A lot of us football boot enthusiasts—myself included—love to debate over boots and their manufacturers, and much time has been spent examining and arguing over which ‘brand’ is king.

Now, imagine a game where players were not divided by club or country, but instead by their allegiance to their boot manufacturer. A one-off game, or perhaps a tournament, to decide the best boot company based on the athletes which have chosen to support that ‘team’. Who would the companies choose to field in such an important game?

This week on ‘From The Sole’, I decided to have a go at arranging three Fantasy XI’s (as we love to do around here) based on such requirements. I gave heavy-hitters adidas and Nike their own squads, and also put together a ‘world brand’ side that encompasses the rest of the boot makers: Puma, Lotto, Mizuno, Umbro, Reebok, Diadora, Kappa, Lotto, and Under Armour.

The results were naturally three very impressive squads that I attempted to pick with teamwork, technique, and chemistry being the most important factors.

Team adidas – aka the ‘Triple Stripes’

GK: Edwin Van Der Sar (Predator PowerSwerve)
LB: Philip Lahm (adiPure II)
CB: Per Mertesacker (Predator PowerSwerve)
CB: Martin Demichelis (Predator PowerSwerve)
RB: Jose Bosingwa (adiPure II)

Jose Bosingwa

Defense: Edwin gets the nod over Petr Cech, who’s seemed shaky at times for Chelsea in 08-09. The monstrous 6’6” Mertesacker is chosen at the back to dominate in the air. Lahm, a promising (and already world-class) wingback, and Bosingwa, who had a great season with Chelsea, are also chosen along with the experienced Demichelis.

DMF: Xavi (Predator PowerSwerve)
CMF: Steven Gerrard (Predator PowerSwerve)
LMF: Robin van Persie (Predator PowerSwerve)
RMF: Lionel Messi (F50i)*
AMF/SS: Kaka (adiPure II)
CF: David Villa (F50.i)
* Messi has opted for a pair of F30’s over the F50’s.

David Villa

Mid/Attack: A passing based offence is coordinated by maestros Xavi and Gerrard, the latter of which can add a lot to the attack in the final third as well. Van Persie plays best when surrounded by other talented individuals, and will provide a strong left-footed cross while Messi terrorizes the right side with his dribbling abilities. Kaka’s crafty touch and Villa’s merciless finish round out a deadly and tactical attack.

Notable Exclusions: Frank Lampard, Daniele De Rossi, David Silva, David Beckham, Petr Cech, Michael Ballack, Dimitar Berbatov, Marcos Senna, Gabriel Milito, Ashley Cole, Gonzalo Higuain

Why? Lampard is excluded, as he can’t seem to find the right rhythm with Gerrard when they play together. Ballack too is left out, as I don’t feel he’d fit in as well with this passing-based flow. I chose Villa over Higuain, as I think Villa is a little more accomplished.
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Sharp-eyed Footy Boots eaders will undoubtedly have noticed that, despite the build up surrounding the new Reebok Instante boots, being launched at the Uefa Champions League final - only half the players that were supposed to be wearing them actually were.

Giggs wore the blue pair, Henry was due to wear the black and yellow version

Whilst Ryan Giggs and Thierry Henry both pledged their support in the viral video to promote the newest boot from the Bolton-based company, Mr Henry opted not to debut the Instante in Rome, and to add further insult to injury, didn’t even wear the second newest model (the Valde Pro), opting for the Sprintfit Lite Pro in white and red.

Unfortunately, Thierry’s management company haven’t been back in touch (though the chances of them ever replying to my ‘@hotmail.com’ email address were always minimal!) so we can only hazard a few guesses as to why the Barcelona superstar felt the Instante’s were lacking in a little Va-va-voom.

I can understand Henry preferring the Sprintfit Lite’s over the Valde Pro’s, they’re sort of the Mercurial Vapor to the Total 90, speed rather than power, and opting to have Henry model them in their explosive advert was probably just Reebok exploiting (arguably) their most recognisable player.

