Footy Boots looks back at the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea and highlights the highs and lows from a football boot perspective. Talk about a roller coaster ride for some of the biggest brand names in the business.
26th minute
It’s a great start for Nike as Manchester United’s leading scorer Cristiano Ronaldo gets number 42 of the season. His Mercurial SL boots aren’t directly involved though, but they do provide a great spring as the Portuguese international towers above Michael Essien at the back post to nod in Wes Brown’s excellent cross.
44th minute
Adidas hit back through Frank Lampard’s adiPURE’s. A speculative Chelsea shot takes a couple of ricochet’s and Chelsea’s leading scorer is in the right place again to side foot the ball past a despairing Edwin van der Sar.
77th minute
It’s nearly another Nike moment of magic as Didier Drogba, a peripheral figure for much of the game, curls a shot from the edge of the box with his Mercurial SL clad right foot that hits the post. Close call for United that.
Extra time
Once again it’s Lampard’s Adidas adiPURE’s to the fore as he swivels inside the box and whips in a left foot shot that hits the angle of post and bar with van der Sar no where.
Ten minutes later it’s a classic Reebok versus Umbro battle. Ryan Giggs, in his record breaking 759th United appearance and wearing his specially made Reebok KFS Sprintfit Pro’s stabs in a toe poke from close quarter’s only to see Umbro SX Valor wearer John Terry miraculously head off the line. What story that would have been for United’s only survivor from the starting line up of ’99.
Oh dear. Nike won’t be too happy to see Drogba trudging off the pitch in his Mercurial SL’s with unique DROGBA11 stitching after seeing red for slapping Nemnaja Vidic. All that fuss over a throw in. And Chelsea lose a potential penalty taker in to the bargain.
Penalties
Can you believe it. Ronaldo misses his second CL spot kick in succession as Petr Cech, in his orange Adidas kit, saves. With Drogba off, it’s a double whammy for the boys from Oregon.
John Terry can win it for Chelsea but his standing foot gives way as he strikes Chelsea’s 5th spot kick and the ball hits the post. Nothing to do with his Umbro SX Valor boots, just a slippery surface.
Reebok can do no wrong as Giggs steps forward to calmly side foot home in his SprintFit‘s.
And that’s it. United win the trophy as Chelsea sub Nicolas Anelka’s penalty via his Puma v1.08’s is kept out by van der Sar.
A great game, fantastic entertainment for the neutral, sorrow for Chelsea and their tearful captain but a second Champions League success for Sir Alex. Same again next year please.
I expect Terry’s loss of footing to slightly diminish the Umbro SX Valor brand. That image of him sitting on his backside, with head in hands and boots splayed out was just too powerful. How can you not start to think, “What if Umbro made their studs 2mm longer, or 2mm thinner, or from another material, or had more of them…?” Nobody else slipped on their kick, and none of them were wearing Umbros…
Is Terry superstitous? What if he called his agent, and said, “I can’t trust Umbros anymore. Get me out of this endorsement deal.”
Drogba wasn’t wearing Mercurial SL’s, he was wearing Vapor SL’s