When we made the first Footy Boots Show, we were hopeful that it would be popular but we also realised that it would probably take some time to impact on worldwide football boot consciousness.

How wrong we were. In a little over 6 weeks, the show has been viewed by an incredible number of football fans. Tens of thousands via Footy Boots and a quite astonishing 115,000 times on You Tube.

It’s clear that our hosts, Greeny and Sully are the new darlings of sports media, the Lynam & Rider or Keys & Gray of the football world. Or perhaps that should be Foot & Mouth?

Either way, the boys are back with the second Footy Boots show, better than before, packed with even more information, tech specs, on location film and opinion.

This week, the lads compare two types of Jabulani balls from adidas, try out the PUMA K-Leather v1.10 (they like a bit of leather now and again) and, before we get too Graham Norton, they take a butchers at the adiPure III.

It may have missed out on this week’s Oscar nominations, but we hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

The Footy Boots Show

Long suffering fans of England won’t need to be reminded that when it comes to major tournaments, the team has an Achilles heel – penalties!

Coach Fabio Capello, planner supreme, will doubtless have his entire squad practising from 12 yards as this summer’s World Cup gets ever closer and he might have to ramp it up more than even he thought after the news that Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is about to strip Jermain Defoe of spot kick duty.

Defoe has missed his last four penalties, the last against Leeds in the FA Cup.

Should Defoe be on the pitch in South Africa when England are involved in a shoot out, he’ll probably be required to step forward and do his bit. But who else might Capello call upon, and what football boots will they be wearing as they make that lonely walk from the halfway line? We’re hedging our bets a little and picking one more than required, but you can perm any five from the following half dozen.

Frank Lampard – adiPure III

He may have his critics when he plays for England, but no-one can fault Lampard from the spot. A regular taker for Chelsea and mostly successful although not at the last World Cup where he missed the opening effort against Portugal. Mind you, he did score 2 years earlier at Euro 2004.

David Beckham  - adidas DB Predator X

If he goes, it’s likely he’ll be on the pitch at the final whistle having come on as a substitute. The former skipper is never shy of being ‘one of the five’ but its best we forget what happened at Euro 2004. Portugal were the opponents and Beck’s skied his pen after his standing foot slipped.

Owen Hargreaves – Nike

Here’s one for you. Name the only England player to have scored from the spot in their last two shoot-outs? That’s right, Owen Hargreaves. Capello has said that he needs to prove his fitness to win a place on the plane to South Africa, but should he do so, Hargreaves could be asked to make it ‘three from three’ following Euro 2004 and the World Cup in 2006. However, just which Nike boots he chooses to wear upon his return to competitive action is anyone’s guess.

John Terry – Umbro Speciali

Captain courageous has had mixed fortunes from the spot in recent years. Like Hargreaves, he was successful at the last World Cup but he won’t need reminding that he couldn’t do the business for Chelsea in the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United. Like Beckham, he suffered a standing foot malfunction to let United back in to contention. At least he was brave enough to take one, filling in for Didier Drogba who’d been dismissed in extra time.

Ashley Cole – Nike CTR360 Maestri

Cole was also called upon in the shoot out against Portugal in 2006 and was successful with the first sudden death penalty. So, at least he’s shown he can hold his nerve. Seems happy in the CTR360 for the time being but has swapped his boots around over the past season or two.

Wayne Rooney – Nike Total 90 Laser III

Got to be in the frame as a ‘go to’ man should the need arise. Didn’t get to show us what he could do in 2004 and 2006 for differing reasons. At Euro 2004 was injured in the quarter final against Portugal and two years later, as those who can recall the CR9 wink will know, Rooney got his marching orders midway through the second half for a stamp. Needs to last 120 minutes this time round.

Who do you think might be called upon for spot kick duty should the need arise this summer? Let us know by commenting below.

If the adidas F50 adiZero turns out to be anyway decent, then the speed boot market place is going to get a whole lot hotter.

As it stands, it could be argued that when it comes to technology and weight, the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly sits on top of the pile.

Having ironed out those initial teething problems, the Nike football boots have gone from strength to strength, certainly in the pro game at least. Mind you, the likes of Ronaldo and Walcott don’t have to fork out £225 a time for the honour of playing in them. Performance and Flywire technology notwithstanding, in these tough economic times, over £200 for a pair of football boots is a stiff amount to pay.