Henry recently starred in a video for the Valde Pro

The Instante, however, looks like it’s cut from the same cloth as the Sprintfit series; i.e. Ultra-light synthetic upper, no lace cover, emphasis on technology – so it would have to be something pretty fundamental, like the fit of the boot, that would stop Henry wearing it - and after reading comments from Footy Boots community members like ‘ollie’ who mentioned different fits between the adiPure I’s and II’s it’s not a stretch to think it could be something like that.

However, given that this was such a big event for Reebok, should Henry have honoured his agreement with his sponsors? After all the effort that went in to the videos of Giggs & Henry; has Reebok been left with egg on their face after the boot was only good enough for one of the players (and, sorry to bring it up Reds fans – the player on the losing team)?

Or does this send a different message to you? Like the idea that brands constantly tout the idea of ‘working closely’ and ‘developing’ products with the biggest players in the game, when this time it seems it wasn’t the case.

Henry’s relationship with Reebok won’t go up in flames, will it?

I’d like to give both parties the benefit of the doubt. As Henry was coming back from a slight injury, it’s understandable that he’d want to be as comfortable as possible, and playing in the boots he’s played in for most of the season would probably be the best thing to do for his mindset on the biggest stage for club football.

I’d also like to think that Reebok understood any concerns about the fit/performance of the boot and wanted the best for their relationship with their player – despite the cost it might have to their reputation…and to think - some people think I’m naive and idealistic!

It promises to be a great game in Rome tonight as Manchester United take on Barcelona in the Champions League final.

And for the football boot enthusiast, it could be the pinnacle of the season with a host of new boots on show.

Lionel Messi - adidas F50i football boots

Much has been made of this boot of late with adidas coming out all guns blazing in a big-time marketing launch including posters, videos and of course, an on-pitch debut by the Argentine magician.

adidas will hope that the Barcelona player enjoys more freedom than he did against Chelsea in the semi final and that the biggest club stage of all provides an effective back drop to their most important launch for some time.

Footy Boots Final Factor

A very handy 8.5 / 10

Most Interesting Bet 

Messi to miss a penalty - 16 / 1

Michael Carrick - Puma King XL

Not exactly new boots, but new to Carrick as he’s had them personalised for the big game.

The United player has had the words “UCL Final Rome 2009″ stitched to the outside of each boot and “MC 16″, his initials and squad number, added to the tongue.

Big job tonight to keep the multi talenet Barca midfield quiet.

Footy Boots Final Factor

Could go either way - 5.5 / 10

Most Interesting Bet 

To be substituted - 11/ 4

.
Ryan Giggs / Thierry Henry - Reebok Instante

It’s been a soft launch from Reebok as they try and repeat their success of last year when Giggs turned out in a unique pair of KFS Sprintfit Pro II’s.

But they have come up with a nice video which you can see here.

Footy Boots Final Factor 

Two quality players so a quality 7.5 / 10

Most Interesting Bet

Thierry Henry to score in any minute with 8 in it - 8 / 1

(And if we’d have found a picture of these two training together, now that would have been a story!)

Cristiano Ronaldo - Nike Vapor Superfly

Not new boots of course, but after his performances against Porto and Arsenal in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively, far too important to leave out of the equation. Plus, we found this excellent image of him training last night.

Footy Boots Final Factor

Potential match winner - 9 / 10

Most Interesting Bet 

To score opening goal 3 / 1

Introducing Reebok’s Instante, worn for the first time during the Champions League final by Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs.

The Reebok Instante is not due for retail release just yet (July 2009), but will be showcased in the Champions League final by Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs, assuming they both play of course.

Thierry Henry will be wearing the Reebok Instante in a Black and Neon Yellow colourway.

Meanwhile Ryan Giggs will be wearing the Blue and Neon Red version.

The Instante football boot, combines Reebok’s Power Unit technology and optimised lightweight design to provide added power and speed. The Instante will be available in with either screw in or moulded studs and will cost £100.

Reebok Instante Video - Champions League Mind Games

Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs can also be seen vying to outdo each other in a series of competitive jokes and pranks in Reebok’s to support the Instante launch.

In the video, Henry and Giggs, can be seen playing a series of jokes delivered via text message, e-mail and even international courier. The film captures the competitive spirit and healthy camaraderie that exists between the two.

