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Football boots, also referred to as cleats or soccer shoes inNorth America, are specialized footwear designed primarily for use inassociation football and also frequently used inrugby football.
Those designed for grasspitches havestuds on the outsole to aidgrip. Modern football boots are no longer truly traditionalboots, as they do not cover the ankle. As with most other types of athletic footwear, their basic design and appearance has converged with that ofsneakers since the 1960s.
Despite being most associated withfootball and rugby, the shoe is often used in other sports that are played on grass surfaces, such astouch,lacrosse,hurling,shinty, andtug of war.
The earliest recorded instance of specialised footwear for football dates back to 1526, when King Henry VIII of England ordered a pair of "football boots" from his Great Wardrobe.[1] These boots were likely crafted from robust leather, providing enhanced protection during matches.
During the 19th century, various forms offootball became increasingly popular inGreat Britain. Participants would wear their heavy and hard work-boots to play.[2] These were an early form of football boots with thesteel toe-cap at the front, and they had long laces and were high-topped. These boots also sometimes had metal studs or tacks put on the bottom, so players would have more grip and stability.[3][4] However, This often resulted in injuries when one player inadvertently made contact with another during play[5]
In the later part of the 19th century, the first ever football-specific boot was designed, made of thick and heavyleather that ran right to the ankle for increased protection; the first boot weighed 500 grams (18 oz).[5]
During the early decades of20th century, the style of football boots stayed very basic because of the lack of material, so the style of football remained so during the inter-war years.[5]
Post-World War II innovations led to significant design changes. South American players introduced lighter, more flexible boots that emphasized control and kicking precision over protection. In 1954,Adi Dassler introducedscrew-in studs that were used by theGerman team during a rain-lashedWorld Cup final that year.[6] (Adi Dassler's older brother,Rudolf Dassler, founder ofPuma, disputes the claim that Adi Dassler originated screw-in studs.)
In the 1960s, many football boots featured a lower cut boots designed for increased flexibility and movement .[7]Mitre,Joma, andAsics joined the fray.Adidas emerged as a leading manufacturer, with 75% of players at the1966 FIFA World Cup wearing their products.[8]
The 1970s marked notable advancements football boots. These changes included lighter boots and a variety of colours.Adidas was the market leader in this period, releasing new technologies such as padding to provide heel protection.[7] In 1979, Adidas released one of their most successful products,Copa Mundial.
During this period, some of the most common types ofnatural leather came into use: kangaroo leather, calfskin and full-grain/cow leather.[9]
The 1980s continued the trend of technological development, with companies likeUmbro,Lotto, andKelme joined the market in this decade.[10] Boots became more specialised, catering to different playing styles and positions.
The 1990s introduced new sole types to enhance player balance. Adidas launched thePredator in 1994, featuring rubber elements for improved ball control. Nike also entered the football boot market with the Mercurial line, emphasising lightweight design for speed, Nike's first popular boot, theNike Mercurial Vapor was worn byRonaldo at the1998 FIFA World Cup.[11]
Mizuno,Reebok,Uhlsport, andNike began consistently making football boots in this decade.
