Lotto, the leading Italian football boot brand have signed the England and Portsmouth defender Glen Johnson on a three-year contract.

Lotto have announced that Portsmouth and England full back Glen Johnson will be wearing Lotto football boots for the next three years.

Glen Johnson Football Boots

This season Glen Johnson will be wearing Lotto’s Zhero Leggenda Due football boots, fitted with the brand-new Twist’ngo technology - the pivoting stud that makes turning easier and reduces the risk of injury.

Johnson has been wearing the Lotto football boots since the start of this season, replacing the Adidas Predator Power Swerve football boots he used last season.

Glen Johnson Profile

Glen Johnson was born in London in August 1984. For a 24 year old he has already achieved a great deal in his career. He came through the youth system at West Ham before moving to Chelsea for a fee of £6 million.

At Chelsea Johnson, despite not always being a regular, picked up a League Cup and two Premier League trophies. He then moved on to his current club Portsmouth in a £4 million transfer, where he added the FA Cup to his list of honours.

Johnson is also a regular in the England squad.

The Lotto Zhero Leggenda Due

Lotto Supports Soccer School

The agreement also includes the sponsoring of Glen Johnson’s soccer school based in Kent which involves 2,000 children every month from the ages of 4 up to 16. In fact, the Italian sportswear company will be supplying to these potential future talents its top-of-the range performance football apparel, boots and accessories collection. Lotto Sport Italia has been close to children from its inception and is delighted to be part of this important educational project aimed at developing and transmitting the passion of football as a moment of enjoyment, socialising and having respect for their opponent.

Zhero Evolution Due is the model for those who are looking for technology and absolute lightness.

The model is equipped with the new Twist’ngo system, the first rotating stud that accompanies the athlete during changes in direction, ensuring speed, stability and reducing the risk of injury.

The upper is a water-repellent microfiber with asymmetric lacing and reversible tongue to support a larger area of contact with the ball.

Zhero Evolution Due is equipped with an external quarter stiffener, providing the utmost support for protection against impacts, and an anatomic pull-out insole with “Shock-Absorber” insert in the heel zone, which maximise the comfort and stability along all of the foot. It is also equipped with Puntoflex, a special technical feature, which is positioned crosswise on the outsole at the metatarsal zone level, allowing the correct flexion of the foot.

There are two available soles: SG, with interchangeable studs in steel and nylon to allow maximum traction on heavy pitches and FG with fixed conical studs, which also include the Twist’ngo system for maximum stability and grip on dry, grassy pitches.

Sizes: 4.5 to 12
Colours: White /Fiery Red
Retail Price: £ 90,00

On Footy Boots you can view our exclusive images and information on the new Zhero Evolution Due, Vento Diablo KL, Zhero Gravity Due and the Zhero Leggenda Due.

Zhero Leggenda Due

Zhero Leggenda Due football boot is ideal for players who are seeking comfort and performance.

The model is equipped with the new Twist’ngo system, the first rotating stud that accompanies the athlete during changes in direction, ensuring speed, stability and reducing the risk of injury.

The upper is made in water-repellent kangaroo leather with modular lacing that allows you to maintain lacing tension constant all along the foot.

Zhero Leggenda Due is equipped with an external quarter stiffener, providing the utmost support for protection against impacts, and an anatomic pull-out insole with “Shock-Absorber” insert in the heel zone, which maximise the comfort and stability along all of the foot. Like the Gravity, it is also equipped with Puntoflex.

Zhero Leggenda Due is available in two different soles: SG with interchangeable studs for heavy and muddy pitches and FG with fixed conical studs, which also include the Twist’ngo system for maximum stability and grip on dry, grassy pitches.

Sizes: 5.5 to 12
Colours: White /Fiery Red
Retail Price: £ 90,00

On Footy Boots you can view our exclusive images and information on the new Zhero Evolution Due, Vento Diablo KL, Zhero Gravity Due and the Zhero Leggenda Due.

Vento line

Vento Diablo KL is the top-of-the-range model, with upper in water-resistant kangaroo leather and asymmetric lacing plus the Twist’ngo technology.

