Football boots, also referred to as cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are specialized footwear designed primarily for use in association football and also frequently used in rugby football.
thumb|alt=Joma Soccer boot|3D animation of a football boot
Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. Football boots originally began as industrial worker footwear tailored to football, maintaining a rigid design. Though eventually evolved into shoes that could no longer truly be traditional boots, as they no longer covered the ankle. As with most other types of athletic footwear, their basic design and appearance has converged with that of sneakers since the 1960s. However, modern football boots have grown to become more light-weight, shifting to the use of synthetic materials and more customizable towards the players.
Despite being most associated with football and rugby, the shoe is often used in other sports that are played on grass surfaces, such as touch, lacrosse, hurling, shinty, and tug of war. Furthermore, it has expanded into the market, becoming a commercialized product linked to various recognizable players.
History
thumb|right|170px|[[Gath & Chaves advertisement promoting "foot-ball" products, including boots endorsed by McGregor at m$n10, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1910]]
Early developments
The earliest recorded instance of specialized footwear for football dates back to 1526, when King Henry VIII of England ordered a pair of "football boots" from his Great Wardrobe. These boots were likely crafted from robust leather, providing enhanced protection during matches.
1800s
During the 19th century, various forms of football became increasingly popular in Great Britain. As many early football players came from industrial workers, much of the football boot’s design inspirations came from the industrial worker shoes. These were an early form of football boots with the steel toe-cap at the front, and they had long laces and were high-topped. These boots also sometimes had metal studs or tacks put on the bottom, so players would have more grip and stability. However, This often resulted in injuries when one player inadvertently made contact with another during play. Due to originally being a past-time, football boots were not a major focus at the time as they contained significant design flaws that rendered them unideal in the rain.
In the later part of the 19th century, the first ever football-specific boot was designed, made of thick and heavy leather that ran right to the ankle for increased protection; the first boot weighed .
1940–1960
Post-World War II innovations led to significant design changes. South American players introduced lighter, more flexible boots that emphasized control and kicking precision over protection. In 1954, Adi Dassler introduced screw-in studs that were used by the German team during a rain-lashed World Cup final that year. (Adi Dassler's older brother, Rudolf Dassler, founder of Puma, disputes the claim that Adi Dassler originated screw-in studs.) Adidas was the market leader in this period, releasing new technologies such as padding to provide heel protection. In 1979, Adidas released one of their most successful products, Copa Mundial.
Adidas was not the only shoe brand when it came to football boots. One of the major stars at the time Pelé, who was forbidden from signing with brands, eventually signed with PUMA, which had caused a major influx of sales for PUMA. This would not be the only player who ended up advertising football boots.
Brian Hewett would also receive a deal from Hummel, in which he wore painted Adidas despite being paid to promote the shoes as he did not like the shoes the brand offered. Although he had been promoting a fake image of Hummel, the sales of Hummel had skyrocketed from 5000 to 12000.
1980s
The 1980s continued the trend of technological development, with companies like Umbro, Lotto, and Kelme joined the market in this decade. Boots became more specialised, catering to different playing styles and positions.
1990s
The 1990s introduced new sole types to enhance player balance. Adidas launched the Predator in 1994, featuring rubber elements for improved ball control. Nike also entered the football boot market with the Mercurial line, emphasising lightweight design for speed, Nike's first popular boot, the Nike Mercurial Vapor was worn by Ronaldo at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Mizuno, Reebok, Uhlsport, and Nike began consistently making football boots in this decade.
2000s
In the first decade of the 21st century, laser technology was introduced to produce the first fully customized football boot in 2006. That same year, Lotto released the first laceless boot, the Zhero Gravity, which gained popularity in the late 2010s.
2010–present
In the era of the modern game that sees the tempo of matches becoming faster and players more technically inclined, boot manufacturers have had to constantly innovate to meet new performance demands. Over time, materials, design, and comfort have become just as important as durability and protection. Some researchers and manufacturers have suggested that football boots with laceless designs and knitted uppers can improve lockdown and ball control, but there are still differing views on their actual performance. For many players, laceless boots create a more natural connection with the ball, while other players still prefer traditional laces for the ability to fine tune the fit, for optimal performance. The first laceless boots were released by the Italian bootmaker company Lotto in 2006. Lotto Zero Gravity was worn by players such as Cafu, Andriy Shevchenko, and Luca Toni. The design was considered revolutionary at the time and marked a clear shift toward performance innovation rather than tradition. Companies such as Adidas, Umbro, New Balance, and Nike have also released their versions of laceless shoes. Laceless boots demonstrate better lock down and lateral stability. A knitted upper allows players to have better ball control due to a larger surface area, which is especially noticeable during first touches of the ball. Moreover, opinions of athletes and coaches depend on personal comfort and playing style, as it does on increasing performance. Kangaroo leather is breathable and lightweight. Some players prefer leather, while others like synthetic or plastic material because they are more durable and cheaper.