The opening scene depicts the footballing legends poking fun at each other via picture message. Each of them first receives an embarrassing old picture of themselves from when they were first making their mark in the game. The teasing builds, culminating in Henry receiving a cardboard cut out of the Champions League trophy with the words, ‘To Thierry, 2009? From Ryan.’

Thierry Henry:

It was good fun making the ad, as you can see Ryan and I don’t take ourselves too seriously, however that will be very different in Rome on Wednesday!

Ryan Giggs:

Thierry and I have known each other for years and always enjoyed a bit of banter and joking around but all of that is put on hold in Rome on Wednesday!

Competition is inherent in football - the game itself is based on it, and off the pitch there’s always talk of boardroom battles, bidding wars and mind games.

Away from the clubs themselves, the competition has been equally fierce between the sports brands; sponsorship deals on players, clubs, tournaments and even leagues are all opportunities for product placement by companies with unfathomable sums of money at their command.

Adias marketing at Euro 08

Competitions however have an candid characteristic: they have winners. I’ve grown up on the Nike Vs. Adidas competition, always assuming that both would always be there - but what if one of them achieved the impossible - what if one of them had complete market domination?

In one corner Adidas has an excellent reputation, their heritage is unrivalled (even involving a family feud with Puma!) and shows it in boots like the Copa Mundial and Samba, but they’re no slackers when it comes to research and development either, with their Predator range being arguably the most continuously innovative pair of boots on the market.

The Adidas Copa Mundial

However Adidas has always been something of the underdogs in this battle as Nike has always been (in terms of yearly profit) the ‘bigger company’. As such, Adidas seem to have developed a very defensive strategy; for example it’s not enough to have sponsorship rights to every World Cup since 1994 and through to 2014, but very recently have begun to pay extra to have no Nike adverts played whatsoever during the 64 games broadcast in the English language.

That’s not to say Adidas aren’t capable of taking the initiative, they’ve taken the fight to Nike on their own turf by becoming the official supplier to the MLS, providing all team kits, balls, referee uniforms and equipment. Also, in August 2005, Adidas bought Reebok, meaning that at the time, they were able to bring their business sales figures the closest to Nike’s that they’d ever been.

Adidas designed MLS shirts for Red Bull New York

In the other corner Nike; in the last decade or so have enjoyed a great share of the football boots and equipment market. Thanks to some excellent individual player sponsorship, the public in general are confident of the quality of Nike’s boots. However, the Nike name isn’t as ‘in your face’ as the Adidas brand, with Nike sponsoring far less of Europe’s major tournaments. Only match ball sponsorship in the English Premier League and the UEFA Cup/Europa League springing to mind - so how have they managed a majority share?

Nike has really shone with clever marketing schemes; I’d be willing to bet that 90% of this site’s readership have watched Christiano Ronaldo race a Bugatti Veyron in his Mercurial Vapors or seen Ronaldinho rattle the Nou Camp crossbar with impossible precision thanks to his signature boots; and that’s the reason why Nike don’t necessarily need the sponsorship clout that Adidas flaunt whenever possible.

Very expensive and totally ostentatious - the other one’s a Bugatti!

Not limited to the viral video plane, Nike have also matched Adidas in terms of growth - with Nike’s recent acquisition of Umbro (interestingly enough another Northern-English sports company) is an exciting statement of intent from the American company.

Realistically, both brands will continue in a long and prosperous fashion, but if you had to pick one - who do you think would come out on top - and why?

For once I’m going to come off the fence and say Nike - Adidas have had their financial pitfalls before (See: Bernard Tapie 1989 - 1993) which demonstrates they’re perhaps not as solid as they should be. In terms of products, Adidas are no longer the sole leaders in boot development like they were in 1990’s - Nike have stepped up their innovation recently with boots like the Superfly. Finally they’ve shown incredible creativity in the face of Adidas blocking a number of the conventional routes for advertising.

Coming soon, the Black / Yellow Superfly

But what do you think? Are you impressed by Adidas’ strong-arm sponsorship policies? Or should we be looking at some of the smaller companies who still survive every year thanks to their business models? Drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts!

Two games played and both Champions League semi finals are on a knife edge.