Of course, by the time the F50 adiZero makes an appearance, the Superfly II will have already been revealed. Don’t rule out a price drop from those marketing boys at Nike. They’re clever that way. And of course, there is always the more reasonably priced Vapor V and yet to be seen VaporVI.

PUMA made a bit of a howler with the initial colourway of the v1.10 but have hit back strongly with the Gold / Black / Red version which has received some very strong publicity during the African Cup of Nations. Angola is also being used as a great shop window for the original boot which, from a distance, isn’t really that bad. On pre-order now is the v1.10 in Black / Red / White and of course, the K-Leather version which has received some serious praise since it was featured on Footy Boots.

Pricewise too, they’ve got it about right at £120 and £130 for the K-Leather.

There are other speed football boots which shouldn’t be counted out but in truth, most of them could be afforded cult status as opposed to worldwide mass appeal, so it’s definitely PUMA and Nike that adidas will be looking to have a go at.

So what will adidas need to do to get a foot hold in this ‘blue riband’ sector.

Price will be important but with a release date not expected until the Spring (at least) it’s not particularly easy to get a handle on where these boots will be positioned though a figure of £120 is being bandied about.

Weight will be crucial and if the reports doing the rounds on the message boards and cyber space are to be believed, then each boot is coming in at 160g, that’s 25g less than the current Superfly.

It’s also thought that the SprintSkin tehnology will have a major role to play following its début on the F50i.

As for the whole look, there are a few boot-leg pictures out there but more importantly, a few images now of professional players giving them a try in training. So keep your eyes peeled.

And then there is performance, or at least, as much performance that you can squeeze in to boot that weighs about the same as two-thirds of a tub of margarine!

Whatever adidas has in store, it’s going to cause an all-mighty shake-up with the German brand having previously come under fire for not doing enough for the out and out speedster. That looks like it’s going to change big-time and we can’t wait.

The majority of top flight games may have been called off this past weekend because of the big freeze, but that didn’t stop our ever industrious boot spotters from checking out what was being worn at Premier League grounds around the UK.

Hull City v Chelsea - Match Postponed

Not even the presence of Hull City boss Phil Brown could save this match. It was hoped that the heat emanating from his perma-tan would melt the snow at the KC Stadium but no such luck.

Still, we managed to spot these adidas welly-Pure II’s. Note the absence of any technology whatsoever.

As worn by - That little bloke off Last of the Summer Wine.

Burnley v Stoke City - Match Postponed

No joy either at Turf Moor where Burnley were due to play their first match since the departure of manager Owen Coyle to Bolton Wanderers.

However, there was still plenty to interest our intrepid spotters who were very excited to spy these limited edition Lotto Welleggenda Due’s bearing a poppy motif in an interesting Red / Green / Whoopsy Yellow colourway.

As worn by - Posh Mum’s on the way to the gym.

Fulham v Portsmouth - Match Postponed

The icy chill blowing off the River Thames put paid to this game but, as you will appreciate, with Craven Cottage being so close to the Kings Road there was still some quality fashion footwear to see.

Our boot spies favourite was this pair of Puma Camo Field-Konstrukt III’s. Perfect for a summer knock-about, they looked strangely out of place in snow covered South West London.

As worn by - Bill Oddie / Bill Bailey

West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Match Postponed

Another London game to fall foul of the weather was this clash at Upton Park. What was interesting here was the fact that Wolves manager Mick McCarthy decided not to bring his first choice boots, but decided on his second string pair. Is there a pattern developing here?

In the end, he settled on these all surface Umbro Speci-Welli-ali’s in Dijon Mustard Yellow. Strengthened by their unique L-frame, the upper is made from K-Rubber which gives him extra grip when kicking his defenders up the backside for conceding another soft goal.

As worn by - Mick McCarthy

Liverpool v Tottenham - Match Postponed

This highly anticipated clash between Liverpool in 7th and Spurs in 4th will have to be re-arranged despite the pitch being playable. Police and officials were concerned about the icy conditions around the ground not to mention in the Liverpool boardroom. “It was cold enough in there to freeze the club’s bank accounts” said a random bloke we met.

On the plus side, our trip to Anfield resulted in us getting a glimpse of these Nike Vapor Welly-Berry’s in Red / Two-Tone Pink.

Using a bad LSD trip as their inspiration, it’s thought that only one player in the entire Premier League will be brave enough to wear them.

As worn by - Nicklas Bendtner.

