With all the razzle dazzle with super cleats (or boots) that cook you dinner, make reservations for you, make balls stop in mid-flight, Tweet, double as canteens, light your cigarettes, etc., we shouldn’t neglect those quality boots that got us here.
Hear ye, hear ye, enter PUMA KINGS!! (trumpets blaring)
Basic. Kangaroo leather. Light enough. Heavy enough. Soft touch. Looking directly at it doesn’t blind you. What else do you need. There are several quality shoes that have stood the test of time. This is one of them. The sad part is that now, young players think that loud boots will make them better. But here’s a small piece of reality for them. If you’re crap, there’s a good chance it’s not your boots. In my day, if you had loud, blinding shoes (see white boots), you had better be the best player on the pitch hands down. I’ve been waiting for the day when I could start saying, “When I was a kid …” Apparently that day has arrived. Thank god.
So here’s the new rule for your kids. You’ve got to earn the right to look ridiculous on the pitch. Old school boots until you’re good enough to dress like a clown. Period. And don’t let me catch your kid out there sucking with some hot pink boots or I’m going to take them. You hear me Nicholas Bendtner?
I am a traditionalist and much prefer good old simple black and white boots. Coloured boots are one of the biggest blights in the game, IMHO, and i am getting sick to death of seeing how far players will go to make themselves look as stupid as possible on the pitch, esp. when the boots they sport utterly clash with the colours of their team kit. Wearing citron neon green vapors with a red uniform not only looks tasteless, but it just screams “look at me!” like a 5 year old with a temper tantrum needing to be the center of attention.
Give me a simple, elegant, and classic black boots anyday over those overhyped, overbearing, and ridiculous colours.
I am also glad to say that my favourite player has for a long time now stayed fairly true to basic black boots, the legendary Steven Gerrard…..:)
Steven Gerrard? Never heard of him. Wait, he’s on that middle of the table team, right?