Chelsea’s brave defensive display earned them a draw at Barcelona but they’ll have to be careful at Stamford Bridge as an away goal for the Spanish side will see Chelsea needing to score twice.

By the same token, Arsenal will have to overturn Manchester United’s 1 goal advantage at the Emirates, whilst a goal there for Sir Alex Ferguson’s  team means the Gunners will have to find the net 3 times.

That aside, what we witnessed this week were 4 very good sides, all with collective and individual brilliance.

Which got us thinking – what would be our Champions League, semi final fantasy XI?

After much debate, argument and shouting, the Footy Boots office was split. The boss had his choice:

Alumina - Nike Total 90 Laser II

O’Shea - Adidas adiPure II  Ferdinand - NikeT90 Laser II  Terry - Umbro SX Valor II  Evra - Nike T90 Laser II

Yaya Toure - Nike Tiempo Legend II  Anderson - Adidas Predator Powerswerve   Fabregas - Nike Tiempo legend II

Messi - Adidas F50.9 TUNiT  Ronaldo - Nike Mercurial Superfly

Drogba - Nike Mercurial Superfly

The rest of the office came up with this:

Cech- Adidas Predator Powerserve Rome

Alves - Nike Mercurial Superfly  Terry - Umbro SX Valor II  Ferdinand - Nike T90 Laser II  Evra - Nike T90 Laser II

Iniesta - Nike T90 Laser II  Yaya Toure - Nike Tiempo Legend II  Giggs - Reebok Sprintfit Lite Pro

Messi - Adidas F50.9 TUNiT  Rooney - Nike T90 Laser II  Ronaldo - Nike Mercurial Superfly

So, do you agree or have your own opinion?

Use the comments section below to let us know how your fantasy side shapes up and we’ll poll the votes for each individual player and publish the definitive XI on Tuesday.

Even for the non-committed, it doesn’t get much tastier than Barcelona v Chelsea in the Champions League, semi final, first leg.

While supporters of Manchester United and Arsenal will doubtless argue that the ‘really important game’ doesn’t take place until Wednesday, the clash between the Spanish and English giants represents all that is good about Europe’s premier club competition.

Many experts are predicting that the game could be all over after the initial match up. And judging by the way that Barcelona sauntered past Bayern Munich in the last round they could be right. Chelsea, of course, were magnificent against Liverpool at Anfield but nearly blew it at home in the return leg.

So, just what will be the deciding factor in tonight’s game. The Footy Boots view is that it’s very much how Barcelona’s forward line will profit against Chelsea’s re-jigged defence.

And, as well as promising to be a gargantuan battle between individuals, it also offers a fascinating battle between football boot brands.

Barcelona’s Front Line

Lionel Messi – Adidas F50.9 TUNiT (Signature Line)

What superlatives haven’t already been used about Barca’s outrageously talented Argentinian international? The simple facts are that he’s the leading scorer in the CL this season with 8 goals from 9 matches.

Thierry Henry – Reebok Sprintfit Lite Pro

Still with a soft spot for Arsenal, Thierry Henry will relish the chance of taking on one of their closest rivals. His sticky start at Barcelona is now but a distant memory and he is an integral part of the Catalan side.

Samuel Eto’o – Puma v1.08

Puma clad Samuel Eto’o completes the Barcelona spear head. He recently scored his 100th league goal for the club and has 30 this season. Is in Barcelona’s all-time top ten list of goalscorers.

Chelsea’s last line

John Terry – Umbro SX Valor II / England Speciali

The England captain was suspended for the second leg of the quarter final against Liverpool and was sorely missed. Knows all about the threat of Henry after some famous duels in the EPL. Will need to be at his obdurate best to blunt the rapier attacks of the home side.

Alex – Nike Total 90 Laser II

Boy, can he hit them in his Nike footwear! It was Alex’s ferocious free kick that settled the nerves against Liverpool 2 weeks ago. With Carvalho suspended, Alex can expect a stern examination at the heart of the visitors defence.

Jose Bosingwa – Adidas adiPure II

Expected to move from right back to left back to cover the suspended Ashley Cole. Won’t have much to do tonight…..apart from mark Lionel Messi. So, no pressure then. His speed could just get him out of a few problems.