Did we miss any? Perhaps you may have seen something similar being worn at the weekend or, better still, are there any football boot names that lend themselves to this type of footwear. Let us know by commenting below.

Adidas has been under fire for quite a while now for not doing  enough for the out and out speed player.

Added to that, there has always been an element of distrust from some to the TUNiT system.

But all of that could be about to change with the 2010 launch of the F50 adiZero.

First off, adidas has gone for a lightweight boot big time. Each boot weighs just 160g so will surely provide stiff opposition to the Mercurial series.

Additionally, the TUNiT system has gone - so no chassis or stud changing for the adiZero. And pictures that are already doing the rounds on the web show the lack of a lacecover.

What will be fascinating is the release date. Although there has been no official word from adidas as yet, the rumours on the message boards is that they are set for a May reveal. And that is just a few weeks after the expected launch of the Nike Superfly 2. It could be a intriguing battle with weight and price (the Superfly’s are £225 don’t forget) playing a huge part in which boot gains superiority.

There’s bound to be plenty more discussion of the F50 adiZero before we get the official low down so keep checking in with Footy Boots and we’ll update you as soon as we get anymore information.

So here we are. On day one of a brand new decade, Footy Boots can present our favourite five football boots from the last 10 years. 

We limited ourselves to choosing only 4 boots from our ‘top’ brand plus a maximum of 3 from any others. And, just to make things a little bit more difficult, we could only select one football boot from any single range.

It is, of course, a hugely subjective list so please feel free to comment below and lets us know which football boots you would have gone for. To help with your choices, here are our previous picks…

Football Boots of the Decade 20-16

Football Boots of the Decade 15-11

Football Boots of the Decade 10-6

20 - Reebok Sprintfit Lite Pro

19 - PUMA v-Konstrukt II

18 - A-Line Ultra World Cup

17 - Lotto Cafu Vento 2

16 - Adidas F50

15 - Strike Zone Pro Rage

14 - Mizuno Morelia

13 - Mercurial Superfly

12 - Nomis Glove

11 - PUMA v1.06

10 - Concave PT+

9 - Nike CTR360 Maestri

8 - Diadora LX K Pro

7 - Reebok Integrity

6 - adidas adiPure

AZ Total 90 II

Whilst it didn’t make too many radical changes over the original, it was more refined. Addition of a KNG-100 Upper on the top-end models was a big step towards embracing synthetic uppers for Nike. It will be remembered in the classic Blue, Black and White colourway that Luis Figo wore at WC2002.

Side offset lacing was, at the time, very unorthodox - but look around you now and every major brand has at least one side-offset lacing boot in their silo.

Umbro Speciali

The new Speciali was exactly what Umbro had desperately craved for the best part of 5 years. Giving in to temptation, Umbro had allowed some of the scraps of technology from it’s slowly bloating X-Boot range to ‘taint’ the Speciali - making it something it should never have been, in an attempt to steal fans from the Predator & Total 90 ranges.

After losing its retro appeal and classic styling, even looking at the Speciali left you with a certain uneasy feeling that only crops up from time to time, like when Gordon Brown proclaimed his love of the Arctic Monkeys, or just Rod Stewart in general. Clearly taking cues from Fabio Capello’s design notions for the New England home shirt Umbro ‘reset’ the Speciali back to the boot it was always meant to be - and seeing the glorious White and Red version on the feet of John Terry left me feeling that some great injustice had been undone in the world.

Puma King XL

Most of the time a classic should just be left alone, like the late 90’s remake of Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ or Britney Spears covering Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones. But every so often, someone comes along who’s willing to put the same time and care into the new version as those who had gone before into the old.

Streamlining the King by removing some of the unnecessary panels, increasing it’s appeal with some of the softest leather ever to grace a boot and adding a robust (yet subtle) heel guard was exactly what the brand needed to continue it’s legacy – and ensure another generation of legends could wear the King.

Mercurial Vapor I

Barely makes it onto the list as it was launched in the early noughties. For me, it was the first boot since the original Predator that had the ‘talk of the schoolyard’ factor. Everyone wanted Ronaldo’s boots, with the R9 behind the tongue - even though Brazil didn’t feature in any major tournament to showcase them - somehow they were the boots on everyone’s mind.

Also backed by Nike’s best Viral Ad (in my opinion) - The Cage! Adding to the collective tongue wagging of the public was the fact that you only caught the slightest glimpse of the boot at the end of the ad. Awesome.