In the first decade of the 21st century, laser technology was introduced to produce the first fully customized football boot in 2006.[12] That same year, Lotto released the first laceless boot, the Zhero Gravity, which gained popularity in the late 2010s.[13]
In the era of the modern game that sees the tempo of matches becoming faster and players more technically inclined, manufacturers introduced new technology, including lighter footwear made from alternative materials.[14]Some researchers and manufacturers have suggested that football boots with laceless designs and knitted uppers can improve lockdown and ball control, but there are still differing views on their actual performance.[15][16] The first laceless boots were released by the Italian bootmaker companyLotto in 2006. Lotto Zero Gravity was worn by players such asCafu,Andriy Shevchenko, andLuca Toni.[17] Companies such as AdidasUmbro,New Balance, andNike have also released their versions of laceless shoes. Laceless boots demonstrate better lock down and lateral stability. A knitted upper allows players to have better ball control due to a larger surface area.[18]
Football boots can be made from many different materials such as rubber, synthetic such asnylon and polyurethane, or leather. Kangaroo leather is often used in high-end football boot manufacturing due to its lightweight and softness , but in recent years, the proportion of synthetic materials used has been increasing.[19]Kangaroo leather is breathable and lightweight. Some players prefer leather, while others like synthetic or plastic material because they are more durable and cheaper.[20]
Depending on the type of surface, kind of sport and even the wearer's position or role in the game, different styles of boot and particularly stud configurations are available.[21]
For hardpitches, amateur participants may wear a turf football boot (TF) or a plastic-stud boot (known as a "moldedsole"). Forindoor football, companies developed indoor court (IC) boots. These come with rubber soles intended to maximize grip on the floor, and are specifically designed for the indoor game. For football onturf or artificial grass, some players wear regular firm ground (FG) football boots. But wearing regular football boots on turf greatly reduces the life of the boot, so manufacturers have developed football boots for artificial grass (AG), which have smaller circular studs. The other type of football boot is SG (soft ground) for playing on well-grassed or sodden field.[22] When playing on this kind of pitch, some players favor using a boot with screw-in studs in their non-dominant (supporting) foot to provide grip, and a boot with short rubber or plastic studs in the dominant (kicking/passing) foot to help accuracy.
More recently, molded soles with specially designed boots known asblades have molded soles facing in multiple directions, theoretically to maximise grip and minimize ankle injury. Recently, however, "bladed" football boots have faced criticism from some UK sporting bodies for causing potentially serious injuries to players. English football clubManchester United have even banned their players from wearing boots with bladed studs after players likeWayne Rooney andDavid Beckham suffered repeatedmetatarsal injuries.[23]
Questions have been raised about the safety of female footballers wearing men's football boots, mainly due to foot shape and weight distribution differences between women's and men's feet.[24] Despite football boots being unisex, studies have shown that women tend to get injured more often while playing in football boots.[25]
Originally, football boots were available only inblack, but they are now available in a wide variety of colours.Nike's flagship shoes are the Phantom VNM, Phantom VSN, Tiempos, and The Nike Mercurial Vapor worn byCristiano Ronaldo.[11]Adidas are responsible for thePredator range, as worn byDavid Beckham,Gary Neville, andSteven Gerrard, as well as the long-survivingCopa Mundial.[26] The entireGerman national side wore Adidas boots during the2006 FIFA World Cup. German firmPuma's flagship shoes are the Puma King Platinum, Puma Future, and Puma One worn bySergio Agüero,Cesc Fàbregas, andAntoine Griezmann.[27]
The Puma King boots have been worn by players, such asPelé,Eusébio,Johan Cruyff, andDiego Maradona.[28]
Nike and Adidas have been significant manufacturers in the football footwear market in recent years, with longstanding high market shares thanks to their investment in player sponsorships and product innovation.[21] Among Nike's endorsers are two-timeFIFA World Player of the YearRonaldinho,Wayne Rooney andCristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian strikerRonaldo andZlatan Ibrahimović. Adidas, which has been providing football boots with screw-in studs to theGerman national football team since the1954 FIFA World Cup, have signed agreements with players such asDavid Beckham,Zinedine Zidane,Frank Lampard,Lionel Messi andSteven Gerrard.[29] Puma signed players such asAntoine Griezmann,Gianluigi Buffon,Cesc Fàbregas,Romelu Lukaku andNeymar[30]
| Player | Brand | Figure (per year) |
| Neymar | Puma | £23m |
| Erling Haaland | Nike | £20m |
| Lionel Messi | Adidas | £18m |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Nike | £15m |
| Kylian Mbappé | Nike | £14m |
| Jack Grealish | Puma | £10m |
| Mario Balotelli | Puma | £5m |
| Antoine Griezmann | Puma | £3.5m |
| Paul Pogba | Adidas | £3m |
| Marco Verratti | Nike | £2.5m |
| Mohamed Salah | Adidas | £2.5m |
[By] the mid-nineteenth century [...] workers were playing football in their hard, leather work boots with steel capped toes, sometimes with leather or tacks hammered into the soles as makeshift studs.
McArthur, Ian; Kemp, Dave (1995).Elegance Borne of Brutality: An eclectic history of the football boot. London: Two Heads Publishing.ISBN 1-897850-76-X.
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