Branislav Ivanovic – Nike Total 90 Laser II

The unlikely hero from the Liverpool tie with 2 headed goals from the first leg. Unlikely to be given as much freedom in the Barcelona penalty box. That is, if he’s brave enough to venture over the half way line.

Reebok has revealed the first in a series of three new advertisements entitled ‘Play Responsibly’ to celebrate their most powerful ever football boot - the Reebok Valde. 

In the ads, Barcelona and France striker Thierry Henry is sensationally shown destroying everything from cars to buildings with a series of explosive strikes!

The dramatic ads, shot in Spain, show France’s all-time greatest goal scorer filmed using cutting-edge Hollywood special effects to vividly bring to life the power of the Valde boot.

Watch the video in the Footy Boots Video section.

Henry obviously had a laugh in front of the camera’s saying:

I had a great time making the ad – I’ve done many things with a football on the pitch but this is the first time I’ve used one to explode cars – a bit like being on the set of an action film!  It was a really fun, and an interesting way of showing the real benefits of this Power Unit boot technology.

Joining him on the set were the Reebok Ambassadors, a team of young amateur footballers who won Reebok Valde boot deals via a European-wide competition. They were given exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the Valde shoot, as well as being officially presented with their first pair of Reebok Valde boots by Thierry Henry.

Roy Gardner, VP Marketing Reebok Europe said:

The Valde is the most powerful boot Reebok has ever made, so we’re urging players to play responsibly when wearing them!

You can order the Reebok Valde Pro football boot by clicking here

Football is audacious. Cruyff’s turn, ‘The Ronaldinho’, Messi’s irresistible dribbling, Van Basten’s finishing, Xavi’s passing, Beckham’s crossing and Bill Shankly’s quotes are but a few factors that enable me to safely say, football is audacious.

Above even these points, it’s a safe bet to say footballers are audacious too. Whether it’s crashing cars, fighting in bars or completely insane hair do’s, the men we watch week in week out are in many cases, completely bonkers!

Over the years their choice in football boots has heightened the assumption of craziness, and in some cases complete lunacy. This week I look into five memorable football boot moments over the years.

1. “To run where the brave dare not go”

First up we have the late great Alan Ball. The early seventies were probably a time of lost identity and pointless acts of “character” if Alan Ball is anything to go by. After painting his football boots white and deciding he was to become the first man to play in white football boots, his dreams were all but flushed (excuse the pun) into the mud when the inevitable rain came. A few minutes and abusive fans later, Alan surely decided once you go black, you never go back! Little did he know at the time, he was a revolutionary!

2. “You can never get enough of what you don’t need to make you happy”

Quite possibly the most idiotic and simple act ever to grace the football boot world was one plundered by a certain Stanley Bowles. After cementing his reputation as the rock n roll star of seventies English football, Bowles decided he was such a hero that he could command two football boot sponsorships at once.  So when England played Holland in 1978 Bowles took to the pitch with one Gola and one Adidas boot.  Aside from looking like a plank with odd boots, the plan failed and Bowles continued his maverick career.

3. “When the itch is inside the boot, scratching outside provides little consolation”

Maybe I’m on my own here but I thought Lee Dixon was an excellent full back. He had the ability to defend his lines with ease and competency and got forward like many buccaneering full backs do in today’s relentlessly fast game. However one day in Dixon’s life will always be remembered above many others, for a stunning 30 yard goal in his new Brook’s boots. The boot had been ridiculed as Brook’s Builders Boot or Brook’s Wellies due to its enormous size and weight. Dixon looked embarrassingly immobile in the boot even though it was evident he could punt it a long way. It’s just a shame he punted it 30 yards over David Seaman and into his own goal!

4. “You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hardboiled egg”

Zinedine Zidane came into the 2006 World Cup safe in the knowledge his reputation as the modern days greatest player was intact. Surely nothing could ruin his swansong. His performances were sublime, a blast from the past and his golden shimmering boots were a delight on the eye. Made especially for the great man and never sold on the open market, his Adidas Predators were arguably the most popular in the brands long line. However much like a hardboiled egg, his gold on the inside was replaced by white light on the outside as his phenomenal career, and boots, saw a premature and trophyless end.