Predator Precision

If that World Cup qualifier was David Beckham’s launchpad to superstardom - these boots were the rockets that propelled him. The Precisions were awesome looking boots, futuristic and fearsome - the low-profile accentuated by a velcro down tongue (the first time the tongue could ever be held in place in the range outside of some creative lace-taping or your girlfriend’s hair bobble).

Whilst the X-Traxion studs a huge bonus to the boot - and an innovation that has held true for a decade now - arguably the best thing about the sole plate was that adidas had dropped the creepy-looking flesh-coloured sole plate from the Accelerators!

So that’s it. Our top 5. Let the debate and the arguments begin! In the meantime, everyone at Footy Boots wishes you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.

As we prepare to enter a new decade, we’ve been looking back at our favourite boots from 2000 to 2009.

We’ll let you know about our top 5 on Friday (but feel free to leave us a comment below if you’d like to guess which boots are on that list) but before that, this is what Kyle and team came up with for the products which we placed from 10 down to 6. 

Just to remind you of the ground rules - we were only able to select a total of 4 boots from our ‘top’ manufacturer and 3 from all the others and only 1 pair of boots per range.

Click here to see 20 - 16 and here for 15 down to 11.

Concave PT+

I know what you might be thinking but just hang on a tick. Concave are an inspiration to any company starting out. Diving headfirst into one of the most competitive industries world, Concave have stuck by both their famous ‘four pillars of performance’ (improved accuracy, power, protection and control) and by their unorthodox design.

The PT+ put everything right that the original PT1 had wrong with it (not least the sweet spot rubbing the top of your toes) and offered up a leather upper to boot. Slowly but surely acquiring some names behind the product (John O’Shea for instance) we at Footy Boots would suggest that Concave may well have more than one boot on next decade’s list.

Nike CTR360 Maestri

Nike were scoffed at when the rumours were they were introducing another boot to their line-up. But 3 months down the line and CTR360 has more new adopters than any new line of boots since the original Predator – and with good reason.

As we experienced first-hand in our review, the Maestri is one of the most comfortable boots Nike have ever produced, and the technical aspects of the boot are outstanding.

Diadora LX K Pro

When you’re looking for the best boots, sometimes it’s as easy as looking for the best players; and they don’t come much better than Francesco Totti.

AS Roma’s finest has pretty much stuck by Diadora just as he’s stuck by his club and has had his pick of their flagship boots. For me it was a choice of the sleek, flash Maximus released in 2006, or the more recent released classic styling of the LX K Pro. Just looking at the LX K Pro was enough to swing my vote though, classic soft K-Leather, elasticated tongue and solid heel counter – all without looked dated and frumpy like so many other boots from smaller companies do. It’s easy to see why Diadora are continuing to produce these into the new decade.

Reebok Integrity

The 2007 Reebok Integrity is an often overlooked boot. Released around the time that Reebok’s silo of boots was exploding (over the next 18 months Reebok would release the Instante, two Sprintfits and the Valde Pro) the Integrity was a true footballer’s boot.

Free of gimmicks or unnecessary flash the Integrity boasted the softest grade K-Leather, rock solid heel counter and elasticated lace cover – the Integrity can give the Tiempo Legend and Speciali a run for their money in the modern classic category.

adidas adiPure

It was a tough call on which of adidas’ modern-classic boots to choose; the adiPure I or II. Eventually settling on the original adiPure, I can’t believe I even considered the second.

On a personal level, I loved the fit - the more ’standard’ lacing system was exactly what a boot with the word ‘pure’ in it’s name should be about. Even the little touches on the boot, like the bronze badges on the cuff not only avoided feeling gimmicky, but miraculously added to the retro appeal.

So that’s our 10 to 6. make sure you check back in to Footy Boots on New Years Day for the top 5 football boots of the decade.

Every time we publish an article on Footy Boots, we hope that it creates debate and interest. But of course, some pieces are more popular than others.

Looking back at the figures for the past 12 months we’ve worked out which posts drew the most hits, and the results may be something of a surprise.

As you’d expect, boot product pieces are well represented with 8 in the top 10 but the number 1 spot goes not to a new reveal, road test or an exclusive, but to the boots we suggested you might consider buying for Christmas.

Our post on the adidas F50i got the most hits for a single boot, the Premier League ball in use for the current season, the T90 Ascente, came in a creditable fourth while our guide to breaking in new boots (updated in August 2009) was one place higher in third.