The model is available in two different colour combinations: White/Fiery Red and Black/White.

Furthermore, the model features the 3-S technology (Side Stability Support), which gives the foot more stability during side movements.

The insole is anatomical and removable to maximise comfort all over the foot, with a Shock-Absorber cushioning insert in the heel zone. It is also equipped with BFC technology (Biomechanical Foot Control), an insole that accompanies and controls the foot’s natural flexibility, supporting both the arch area and the elastic return of the forefoot.

The Adapto system is also inserted in the rear part of the football boot, a thermoplastic quarter stiffener the remarkable elastic properties of which allow perfect adaptation to the heel shape by cushioning it anatomically. The rigid part on the sides supports the heel, while the soft, flexible and cushioned part adapts perfectly to the heel thereby heading off repeated micro-traumas which cause tendon inflammation. Two different types of soles are available: SG, a sole equipped with interchangeable studs in steel and nylon and FG, a sole with fixed conical studs, which includes the Twist’ngo system.

Sizes: 4.5 to 12
Colours: Black/White, White/Fiery Red
Retail Price: £ 60,00

On Footy Boots you can view our exclusive images and information on the new Zhero Evolution Due, Vento Diablo KL, Zhero Gravity Due and the Zhero Leggenda Due.

Zhero Gravity Due

Zhero Gravity Due is the evolution of Zhero Gravity, which was launched for the 2006 World Cup as the world’s first laceless football boot.

Entirely made in Italy, the model ensures a perfect fit of the foot, thereby offering maximum levels of comfort, thanks to the exclusive Pro-fit technology inserted in the upper. Zhero Gravity Due wraps the foot like a glove: the lack of laces extends the support surface to the whole of the upper, thereby guaranteeing complete contact with the ball and its control without details that detract from the maximum precision of the kick. Furthermore, the external quarter stiffener in Pebax ensures correct support and protection.

The upper is made from microfibre, a water-repellent, breathable and anti-abrasion material, which resists environment variations in more extreme temperatures, as well as the most difficult playing conditions. To best respond to the needs of all players, Zhero Gravity Due uses two internal pull-out insoles that mould themselves to fit different foot shapes.

Another element that makes the Zhero Gravity Due football boot a high-quality product is the sole with Neo Switch technology. This consists of Lottos exclusive fixed and interchangeable studs that can be replaced according to the state of the playing field.

It is also equipped with Puntoflex, a special technical feature positioned crosswise on the outsole at the metatarsal zone level, allowing the correct flexion of the foot.

Sizes: 5.5 to 12
Colours: White /Fiery Red
Retail Price: £ 140,00

On Footy Boots you can view our exclusive images and information on the new Zhero Evolution Due, Vento Diablo KL, Zhero Gravity Due and the Zhero Leggenda Due.

One thing you can always rely on the Italians for is a certain amount of style. The Country, and in particular Milan, has become synonymous with the world’s most beautiful creations. So it’s with bated breath that Footy Boots has been waiting for Lotto to release details of their new football boot collection for 2008 / 09.

TWIST’NGO

The company has been busy with a full on research and development programme to not only to bring out the new Zhero and Vento lines but also to incorporate their patented Twist’ngo technology, the first pivoting stud capable of enhancing players’ performance and reducing the risk of injury. Twist’ngo is an exclusive system based on the insertion of an aluminium pivoting stud in a brand new sole.

Twist’ngo (which was named after one of the Lotto directors who got too carried away at an office party during a Chubby Checker song and did his back in) was born from an Italian collaboration between Lotto Sport Italia and the University of Pavia, which have been conducting intense studies and laboratory tests for 15 months.

The new Twist’ngo technology will be added to these models: Zhero Leggenda, Zhero Evolution and Vento Diablo KL.

And with Euro 2008 just round the corner, Lotto has decided on new red and white colourways which reflect Lotto’s colours and those of the Swiss and Austrian flags.

On Footy Boots you can view our exclusive images and information on the new Zhero Evolution Due, Vento Diablo KL, Zhero Gravity Due and the Zhero Leggenda Due.

It’s all getting very Italian at Loftus Road.

