Football Boots
The midfield maestro, the puller of strings… Exactly the kind of player you’d expect to see wearing the Adidas ACE and the brand new Adidas Nemeziz.
Rather than raw speed, Adidas have aimed these boots at the more precise, calculated player – somebody who’s going to make things happen. Their Purecontrol range has been painstakingly designed to maximise precision, power and stability with Primeknit technology that moulds to the player’s foot.
Adidas’ Non-Stop Grip (a layer of raised dots on the boots upper) helps to tackle controlling the ball in extreme conditions, and there are no laces to get in the way either.
Adidas ACE advocates include the likes of Lionel Messi; Paul Pogba, Mesut Ozil, Dele Alli, Ivan Rakitic, Miralem Pjanic, Ilkay Gundogan and Juan Mata among others.
Nike Hypervenom
Nike Hypervenom Football Boots
Designed specifically for fearless attacking players and predatory goal-scorers, the Nike Hypervenom football boots guarantee results.
Whether bearing down on the goal or controlling the pulse of the game in the middle of the park, Nike have delivered a boot that allows players increased grip, improved agility and total power. The one-piece Flyknit upper not only moulds to the individual’s foot and increases support, it also improves control thanks to the absence of the tongue in design.
Additionally, the Nike Grip sock liner ensures that the wearer’s foot is compact and secure inside the boot, while the Dynamic Fit collar allows total movement of the ankle for the utmost agility.
You’ll find Harry Kane, Robert Lewandowski, Edinson Cavani, Alexandre Lacazette, Thiago Alcântara, Gonzalo Higuaín and Riyad Mahrez among the wearers of Nike Hypervenom this season.
