We should emphasise that what we are going to look at today in this blog is simply the modifications that players themselves make to their football boots or which, due to their status, they receive already modified to their own specifications. Another point we’d like to draw particular attention to is that these changes and modifications are highly personal and aren’t necessarily recommended for any other type of player. In many cases, these modifications are linked to superstitions or are simply for aesthetic reasons. With that in mind, let’s get started.
Oldest football boot silos
Let’s take a look at some of the players who are currently bringing football boots from bygone eras onto the pitch and onto our TV screens. This is something that many of you will no doubt view with fondness and nostalgia, especially those of you who’ve been kicking a football around for quite a few years now. We’ll start with Chelsea FC’s Belgian striker, Michy Batshuayi, whom we’ve recently seen frequently wearing older models from the German brand adidas, such as the 2012 leather version of the adidas F50.
Another footballer who has also been attracting a lot of attention on social media for the boots he wears is CD Osasuna’s Chimy Ávila. The Argentine, having surprised us in a few matches with the adidas Copa and also the adidas Nemeziz, has recently been spotted wearing a pair of adidas adipure II TRX, a leather-made model offering excellent grip.
Customised football boots
This section is a little more personal, as the players we can include here do not use older models, but rather current ones with very exclusive – and, in some cases, unique – modifications. One of the cases that particularly catches our eye is that of Luka Modric. The Croatian Real Madrid player makes a small cut in the Dynamic Fit Collar area of his Nike Mercurial Superfly boots, all to achieve a more comfortable fit that is better suited to his ankle.
Another player who wears customised boots is Sergio Busquets, although in this case we’re talking about modifications requested directly from the brand he represents. The FC Barcelona player apparently wears standard Nike Phantom Venom boots, but the sole of his boots has been completely modified, as it comes from older Nike Tiempo models. And the truth is that this change seems to be yielding some positive results, as Sergio Roberto has also recently joined this trend.
Toni Kroos - Real Madrid and German national team player
And to round off this post, let’s talk about the best example of all on this topic – the rarest of the rare and perhaps the one major exception amongst all the cases we’ve seen. Fans of Real Madrid and Toni Kroos will easily recognise that the German player’s boots aren’t exactly the latest models. The German footballer continues to wear his beloved adidas adipure boots from the 2013–14 season.
The German player wears a pair of Adipure 11 Pro 2 boots, made from natural leather, which have also been customised, as the sole comes from a pair of Adipure IV boots, a 2011 model. As he is a top-class player and, moreover, German, it stands to reason that the German brand would continue to cater to his preferences.