The Mercurial range can boast 3 entries, 2 for the Superfly and 1 for the Vapor V while our news story on Steven Gerrard’s view that Liverpool could win the Premier League title in 2008 / 2009 was an unexpected ninth (and only just qualifies having been published on 29th December 2008).

The full list is as follows – if you missed any of the stories at the time and want to check them out now, simply click on the title.

1. CHRISTMAS FOOTBALL BOOTS - TOP 5

2. ADIDAS F50i

3. THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BREAKING IN NEW FOOTBALL BOOTS

4. PREMIER LEAGUE BALL

5. FOOTBALL BOOTS SHOULD GET BACK TO BASICS

6. NIKE MERCURIAL VAPOR SUPERFLY

7. CHELSEA V LIVERPOOL, FOOTBALL BOOTS SHOWDOWN

8. SUPERFLY SPOTTING

9. WE CAN WIN THE TITLE - GERRARD

10. MERCURIAL VAPOR V

First off,  a very happy Christmas to all you Footy Boots fans out there. We take it that as you are currently reading this, you’ve had enough of the in-laws / grand parents / Uncle Charlie (delete as appropriate) already!

Having looked out our favourite boots from 20 - 16 earlier this week, today it’s the turn of numbers 15 - 11.

We’d love to know what you think of our choices, so in between the turkey, Xmas pud and mince pies, do drop us a line by commenting below.

Strike Zone Pro Rage

Many people would probably argue that there were better incarnations of the Strike Zone series than the Rage - but I can honestly say these were the first boots where I experienced the oft-promised ‘glove-like fit’ from a pair of boots on the first wear. For anyone that never had the chance to try a pair of these boots - the Pro Rage sat slightly higher up to the ankles than most other boots, and were lined with - what one can only assume - clouds, dreams and pillows.

Well not really, but the point is the ankles were thick and supportive preventing any rolled ankles, and the forefoot had the bare minimum of laces on, for a sweet spot that was completely unsurpassed until the Lotto Zhero Gravity. Also this boot came at a prime time for Reebok, when Shevchenko was still in mercurial form for AC Milan and Giggs and Henry were battling it out in two highest place teams in the Premiership.

Mizuno Morelia

Not many brands can do classic cool like Mizuno; and no boot epitomises it quite like the Morelia Pro. Completely free of anything that might push the overhead up, the Morella Pro is a professional standard boot for every player.

Available only in the classiest of colourways, the upper is, once again, a supple K-Leather with streamlined stitching running across the toes to help it bend when running. A well worn pair of Morelia’s are just as comfy as a pair of slippers – and that’s why they deserve to be in the top 20.

Mercurial Superfly

A little bit controversial. The first mass-produced boot to smash the £200 price barrier, a mass recall due to a “product integrity issue” and STILL not as light as the Puma V1.08 Ferrari.

But sometimes it’s more what the boot stands for - in these days of leaked photos and scanned suppliers catalogues it was fascinating to see that it didn’t detract from the hype surrounding the boot and everyone that considers themselves a fan of football boots was watching when they were debuted by Christiano Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic in the Champions League.

Nomis Glove

The Nomis Glove is a boot that had to beat a very high set of expectations. Anyone that read my review on the Nomis Spark would get an idea that I thought they were a fantastic boot, so it was going to take a huge effort from their bigger brother push them off their laurels.

But The Glove went ahead and did just that - taking everything that I loved about the Spark (Sock-like fit, fold over tongue, Predator-style lacing system) and wrapped it in Wet Control Leather. Whilst many saw it as a gimmick the Wet Control tech is up there with the CTR360’s Memory Foam as an ‘why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?’ innovation.

PUMA v1.06

After a turbulent few years of speculation about its financial well-being, PUMA roared out the gates in 2006 with the first of its premier ‘v1′ series. In a make-or-break move to prove they weren’t just a prefix to the ‘King’ name, PUMA went for something completely different: a canvas-uppered, side-offset lacing, carbon-fibre sole-plated speed machine.

The following 12 months were a complete turnaround for the German giant, sponsoring 12 teams in the World cup (one of them being the winners, Italy) and a boot in their stable to compete with the likes of Nike’s Mercurial and adidas’ new F50 lines.

Numbers 10 - 6 in our festive countdown will be posted on Footy Boots on Tuesday 29th December.

It’s the time of the year for looking back. With the New Year fast approachinjg, it feels right somehow to take your foot off the gas pedal and spend a few hours thinking about what has has gone before as opposed to what might be lying in wait in 2010.

