Nike Mercurial Vapor football boots

The Mercurial Vapor line of Nike football boots will always have a special reverence among football fans who lived through the late 1990's era of football. Arguably the first ever football boot to be designed with a focus on being lightweight (and thus imbuing the player with a speed and agility advantage over their opponents) the Mercurial Vapor also dared to venture into the use of a synthetic upper to reduce weight, whilst simulating the properties of natural leather.

D©buted by World Cup winner and holder of infinite scoring records, Brazil's Ronaldo was the poster boy for the boots through their early existence. Ironically, the torch now seems to have been passed to a different Ronaldo - Cristiano of Portugal - to be the new poster-boy of the Mercurial Vapor Series.

Nike Total 90 Laser football boots

The first of the Nike Football Boots range to offer a direct opposition to the technology being used by the adidas Predator range of boots by claiming to augment a players abilities with features of the boot offering increased power and accuracy.

The use of rubber and silicon zones at specific areas of the boot are the means by which these are achieved - the theory being that increased friction when making contact with the ball will give a player greater control on where it goes. The Total 90 range of boots have grown a strong association with 'Power' players, like Wayne Rooney and Miroslav Klose and Michael Essien who are all about strength, high-energy performances and long-range strikes.

Nike CTR360 Maestri Football Boots

The newest entry to the Nike Football Boots silo is the CTR360 range of footwear. Designed for the precise play-maker, the midfield Maestro and the decisive defensive mid, the CTR360 range of football boots are the first in the world to offer a 'Pass-Pad' on the insole, designed to enhance passing and crossing, rather than shooting. Other features unique to the CTR360 are a selection of 'Pods' across the surface of the boot, specifically placed on areas of the foot used to control the ball.

These pods are soft and spongy enough to take the sting off any pass that comes your way, allowing you to bring the ball under your spell quickly to get play moving again. Players that favour the CTR360 include Cesc Fabregas, Carlos Tevez, Ashley Cole and Spanish World Cup Hero Andreas Iniesta, but players from Goalkeepers to Strikers have all been quick to latch onto the benefits of this top-quality boot.