Modern football boots have evolved significantly with advancements in Association footballtechnology and materials. Many boots are now made with lightweight synthetic materials that improve speed, comfort, and ball control for players. Manufacturers design boots based on different playing styles, with some models focused on speed, control, or power.For example, speed-focused boots are typically lighter and more streamlined, while control boots are designed to improve touch on the ball. These developments reflect ongoing innovation in modern football equipment.
Different styles for different surfaces
thumb|right|230px|A pair of [[Adidas Etrusco boots, with metal studs]]
Depending on the type of surface, kind of sport and even the wearer's position or role in the game, different styles of boot and particularly stud configurations are available.
For hard pitches, amateur participants may wear a turf football boot (TF) or a plastic-stud boot (known as a "molded sole"). For indoor football, companies developed indoor court (IC) boots. These come with rubber soles intended to maximize grip on the floor, and are specifically designed for the indoor game. For football on turf or artificial grass, some players wear regular firm ground (FG) football boots. But wearing regular football boots on turf greatly reduces the life of the boot, so manufacturers have developed football boots for artificial grass (AG), which have smaller circular studs. The other type of football boot is SG (soft ground) for playing on well-grassed or sodden field. When playing on this kind of pitch, some players favor using a boot with screw-in studs in their non-dominant (supporting) foot to provide grip, and a boot with short rubber or plastic studs in the dominant (kicking/passing) foot to help accuracy.
More recently, molded soles with specially designed boots known as blades have molded soles facing in multiple directions, theoretically to maximise grip and minimize ankle injury. Recently, however, "bladed" football boots have faced criticism from some UK sporting bodies for causing potentially serious injuries to players. English football club Manchester United have even banned their players from wearing boots with bladed studs after players like Wayne Rooney and David Beckham suffered repeated metatarsal injuries.
Questions have been raised about the safety of female footballers wearing men's football boots, mainly due to foot shape and weight distribution differences between women's and men's feet. Despite football boots being unisex, studies have shown that women tend to get injured more often while playing in football boots.
Football markets and brands
thumb|left|A pair of [[Nike, Inc.|Nike Zoom Air football boots, for use on artificial grass or sand and rubber pitches]]
Originally, football boots were available only in black, but they are now available in a wide variety of colours. Nike's flagship shoes are the Phantom VNM, Phantom VSN, Tiempos, and The Nike Mercurial Vapor worn by Cristiano Ronaldo. The entire German national side wore Adidas boots during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. German firm Puma's flagship shoes are the Puma King Platinum, Puma Future, and Puma One worn by Sergio Agüero, Cesc Fàbregas, and Antoine Griezmann.
thumb|130px|Footballer [[Zlatan Ibrahimović wearing Adidas red boots]]
The Puma King boots have been worn by players, such as Pelé, Eusébio, Johan Cruyff, and Diego Maradona.
Nike and Adidas have been significant manufacturers in the football footwear market in recent years, with longstanding high market shares thanks to their investment in player sponsorships and product innovation. Puma signed players such as Antoine Griezmann, Gianluigi Buffon, Cesc Fàbregas, Romelu Lukaku and Neymar
{| class="wikitable"
|+Biggest boot deals in the world football
|Player
|Brand
|Figure (per year)
|-
|Neymar
|Puma
|£23m
|-
|Erling Haaland
|Nike
|£20m
|-
| Lionel Messi
|Adidas
|£18m
|-
| Cristiano Ronaldo
|Nike
|£15m
|-
|Kylian Mbappé
|Nike
|£14m
|-
|Jack Grealish
|Puma
|£10m
|-
|Mario Balotelli
|Puma
|£5m
|-
|Antoine Griezmann
|Puma
|£3.5m
|-
|Paul Pogba
|Adidas
|£3m
|-
|Marco Verratti
|Nike
|£2.5m
|-
|Mohamed Salah
|Adidas
|£2.5m
|}
See also
- List of boots
- List of shoe styles
- Cleat (shoe)
- Comparison of orthotics