The general trend of boots in the modern game is toward lightweight raw power, as leagues seem to be getting faster thanks to players attaining absurd levels of stamina and athleticism with each passing year. In turn, a classic market of players is feeling neglected with their amount of choices in elite shoes. The hard-nosed grind it out classic ball-winning midfielder has little to no need for an ultralightweight boot. Rather, a preference toward a durable, elite performance is missing. No more. The Nike Tiempo Legend Elite ends your search today for that cleat.
Nike Tiempo Legends have always been at the forefront of durability, performance, and classic styling. The latest elite version of the Tiempo Legend brings all these elements and brings it up to speed by taking the best of both worlds in the modern pace of the game and the classic grind it out mentality. A patented feature of the shoe is soft Kanga-Lite leather implemented on the upper. This synthetic blend forms to your foot, decreases the weight of the shoe, and absorbs up to 20% less water than a natural leather, a big plus to keep the weight off your feet in torrid game conditions. The midsole features a molded sockliner which is highly comfortable. In addition, a practical small velcro tongue lays over the laces and is non-obtrusive to your play. The tongue is a small feature to note, but many shoes neglect to bother with one today, so it’s nice to see the Legend Elite sticking to what it knows best.
The elite series of Nike products really begins to set itself apart with its outsole so here’s the real differentiator if you look into buying the standard Tiempo Legend. All Nike Elite series cleats, including this shoe, feature a carbon fiber sole plate in an effort to reduce weight and increase flexibility. The result is a shoe that weighs 16% less than the non-Elite version. Some players may view this difference as negligible, however as the game wears on, this weight makes a massive difference on your tired legs. I found myself to have increased stamina and be able to survive for longer periods of time on the pitch than ever before. In addition to the revolutionary carbon fiber plate, the outsole features a mix of conical and bladed studs to again blend modern and classic cleat elements. All the studs feature grooves that increase traction and acceleration on the pitch so you can get to the ball before your opponent. I really enjoy the use of conical studs in the forefoot and bladed studs in the heel and it seems to work quite well.
The colorway is really up for debate. Nike has come up with better colored shoes in the past but the Legend Elite in Team Red Color has grown on me. The performance of the shoe, however, didn’t have to grow on me. For an elite classic midfielder, it’s hard to find a boot that beats this one.
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