As such, here at Footy Boots, we’ve compiled our list of Top 20 Football Boots of the Decade.

This has nothing to do with sales figures, advertising spend or ambassador endorsements. It’s just our very subjective choice of what we’ve enjoyed wearing over the past 10 years.

Today it’s number 20 down to 16. Make sure you check back in to Footy Boots on Xmas Day for our selections numbering 15 - 11.

Reebok Sprintfit Lite Pro

The Sprintfit range has continued to divide opinion across its lifespan. Some have dismissed them as Reebok’s ‘Me-too’ attempt at a speed boot.

But there are diehards out there that insist that the two-piece sole, lovingly crafted insole and Teijin upper (that’s right – the same material as Nike’s Vapor line!) is more than a cash-in. Two years after the original, the line is still going from strength to strength and the Bolton based brand have a real competitor in the speed boot market.

PUMA v-Konstrukt II

The v-Konstrukt II was PUMA doing something a little bit different to the rest of the industry. Rather than attempting to improve your game, the v-Konstrukt II was designed to prolong it.

With a really hefty heel counter and the DuoCell cushioning system (a long lasting remnant from the PUMA Cellerator Shudoh, remember those?!) the idea was to reduce stress on the shins and ankles whilst running and protect the heels and Achilles tendon from impact injuries.

A-Line Ultra World Cup.

Two words: Gianfranco Zola. And I’m not even a Chelsea fan.

If it’s good enough for Zola, then the specially treated water repellent K-Leather upper, anti-slip buffalo leather lining and classic styling will make them good enough for you too!

Lotto Cafu Vento 2

Prior to the days of releasing 18 different boots (not really) in around 7 hours (again, not really) and thinking Twist’n'go technology is a good idea (sorry, that one’s true!) Lotto had something of a revered spot in my heart.

Seemingly exclusive to continental football, you never saw them in the Premiership - you only saw them on the feet of legendary Italian, Spanish and Brazilian players when you watched Football Italia with your Dad in the 90’s.

Chief among these untouchables was Cafu, and after moving to AC Milan in 2004 he was rewarded with his signature Vento boots.

Adidas F50

Rising from the ashes of the ill-fated ‘XLine’ in 2004, the F50 started the trend of completely hiding the laces, providing a bigger surface area for better ball-to-foot contact; a legacy that’s prevalent in boots like the Mizuno Wave Ghost & Puma v1.10.

It was also adidas’ raising their game to show they had more in their locker than just the Predator range.

Don’t forget. Numbers 15 - 11 in our Festive count down will be published on Xmas day.

It’s been a hectic few weeks for the world of football what with World Cup draws, Champions League draws, managerial sackings and some major upsets in the EPL.

It’s been manic too for football product. Recent releases have included the Nike Total 90 Laser III, the match ball for the 2010 World Cup, the Jabulani from adidas, plus the last big adidas boot release of the year, the Predator_X.

As you would have expected, we have covered all these stories on Footy Boots, but we now can take a look at them from a slightly different angle.

With help from Greeny and Sully, two new additions to the team at HQ, Footy Boots has produced the first in what we hope will be a long line of video shows.

Watch below as the two boys get up close with both sets of football boots and the World Cup ball.

Going forward, we plan to make the Footy Boots Show a regular feature so naturally, we’d love to hear any suggestions you might have.

So, if you have any thought on what boots we ought to cover, what football product out there you feel is deserving of a mention or even if Greeny needs to spruce up his wardrobe a bit, please do get in touch by commenting below or emailing us at a.stud@footy-boots.com

As we hurtle head long in to another decade in the midst of the most exciting Premier League title race for a few years and with a keen sense of anticipation for next summer’s events in South Africa, Footy Boots has decided to take stock and look back at the past 10 years, and in particular, to our ‘top twenty football boots of the decade’.

From next Tuesday and throughout the Festive period, we’ll list our particular favourites, culminating in the top 5 which we will reveal on New Years Day.

Before that though, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get your choices as well (as it has been know for visitors to this site to venture an opinion or two!) There are some ground rules though.

The boots must have been released between 2000 and 2009, you can choose a maximum of 4 boots from your favourite brand and 3 from all others. And you can only select 1 boot from any range. So, sending us a list which includes the adiPure I, II and III or five different colourways of the Vapor IV just won’t cut it.