Italian joint owner in Flavio Britaore, Italian manager in Luigi de Canio and now, if the players don’t do the business on the pitch, they are in serious danger of waking up next to a horses head or swimming with the fishes. You hear what I’m saying? Capiche?

Well perhaps, not quite that extreme.

But the Italian connection at Queens Park Rangers has been further strengthened after the club announced that next season’s official kit supplier will be Lotto Sport Italia.

The deal could be worth as much as £20 million over five seasons, depending on the success of QPR as the club embarks on its mission to achieve Premier League football and represents the most lucrative sponsorship deal in the London club’s history.

Lotto Sport Italia will be providing new home and away kits and training wear for the first team through to the Centre of Excellence, as well as developing additional lines of stylish and fashionable QPR branded clothing and shoes.

The contract also includes a substantial annual investment for the duration of the contract into QPR’s ‘Football In The Community’ scheme, which will assist the department’s continued efforts to improve the standard of life for people within the local area.

Andrea Tomat, President of Lotto Sport Italia, said: “We cannot wait to start this new alliance with a team that we feel very close to Lotto. This is an important partnership which will enhance the brand awareness of Lotto not only in the UK but also at international level, thanks to the worldwide media coverage of English football and in particular of Queens Park Rangers and the club’s new owners.”

“This partnership with QPR will also see both parties develop mutually-beneficial commercial ideas along with new product lines - also for leisure wear - inspired by the team with an unmistakeable Italian touch.”

Flavio Briatore, chairman of QPR Holdings Limited, added: “This is the first significant new partnership for the club since I became involved, and I am very excited about it. Lotto Sport Italia are the perfect fit as our new kit supplier. As a brand, I am certain that their involvement will benefit us on and off the pitch.

“I am delighted with the design of the new team strip, which maintains the QPR tradition of blue and white hoops. I know how important it is to the fans that the hoops remain, and that was always going to be the case.”

The new kit design for next season will be revealed at a later date. Compulsory attendance by the media will be called for and for those hacks who don’t pitch up, they can expect a visit from a chap who’s middle name is ‘The’.

Championship Edition of Lotto Zhero Gravity for Julio Cruz

Italian football boot maker, and producer of the world’s first laceless football boot, Lotto has unveiled a special edition version of the Zhero Gravity, made exclusively for their star player Julio Cruz. The limited edition football boot has been produced to celebrate Inter Milan’s successful retention of the Serie A championship.

In honour of their star player, Lotto have created an dramatically coloured football boot that has the tricoloured Italian flag as its theme, with a red flame on the sides, Lotto’s familiar diamond logo in green as well as the heel and sole, with the remaining football boot in white. The Lotto Zhero Gravity includes an Italian championship shield, incorporating a blue-and-black number 15, as a mark of Inter’s 15th championship win.

Lotto Julio E Zhero Gravity Campioni D’Italia - Limited Edition

Lotto is only making three pairs of this special football boot, all of which are going to Julio Cruz. All credit to the Inter player as he will be auctioning the stylish football boots in aid of the Obra del Padre Mario Pantaleo charity, which is based in Buenos Aires and works to help people and families in the outlying districts of the Argentinian capitol city. The auction is being held on May 24th as part of a fund-raising evening for the charity. With the extremely limited number, these could well become collectors items, and for any Inter Milan fans surely the ultimate football boot that combines Lotto’s legendary styling with the Italian national colours to produce a dazzling design reflects Cruz’s classy performances this season.

View more Lotto football boot articles.

Lotto Lands in Brazil

Italian football boot producer Lotto has announced a tie in that it hopes will see it become a major football boot and sportswear seller in Brazil. Lotto has joined forces with Brazilian sports clothing producer Filon Confecções Ltda, who will produce and market Lotto branded products until the end of 2009. Lotto hopes the move will bring in over £10million of sales in Brazil over the next 3 years and move the Italians to the number three brand position in South America’s largest country. The deal also allows Lotto football boots to be sold direct through Filon’s own outlets as well as giving Filon input into Lotto’s product design technologies, allowing for the possibility of specially designed Brazilian football boots.