5. “What is character but the determination of an incident?”

David Beckham is the world’s most recognizable footballer. His face is the model for numerous Adidas football campaigns across the globe and his ability to pass, cross and assist has never been in question. However what remains a mystery is the infamous boot in the face incident. After apparently requiring two stitches and sporting a lovely cut above the left eye, Beckham’s relationship with Ferguson reached the point of no return. My question is this, what boot hit Beckham? Was it Adidas, Umbro, Reebok? Surely it would be a real kick in the face if it was a Nike? Either way, I wonder if that boot still lives on today, as someone could make a mint selling that on eBay!

And there you have it, five memories that will live long in the mind ranging from incredible stupidity to hardboiled eggs! Please know these are merely my opinionated five, get involved in the comments section and let us know your top football boot memories!

Ever since the first Premiership stars strolled out onto the pitch with their names and numbers stitched onto their football boots, having a pair of football boots that sets you apart has become a massive draw.

From the San Siro to Hackney Marshes, thousands of footballers are willing to pay a little bit more to have something that makes the pieces of synthetic super-material/crafted cow-hide on your feet into something a little less production-line and a little more unique chic has reached lucrative new levels. Adidas’ MiAdidas and Nike’s NikeiD services have allowed even the most unspectacular players to own a football boot that’s completely unique to them.

One off Nike football boots designed by fans for Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott

So, with the general public being just a few mouse-clicks away from creating the most appealing football boot to their tastes, how does a designer set our tongues wagging?

Make some football boots that money simply can’t buy!

For the special occasions and special players, designers can’t help but pull out the stops and offer something special:

Going back to the most recent World Cup final, after scoring possibly the most audacious penalty ever seen in a final, Zizou’s gold boots became the talking point of the next hour of football. Whilst they were eventually overshadowed by what was on his head (Marco Materazzi’s abdomen) Zinedine Zidane’s all gold Predator Absolute+’s and the captain’s armband were the ultimate send off for a national hero and an international icon.

In a similar vein, Adidas crafted some Golden Predator Powerswerve’s for their eternal poster-boy; David Beckham.

Designed to commemorate his 100th appearance in an England shirt, only 2 pairs of this striking colourway were made, one for field use and the other pair presumably going into some David Beckham Museum, sponsored by Adidas.

Never ones to be outdone, Nike have given American posterboy Clint Dempsey his own custom colourway MV SL’s, to compliment it’s new ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ initiative; a bold campaign that not only aims to get Americans to pay attention to the fact that they have a national footy team, but to get the rest of the world to take their team seriously – no mean feat considering that as the face of ‘serious’ American soccer, they’ve chosen Dempsey, who doubles as a rapper. ‘Nuff said.

(In all seriousness, I think Dempsey’s become a great player in his time at Fulham, and a fantastic representative of the progress the US National Team has made recently)

If ever there was a player who deserved their own football boot, Ryan Giggs would be pretty high on the shortlist. Clearly a man with strong commitment, Reebok-Sponsored Giggs must’ve shot down plenty of offers from other brands every time his endorsement with the Bolton based manufacturers came up for discussion. His fidelity was rewarded on the night of the Champions League Final 2008 via the Reebok Sprintfit Lite Pro II with a colour scheme deigned to match his Manchester United kit and a gold embroidery to celebrate his historic 759th appearance in the Red Devil’s strip, officially making him the most capped player in the club’s history.

This is obviously just a brief collection of some of my most memorable, and favourite one-off football boots, if there’s any you feel deserve a mention, leave me a comment below as I’d love to do a follow-up article and put the spotlight on some of your favourites.

Like-wise are there any players you’d love to see saluted with some custom cleats?

Multi-coloured Mercurial’s for Craig Bellamy – to match whatever colour shirt he ends up playing in next season?

Michael Owen with an NHS-blue Umbro X-Boots for going a month without injuries?

Cristiano Ronaldo hooked up with some Vapor SL Flippers for going a season without diving?