If you pick the adiPure I, then you can’t also choose the II or III

As well as listing your top 20 please also tell us why you think they qualify. What is it about them that makes them stand out from the rest and get your vote?

You need to get your selections to us before close of play on Monday 21st and we’ll then put up our choices of boots 20 – 16 on Tuesday 22nd. On Xmas Day and Boxing Day it’ll be numbers 15 – 11, then 10 – 6 on Tuesday 29th December, culminating with 5 – 1 on the first day of the New Year.

We look forward to seeing what football boots you come up with, if any trends start to appear and of course, how your selections compare with our own.

We’ve already seen two colourways of the all-new adidas adiPure III – the White / Gold / Black worn by Frank Lampard of Chelsea versus Everton last weekend and the Black / White / Gold as chosen by Karim Benzema for Real Madrid’s clash away to Valencia.

And here’s the third and by far, the most impactful of the three, in Gold / Black.

So far, reaction to the adiPure III has been pretty mixed. Trawling through the comments already submitted to Footy Boots, some have suggested they resemble baseball cleats while others have argued that they have lost the classy look of their predecessors. However, on the flip side, fans of the new boot say they look more streamlined and that the new tongue design is a massive selling point.

Looks aside, being from the adiPure range, we can take it as read that the boots will be comfortable and extremely functional.

The Gold / Black colourway is expected to be on retail sale by March 2010 with pre-order starting in February.

adidas adiPure III Tech Specs

Upper:

•K-leather for a perfect fit and excellent ball control
•Mono-tongue construction for a glove like fit and clean licking surface
•Super soft feature anti-slippery finishing for best comfort and fit
•Asymmetrical lacing system for cleaning kicking surface and sleek look
•Padded super soft collar for best comfort and comfortable fit
•Pre-molded sockliner with adiPrene foam inserts in the heel

Outsole:

•Traxion technology for optimum grip and stud pressure distribution
•Raised heel cap for maximum stability and comfort
•New TRX HG tooling with new set up and EVA wedge in the heel for maximum performance and premium cushioning

Colourway: Gold / Black

UK Sizes: 8 – 12

Price: FG £99.99 / SG £109.99

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It was a hectic weekend for boot debuts and for the main part, a largely forgetful one for many of the leading ambassadors in the English Premier League.

On Sunday, following his major role in the release of the Nike Total 90 Laser III, Liverpool’s Fernando Torres wore the football boots competitively for the first time.

He was on hand to see Dirk Kuyt give Liverpool a first half lead but was then frustrated by Arsenal’s second half comeback and a distinct lack of a cutting edge by the home side as the Gunners ran out winners 2 – 1.

So it’s likely that Arsenal’s Denilson will more fondly remember the game as he wore the Laser III’s as well.

Along side him, Theo Walcott tried out the new Superfly colourway in Yellow / Black / Gold.

Twenty four hours earlier, Wayne Rooney also gave the Total 90 Laser III as bash and, like Torres, went disappointed as his side suffered a home defeat. Rooney though did come close to salvaging a point for Manchester United, hitting the bar from close range, but it wasn’t enough to stop Aston Villa taking all three points courtesy of a 1 – 0 win, their goal coming from a Superfly clad Gabriel Agbonlahor.

And it’s unlikely that Craig Bellamy will recall Manchester City’s game with Bolton with any great delight. He wore the Yellow / Black / Gold Superfly but was controversially sent off for diving.

Also on saturday, Chelsea’s Frank Lampard wore the adiPure III in White / Gold /Black during the 3 - 3 draw with Everton at Stamford Bridge as did Karim Benzema, though he went for the Black / White / Gold versions during Real Madrid’s crucial 3 - 2 win at Valencia.

Elsewhere over the weekend (which was supposed to be the first official outing of the new Superfly, forgetting the midweek showing by Porto’s Alves and Rodriguez) Barcelona’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic got the only goal in the Yellow / Black / Gold colourway in the home win over Espanyol while over in Italy, Gabi Mudingayi gave Bologna a 1 – 0 half time lead wearing adiPure III in White / Gold / Black but couldn’t prevent Parma coming back in the second half to secure a 2 – 1 win. And there was disappoint too for AC Milan’s Pato who wore the Yellow / Black / Gold Superfly in their 2 – 0 home defeat by Palermo.

So, who else did you spot this weekend in the new Laser III’s, Superfly’s, Vapor V’s or adiPure III’s. Let us know by commenting below.