As I peruse my ABBA music collection this winter, I am starting to think about what soccer cleat I’d like to be wearing when the weather starts allowing for some proper football in the spring. With most boots seeming to only be marketed to certain positions, I have decided to let all of you see “behind the curtain” to find out what boot seems to be the most well suited for you this season. Suppose you’re a striker and you need that extra boost of speed, or a goalie that needs a little extra “oomph” behind your clearances, or a defender with extreme needs for extra protection; if you find yourself in one of those categories, then this guide will help you choose your next boot for the coming season. Also, if you are wondering what price range or stud option to choose on your next boot, there are guides available on Soccerprose.com for that as well. Since those guides already exist, we won’t be dealing much with price issues in this article, only what the best boot for your position could be.
First- Strikers! Your team depends on you for goals and for being the spearhead of your attack. If you have a bad game, you have nowhere to hide. You need the best option possible to put the ball in the back of the net. This year, Nike re-vamped their Total90 series and are marketing it towards people who play a forward, while Adidas stuck with the winning formula of the F50 for speed demons that want the perfect touch. Puma also have the v1.11 for speedy strikers and Adidas and Nike also have strikers running around in the Adipower and Mercurial range.
The Guru’s Verdict:
Winner: Adidas F50 adiZero. Why? They are super light (5.8 oz) and provide immaculate touch on the ball. Players like Messi, Suarez, Bale, and Karim Benzema can’t be wrong. Runner-Up: the Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII. Why? High quality synthetic and $200 cheaper than Nike’s Mercurial SuperFly while still being a great stiker’s boot. Ronaldo, Walcott, Ibrahimovich, and Neymar all call this boot silo home.
Second- Defenders. The back line of a team, protecting the Goalie and making sure that the opposing team’s strikers have a torrid time plying their trade, you make sure that the score stays low and that your other players have nothing to worry about. Adidas have changed up the Predator series and their new boot is much lighter, although it still has the protection a defender will need. We’ve also seen many defenders wearing every single Nike boot on the market (minus the Mercurial, perhaps), and many that have embraced the Puma PowerCat 1.12.
The Guru’s Verdict:
Winner: (Tie) Nike CTR360 Maestri II and the Nike Tiempo Legend IV. Although the Adipower may be more suited for wide defenders, the Maestri and Tiempo offer unrivaled protection for the challenges that a defender must face. They also provide significant power for any clearances and long passes that your job may require.
Third- Midfielders. The heartbeat of a squad, and the bridge between defense and attack, this position requires constant running to make sure that your defense has sufficient help and your strikers are given constant ammunition. The AdiPower has almost become the perfect power boot for mids that love to blast shots from 30 yards, and the CTR360 is the perfect boot for the player that dominates the passing in their team. We see wide midfielders using F50’s and Mercurials, with Total90’s and Tiempos also being found in the center of the park.
The Guru’s Verdict:
Winner: Adidas Adipower. The 7.8 oz of Adidas’ signature power boot ensures that you will be light on your feet for the entirety of the 90 minutes, have ample protection when going into a tackle, and enough power to beat keepers from long range. One word: Xavi. Runner-Up: Nike CTR360 Maestri. This boot even has Adidas scrambling to create a competitor, and can make your passes and control become as pinpoint as possible. The only reason it falls to runner-up is because of its weight (over 10 oz) in comparison to the AdiPower. One word: Iniesta.
I hope that this allows your spring boot shopping to be much easier. Although this is strictly opinion based, I welcome any questions that you may have. Just post a comment below and either I, or the enigmatic editor will answer your question. As for keepers, don’t feel left out; just try to find the most comfortable boot you can. You’ll be standing still for the bulk of a game, and you need to be comfortable for all 90 minutes of it. Happy shopping!
Written by: Andrew McCole, contributor and boot guru, soccerprose.com