It’s not often that British record’s are broken in football matches so its hats off to Dutch goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar who managed exactly that feat in Sunday’s encounter between Manchester United and West Ham United at Upton Park.

As the clock passed the 34 minute mark in United’s eventual 1 – 0 victory, the Dutch stopper, playing in Adidas Predator Powerswerve TRX football boots and Adidas Fingersave goalkeeping gloves, set a new mark for clean sheets.

In what turned out to be United’s 13th consecutive shut out, a result that also took them back to the top of the Premier League table, Van der Sar passed the existing record for not conceding a league goal which had been held at 1,115 minutes by Aberdeen’s Bobby Clark, set back in the 1970 / 71 season. Incidentally, Clark was still at Aberdeen when the current United boss Sir Alex Ferguson became manager in the late 70’s.

By the end of the game, Van der Sar had upped the record to 1,212 minutes and is now close to the current world record which stands at 1,275 minutes by Atletico Madrid’s Abel Resino.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Van der Sar said:

West Ham away is a difficult match for us and has been over the years, so it’s a great result for us to come away with three points and leave with a clean sheet.

It’s just hard work from everybody. Of course, you make a couple of saves, but the defenders are incredible with how they defend and how they clear the balls and everybody tracks back.

It’s a team effort, it’s fantastic. I’m very happy with it, but the main thing is we are back on top and let’s hope we can stay there.

At 38, van der Sar is one of the old stagers in the United side, as was their match winner Ryan Giggs who ghosted past a couple of defenders in his Reebok Sprintfit Lite’s to slot in the winning goal on 62 minutes.

Now that the BBC has celebrated it’s annual Sports Personality of the Year shindig (and well done to all the current footballers who were shortlisted – all none of you) it’s time to get down to the real thing as we publish the  Footy Boots Xmas Awards 2008, otherwise known as The Studdies.

Congratulations to all the winners, commiserations to the also-rans and please remember, it’s just for fun so don’t get arsey if we have a pop at you.

Most embarrassing football boot moment of the year - Umbro

Even after all these months, it’s hard not to still feel sorry for John Terry. A more honest pro it would be hard to find and he also seems to have cleaned up his act off the pitch too. So it’s doubly painful to recall his dreadful experience in the Champions League final against Manchester United. There he stands, with a penalty to win the trophy…he runs up and whoops-a-daisy, his Umbro SX Valor’s let him down and he ends up on his backside as his spot kick hits the post. The Umbro hierarchy must have been choking on their prawn sandwiches at that point. The Luzhniki Stadium bar probably did a roaring trade in finest Russian vodka that night as sorrows were drowned.

Best football boot launch of the year - Bikkembergs

As the actor Christopher Lambert says in Highlander “There can be only one.” And indeed there is. Take a bow Dirk Bikkembergs. His new football boot was launched at the Stazione Leopolda, Florence. In true Bikkembergs tradition, the Tirosegno was displayed sixtyfold on top of black lacquered columns and overlooked by 10 gigantic pictures. These pictures were at first hidden by black curtains in an even darker room. The guests received a torchlight and discovered the reflective qualities of the Tirosegno while walking amidst the columns. One by one, the pictures were uncovered during a countdown, at the end of which the room was totally lit up by a set of dazzling stadium lights coming from behind a stage packed with 100 male models wearing the new boot. Pure class.

Most cringing football boot quote of the year – Nike & Niklas Bendtner

Oh dear, oh dear oh dear oh dear. A few days after the launch of the Nike Mercurial Vapor Berry, the Arsenal striker came out with this little gem. “I love it. I always wanted to play in a pink boot ever since I was young. I never saw anyone play in a boot like it. I think it’s an outstanding colour and looks amazing.” Nothing about winning a World Cup, scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final or even becoming a better player. No, not for Niklas. His dream – to play in a pink boot. What’s next on the Bendtner list of things to accomplish? Buying a family bucket from Kentucky Fried Chicken perhaps?