Brazil, with a population of 185 million, has one of the largest segments of professional and amateur players in the world, and its developing economy and fast expanding consumer market has been identified by analysts along with China and India as economies that could potentially produce significant investor returns for companies at this stage of their development.

“Landing in Brazil is an important breakthrough for Lotto,” said President of Lotto Sport Italia Andrea Tomat, “Great passion for this sport is part of Lotto’s DNA as well as of Brazil’s people - many of its greatest stars are linked to our brand today, with Cafu, Dida, Doni and Amauri standing out. I am sure that we will soon see the Lotto double diamond logo in prominence in the Brazilian league championship too.”

Lotto remains a force in its native Italy: its laceless football boot the Lotto Zhero Gravity is a marvel of design, innovation and style. Expect an explosive mix when the Italians from Lotto blend with the fiery passion and samba beats of Brazilian football!

Read more Lotto football boot articles.

Italian football boot maker Lotto hosts its sponsored player at its headquarters in Trevignano, Italy.

Inter Milan player and Lotto football boot wearer Julio Cruz has been contributing to two upcoming projects for Lotto - the first a special project for Euro 2008 and the second in the testing of different football boot technologies with the view to improving football boot stability. Cruz was at Lotto HQ as a professional player to give his advice and experience to the research and development team for a company which prides itself on its innovation and creativity. Lotto, of course, led the way with the world’s first laceless footy boot, the revolutionary Lotto Zhero Gravity which has proved to be a great success since its launch in 2006.

Julio Cruz Football Boots

Lotto has sponsored Julio Cruz since 2003, with Cruz currently preferring the stylish blue and white Lotto Zhero Gravity football boots, although earlier in the season he was wearing the gold/white version. The Lotto football boot has been effective this season for the Argentinean player, with Cruz already netting 10 goals for Inter Milan, and earning him an impressive goal scoring record of scoring a goal every 92 minutes!

Read more Lotto Football Boot articles.

Happy New Year from Football Boots!

Footy-Boots.com was launched in April 2006. Since it’s birth, we have written over a 130 articles and our readers have made over 550 comments!

In 2006 we covered football boot launches, including the first lace less football boot - Lotto Zhero Gravity, a football boot made from Shark Skin - Kelme Tiburon, the Tiempo Ronaldinho - Ronnie’s own football boot and witnessed just two new Beckham football boots….. Swerve, Lion.

The most popular articles written this year, as voted by visits were;

3rd Zinedine Zidane’s Football Boots

Written just before Zizou head butted Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final, you just couldn’t get enough of Zinedine Zidane’s Gold Football Boots.

As your comments highlighted, it’s a shame that Adidas didn’t produce the football boots for sale.

2nd Thierry Henry - Reebok Football Boots

Was this the signing of the season? Thierry Henry left Nike for Reebok, this article reported Henry’s first game in his Reebok football boots.

1st Nike Total 90 Supremacy - Rooney’s New Football Boots

Rooney launched Nike’s Total 90 Supremacy football boots.

Unfortunately, wearing them competitively for the first time, he broke his metatarsal and struggled for fitness during the World Cup.

Thanks for reading and here’s to 2007 and some great football boots!

As part 1 of the Top Football Boots of the World Cup series, here is the Lotto Zhero Gravity.

Italian football boot manufacturers Lotto, are launching their top of the range boot, the Zhero Gravity, which ties in nicely with the boot being worn at this years World Cup.

Performance: Although not the lightest, this is still a light boot at 210 grams, so great for speed. Lotto have said to have been developing this football boot for 3 years and have invested 1 million pounds. The development sees the launch of the first lace less football boot. Without lacing, this boot will have excellent shooting precision and close sensitivity for control.

The football boot comes with 7 fixed bladed studs and 4 interchangeable conical studs, providing great stability.

Comfort: In addition to being lace less, the Zhero Gravity comes with two insoles for maximum comfort.

Players: Luca Toni, Shevchenko and Cafu were said to be involved in the development.

Price: RRP £139.99

Verdict: Not the most attractive style, but could revolutionalise football boots, if the lace less feature proves successful. Top end pricing likely to prevent mainstream sales of the Lotto Zhero Gravity.