OLD SCHOOL BOOT SPOTTING

There have been some highly visible boot launches of late. PUMA brought out the v1.10 closely followed by the introduction of Nike’s CTR360.

ctr360 double

Nike CTR360 Maestri

The Superfly and Vapor V have new colourways and on the horizon we have the eagerly anticipated reveal of the adidas Predator X, a new colourway for the Speciali plus new football boots from Mizuno and Reebok.

And, with the World Cup just around the corner, the flurry of new football boot activity will only get greater as the kick off in South Africa gets ever nearer.

Despite the current economic situation, it seems that the football boot market has escaped the down turn which has been great for us and probably not too bad for you!

But it got us thinking. Even with such a healthy, ever expanding product range to choose from, which football boots remain out there, doing a job from times past?

Naturally, the adidas World Cup and Copa Mundial still have a part to play.

Indeed, Belgium’s Emile Mpenza was twice on target in the Copa’s against Turkey recently. And let’s not forget that Argentina’s Mario Bolatti was wearing the adiPure I when he sneaked home that late goal for Diego Maradona’s side against Uruguay on Wednesday. Additionally, we are not too far away from a retail sales date for the Tiempo ’94.

bolatti adipure i

adidas adiPure I

But what other ‘old style’ football boots are still getting some serious wear time? That’s where you come in.

We’d like to know which players have bucked the trend of wearing the very latest models, colourways and designs in favour of something that would look more at home in a football version of the Antiques Roadshow.

puma screw in

Find anyone still wearing these and we’ll give you a prize!

Lets us know who you’ve spotted playing in ‘bygone boots’ by posting a comment below. It doesn’t matter if they are internationals, top league players or even lower league players that we might not be too familiar with. And if you’ve got a picture of them, even better.

We’ll keep an eye on your comments as they come in to see if there’s a clear favourite or if the choices are relatively random.


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54 Comments

  1. says: Akim

    Copa Mundial were the longest selling boot in the world. I still saw them on shops. Copa mundial was the toughest and long lasting boot ever live today! Wish that all the boots on the market today were like the mundials! Tough and long lasting!

  2. says: Jaspi

    Did anyone watch the match on wednesday between Germany and Finland? There were two players that dominated the field, both of them players of pure class, both of them true midfield maestros. Of course, we’re talking about the 38-year old Jari Litmanen and the 22-year FC Dynamo Kiev player Roman Eremenko (has been playing right back with Dynamo). Litmanen has been playing in the mundials/world cups since way back. Eremenko has stated that Litmanen has always been his idol, and maybe thats why Eremenko likes to wear the Copas too.

    Litmanen was chosen as the man of the match by the german papers and Eremenko got high praise too.

    The finnish national goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen wears the World Cups too, altough blacked out.

  3. says: Sergio

    Berbatov started wearing the old predators again. not sure what their called but its the ones that came out before the current model

  4. says: Jaspi

    Sergio:

    Are you sure, because in the World Cup qualifier against Georgia (played on wednesday) Berbatov was wearing the newest edition of the Predators.

  5. says: Johnny

    2 models ago Preds and such are not “classics” guys, we are talking old school boots here. Maybe you can swing some Pred Touch’s or something in there but they are still to much of a “tech” boot for that.

    We are talking Copa’s, Kings (the classic ones not the crap XL’s), the classic Speciali, Teimpo Premiers stuff like that.

    Sadly you don’t see many players in them because the boot makers aren’t paying people to wear something that isn’t cutting edge and sitting on a 1-2 year life cycle (so they can update and make kids feel like they are losers for having older shoes).

    Also the goal for Argentina was scored by Martin Palermo who was wearing an old boot, the Puma Shudoh from 2002-03.

  6. says: erem urip

    juve’s camoranesi was wearing puma king top sg a month ago in serie a. those boots have the nicest leather, pittards. they are in the same league as copa and classic speciali.