Best performance in a new boot

There have been players who have scored when wearing a boot for the first time, midfielders who’ve bossed a game and defenders who have singlehandedly kept the opposition at bay. But this year’s award goes to a player who lost the match in which he debuted his new footwear. Playing in goal for Real Madrid isn’t easy right now but Iker Casillas was in inspired form when he lined up against Barcelona just the other day. The Spanish international produced a string of world class saves in his Reebok Valde Pro’s and even kept out a penalty before he was beaten at the death by Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi.

Most over blown, over hyped nonsense of the year – Nike Mercurial Vapor Berry

Franck Ribery starred in a video promoting them and, as mentioned above, Niklas Bendtner’s dream came true when he played in them. But 24 days after they were first shown to the world, the limited edition pink Berry’s took a major back seat in the final round of group matches in the Champions League as Ribery, Bendtner and a host of other Nike players all turned out in the new Vapor Citron. 24 days! That’s not limited. That’s virtually extinct.

Best football boot video of the year – Puma v1.08 Pink

We’ve seen some fantastic CGI this year, some amazing trickery and interviews and an astonishing range of intricate and wonderfully creative ideas. But this video has loads going for it in spades. First off, there’s a gorgeous model, wearing only a pink bikini, socks and high heels. And she’s talking French. Sexily. Not bad. But the clincher is that Nicolas Anelka, the pink v1.08 ambassador, is in shot the entire time, tied to a chair and gagged, which means he doesn’t utter a word. What more do you need in a video?

Best football boot competition of the year – Nike

A brilliant idea this, getting fans to design a pair of boots to be worn by Nike’s contracted players in the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester United. The competition produced over 15,000 entries with the winners treated to a VIP day out at the game itself to see their creations being worn on the pitch. Theo Walcott received more designs than any other player so hats off to Ben Pricthard who came up with the winning Vapor boot. The Footy Boots favourite was Cesc Fabregas’s Tiempo by Jan Szabala.

So, thats our list. If you think any brand or particular football boot deserves an award, then use the comments section below for your suggestions.

Happy Christmas.

Dodo cartoon from www.urmstonartcompany.co.uk 

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas produced one of the performances of the season as he debuted the Reebok Valde Pro in El Clasico but he was unable to deny Barcelona a 2 – o win after late goals from Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi.

Casillas was in inspired form as he produced a string of top class saves throughout the game, including a brilliant stop from an Eto’o penalty in the second half. And he followed that up with an impressive double save, first stopping a 20-yarder from Eto’o and then Messi from following up from 10 yards out.

But the Spanish international was powerless to stop Barca eventually running out the winners as Eto’o tapped in late on to be followed by a Messi lob after the Argentine international was put through by Thierry Henry in his Reebok Sprintfit Lite’s.

Barcelona are now 12 points clear of Madrid at the top of La Liga, but after previous coach Bernd Schuster announced that his side would have no chance of beating their great rivals, Madrid will at least take heart from a fighting performance under new man Juande Ramos.

And Reebok will also be in good cheer after Casillas put in such a good display in the Valde Pro.

His time at Barcelona has been described as disappointing. A true legend at Arsenal, Thierry Henry was in danger of becoming merely a squad player at Barcelona. But no more. Not after his hat trick which sank Valencia at the weekend.

Playing in Reebok Sprintfit Lite Pros, Henry led Valencia a merry dance as he more than filled in for the suspended Samuel Eto’o.

Before visiting Barca, Valencia had only conceded 3 goals on their travels all season. Henry doubled that tally personally and left the pitch with the match ball stuffed up his vest and his named being chanted by a now adoring Catalan crowd.

With ‘El Clasico’ against Real Madrid coming up next week, Henry’s goal salvo couldn’t have been better timed.

He and a number of other first teamer’s will sit out the midweek Champions League action (Barca have already qualified from the group stages) and will prepare for the visit of Real Madrid who lost 4 – 3 at home to Sevilla yesterday.

Being part of a side that has now scored 44 goals in 14 matches it’s no wonder that Henry is a happy man. Speaking after his weekend treble he said:

We are enjoying ourselves on the pitch and that is the best feeling a player can have. We still haven’t won anything and we have to keep working hard.

With so few players on their books, Reebok need their big names to be firing on all cylinders. They’ll be relieved to know that while it may have taken him 18 months, Henry is now looking at home at the Nou Camp.