Lukaku's football boots

Those with a real passion for football boots will know that Lukaku is a true enthusiast when it comes to this type of kit. Over the years, we’ve seen him wear a wide variety of models and brands. In fact, he’s one of the few elite footballers to have worn boots from practically every major brand in the industry. We saw him play in Nike boots, then in adidas, and later in Puma, before finally returning, at least temporarily, to Nike.

We say ‘temporarily’ because nothing had been fully confirmed yet. What was certain was the end of his contract with Puma, a brand that had made him one of its main ambassadors alongside Antoine Griezmann. Both players featured prominently in numerous launches of new boot ranges: the Frenchman representing the Future range and the Belgian the ONE range. However, Lukaku did not limit himself solely to the Puma ONE. During his time with the German brand, he wore virtually all of their main ranges, including Future, ONE and King.

However, Lukaku’s time with Puma came to an end. Although he featured as one of the star players at the Rise Pack launch, he soon began wearing different boots in official matches. Towards the end of the season, he was spotted wearing Nike boots, particularly the Mercurials – a boot he had previously worn during his time at Everton.

Currently, Lukaku has opted for the Mercurial, a range clearly geared towards speed and very different from the models he had previously used. However, before settling on them, he was also seen training and playing in the Nike Phantom GT. Therefore, during that period, there were still doubts as to what his final choice would be.

There are several possible explanations. The first is that he simply likes to experiment. Lukaku has shown himself to be a player with a keen interest in sports equipment, always keen to try out new sensations and technologies. One need only look at how he has moved from models such as the Puma ONE, which are clearly geared towards comfort and touch, to the Nike Mercurial, designed specifically for speed and explosiveness.

Another possibility is that he was still searching for the perfect boot to suit his needs. Many professional players try out different models until they find the one that offers them the best combination of comfort, performance and confidence on the pitch.

There is also a third explanation linked to commercial deals. Occasionally, negotiations between footballers and sports brands can drag on longer than expected, leading to periods where the player uses different models before signing a new sponsorship contract.

What does seem indisputable is that Lukaku has a genuine passion for football boots. Few players have tried so many different ranges with such varied profiles, which demonstrates both his interest in this world and his constant search for the best feel on the pitch.