  7. says: kuuku

    I’ve owned a pair of copa mundials and I’m not so sure the copa mundials are durable. They are very comfortable and the stud design is marvelous. The first time you wear them you will surely boost your game right away. However the leather upper doesn’t allow for hard strikes of the ball (miscues are likely) and the bulbous tip (I don’t know how better to describe it) allows for good control and passing but forget trying to perform a good volley, clearance or shot, there is practically no sweet spot on the boot. As a defender/utility player it wasn’t suitable for me. It might be suitable for another sort of player who never plans to put his foot through the ball. It lasted 6 months but I am a very active player and since it is stitched, the right boot, which I use often to contact the ball, ripped. I had it sewn up, but 3 months later it ripped again. The left boot remained fine though, because I only use that foot for swiveling. So I cannot vouch for their durability simply because since it has stitches it can rip at any time.

    My next boot will probably be a non-stitched moulded boot like the CTR 360 because those cannot rip and have sweet spots to hit volleys and shots with. Some other boots like the puma v-kon and the adidas predators have caught my eye especially the customizable predators, but then I am wary of ripping because of the way I play. I can recommend the copa mundial as a decent and comfortable multi-purpose boot with decent feel of the ball….but not for durability, features or suitability for a defender.

  8. says: Eric

    I was just watching the New England Revs – Chicago Fire game and some of the guys were wearing the first adiPURES. I actually wear the Adidas Profi Liga FG in gold and white. they’re pretty nice and i like them a lot.

  9. says: martincillo

    i have seen two or three goalkeepers in the mexican league wearing the same nike boot that Dietmar Hamann

    hey jhonny i wanna know more about older puma boots !!!

  10. says: fifinho

    i know kaka’s adipures II have the same tongue and laces of the first edition.

    also, not exactly a classic, but i remember seeing an Inter player wearing the T90 Azt from a years back in the champions league

    1. says: Danny

      That is Sulley Muntari. He wears all legends, t90s, vapours, and he may wear maestri’s now. But he wears the air zoom T90 alot.

  11. says: Theo

    I’m surprised no one mentioned del piero with predator mania; I guess it’s not classic enough but players go back to their old pair of boots whenever they feel like it perhaps? or they are told to wear them by sponsors but I doubt that’s the case.

    nike tiempo Is I would think it’s classic enough but it sure is more soft and comfy then copas… they’re not my cup of tea; too stiff!

  12. says: Derek

    Copas are still a favourite for a LOT of people. Copa wearers are an interesting bunch as well. They walk into my store, don’t look at any of the other 70+ styles on the wall, they don’t care. The find their size in Copa, don’t bother trying them on, they already know, walk to the counter, pay of them, and I won’t see them again for at least another 2 years unless they need Mundial Team indoors.

  13. says: martincillo

    AAHAHAHAHHA

    tanzanian pro football ?

    i can see adidas +f50
    nike totalissimo
    adidas copa mundial
    adidas predator pulse
    maybe not the pro boots

  14. says: Barriecuda

    Michael Mifsud, Maltese striker and former Championship player, rocked a pair of these old looking Adidas in one game:

    (thx to Getty-Images)

    Strangely though in pictures in pictures of games before and after the one he was photographed with the old Adidas, he wears a pair of Lotto’s and a pair of Umbro’s. Trying out different boots, perhaps?

  15. says: damien james burch

    My father still rockin those all maroon preditors athletic tape duck tape you name it its wraped around those suckers holding them to his feet. still to this day he wants to wear em everytime we hit the grass. . thats some true love for a boot i must say

  16. says: damien james burch

    after i get out of school today i will. would i send that to them by just posting it here?
    thank you very much Lucky

  17. says: Vernonroymarsden

    I went to school in 1959 with PeterDone (brother of BetFred) bookmakers.Fred .he was the first person I ever saw in original foreign football boots aged 11…Duncan Edward’s.Man Utd.(deceased Munich 1958)R.I.P.was the only player I ever saw in foreign boots so early…few people know the story of the Dassler Bros.both are makers of my favourite all time boots…shame Puma such a narrow fitting. not that at it matters to me now age 72.

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