A small object with a huge history

The above is a pair of NIKE Superfly boots in a black-gold colour pattern. The mere beauty of this shoe blew my mind away; however, what really shocked was that the shoes cost 450$!

I could not believe how expensive football shoes can be. After some research, I realized football shoes were not that costly in the past. In fact, they were very different from the boots of today.   

This got me wondering: How much history do football shoes really have?

History of football boots: Britain, 1800s

When football started to become a professional sport, the players used to wear these monsters:

They were made out of heavy leather. The studs were of pure iron – imagine getting tackled by those. On a rainy day, the boots could weigh up to 2kg!

Yet, even with these heavy, low-quality boots, we still saw footballers such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and John Charles score sensational goals. This does go on to show that football shoes can affect performance; however, this impact is miniature in comparison to talent and hard work.

Nevertheless, real development to these boots came in the infamous 1954 World Cup held in Switzerland. The rain poured without mercy for the duration of the tournament and only one team was really prepared – Germany.

Their secret to success? Football shoes.

Adolf Dassler, the founder of Adidas, had anticipated the treacherous rain and discovered a very clever solution – plastic studs. The addition of the plastic studs to the German national team players allowed for a greater grip and speed. Needless to say, they have crowned the champions of the world that year.

After Adolf Dassler’s innovation to football boots, the whole “football shoe industry” exploded.  Brands such as Hummel and Valsport rose to fame with boots that were lighter and more flexible. Creative ideas were being spewed and the main focus became on making the boots lighter.

The one disadvantage during this period was that many companies adopted the above dark brown colour pattern which would remain for a very long time. I am personally not a huge fan.

The 1970s and 80s

Alongside Queen, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, football as a sport were becoming larger than ever before. Although leather was still used as the main material, there was also much new stuff – kangaroo leather, calfskin leather and cow leather. The main focus of creators became on improving the overall “feel” of the boot.

The product of all this innovation was the launch of arguably the most known football shoes, Copa Mundials by Adidas:

It was in this very boot that David Beckham would score his trademark “bend it like Beckham” goals.

It was in this very boot that Diego Maradona would score his iconic “hand of God” followed by his “goal of the Century”.

Note: Thank you, Scott, for correcting the mistake. Diego Maradona did not wear Copas he wore Puma King during 1986 WC

These shoes have etched themselves in the history books and are still worn by many players today as shown by its presence in 99% of Sunday league matches.

2000s

Although Copa Mundials continued to be worn by players, the new century brought with it many new types of football boots. The new generation football boots were made out of laser and were much lighter, compact and streamlined than before.

Football shoes also became a big thing with some player wearing only certain brands. For example, below you can see Cristiano Ronaldo wearing his iconic Mercurial.

Today

As we enter a world focused on sustainability and personal expressions, there have been many new types of boots. Most boots now days are made out of materials other than leather that can last longer and be recycled easily

Examples of interesting shoes include sock football shoes, woven shoes and lace-less shoes (see below).

Moreover, football boots have now become a symbol of expression. Players are often wearing certain types of football shoes to convey a message. For example, Getafe F.C player Kennedy wore a special type of boot against F.C. Barcelona to tribute Kobe.

As the football industry grows, it is my prediction that we will soon start linking technology and artificial intelligence to these shoes. 5 years down the line, analysts can simply see “passes done” by a player through attaching a live micro-transmitter to professional’s shoes.

Yet, in this world of rapid development, I know for sure one shoes will definitely stay around; the might black and white boots made out of kangaroo leather.

All hail the Copa Mundials!