Football boot#Different styles for different surfaces

File:Gath chaves aviso futbol 1910.jpg advertisement promoting "foot-ball" products, including boots by British manufacturer McGregor at m$n10, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1910]]

The earliest recorded instance of specialised footwear for football dates back to 1526, when King Henry VIII of England ordered a pair of "football boots" from his Great Wardrobe.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-01 |title=History of Football Boots 1526 to 2023 |url=https://www.footballboots.co.uk/history.html |access-date=2025-04-01 |language=en-US}}  These boots were likely crafted from robust leather, providing enhanced protection during matches.

During the 19th century, various forms of football became increasingly popular in Great Britain. Participants would wear their heavy and hard work-boots to play.{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Gordon |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781000101836 |title=Encyclopedia of British Football |date=2020-07-24 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-06256-1 |editor-last=Cox |editor-first=Richard |edition=1 |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003062561 |editor-last2=Russell |editor-first2=Dave |editor-last3=Vamplew |editor-first3=Wray}} 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.{{cite web|date=9 May 2007|title=Football Boots History|url= http://www.footy-boots.com/football-boots-history/ |access-date= 2023-06-08|publisher=Footy-Boots.com | quote = [By] the mid-nineteenth century [...] workers were playing football in their hard, leather work boots with steel capped toes, sometimes with leather or tacks hammered into the soles as makeshift studs.}}{{cite book |last=Goldblatt |first=David |title=The History of Football |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2007 |isbn=9780141911540}} However, This often resulted in injuries when one player inadvertently made contact with another during play{{Cite web |title=The evolution of football (soccer) shoes |url=https://footballhistory.org/shoes.html |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=footballhistory.org}}

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 {{convert|500|g}}.

During the early decades of 20th century, the style of football boots stayed very basic because of the lack of material, so the style of football remained so during the inter-war years.

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.{{Cite web |last=FashionModelDirectory.com |first=The FMD- |title=Adolph (Adi) and Rudolf (Rudi) Dassler - Fashion Designer {{!}} Designers {{!}} The FMD |url=https://www.fashionmodeldirectory.com/designers/adolph-adi-and-rudolf-rudi-dassler/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=The FMD - FashionModelDirectory.com}} (Adi Dassler's older brother, Rudolf Dassler, founder of Puma, disputes the claim that Adi Dassler originated screw-in studs.)

In the 1960s, many football boots featured a lower cut boots designed for increased flexibility and movement .{{Cite web|date= 2013-09-03|title= Adidas Boots 1960-71|url= https://beyondthelastman.com/2013/09/03/adidas-boots-1960-71/ |access-date= 2020-11-03|website= Beyond The Last Man|language= en}} Mitre, Joma, and Asics joined the fray. Adidas emerged as a leading manufacturer, with 75% of players at the 1966 FIFA World Cup wearing their products.{{Cite web|date=2007-05-09|title=Football Boots - The 1960s|url=https://www.footy-boots.com/football-boots-history/|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Footy Boots|language=en-GB}}

The 1970s marked notable advancements football boots. These changes included lighter boots and a variety of colours. 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.

During this period, some of the most common types of natural leather came into use: kangaroo leather, calfskin and full-grain/cow leather.{{cite web |url= https://www.soccer.com/guide/leather-vs-leather/ |title= Leather vs. Leather? |website=soccer.com |date=2013-08-29 |access-date=2013-10-14 }}

The 1980s continued the trend of technological development, with companies like Umbro, Lotto, and Kelme joined the market in this decade.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Dan |title=The Ongoing Evolution Of The Nike Tiempo |url=https://www.soccerbible.com/performance/football-boots/2022/04/the-ongoing-evolution-of-the-nike-tiempo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=SoccerBible |language=en-gb}} Boots became more specialised, catering to different playing styles and positions.

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.{{Cite web |title=1998: The Birth of the Nike Mercurial |url=https://www.ultrafootball.com/blogs/ultra-mag/1998-the-birth-of-the-nike-mercurial?srsltid=AfmBOooz80_qDpLdOcBwzHcCPofNPccENH5hL_4MPr6NwII4XdLFHQUM |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=Ultra Football |language=en}}

Mizuno, Reebok, Uhlsport, and Nike began consistently making football boots in this decade.

In the first decade of the 21st century, laser technology was introduced to produce the first fully customized football boot in 2006.{{cite web|date= 11 April 2006|title= Launched: First Bespoke football boot|url= http://www.footy-boots.com/football-boots-launched-the-first-bespoke-boot/|access-date= 2011-03-16|publisher= Footy-Boots.com}} That same year, Lotto released the first laceless boot, the Zhero Gravity, which gained popularity in the late 2010s.{{Cite web|date=2006-06-07|title=LOTTO ZHERO GRAVITY |url= https://www.footy-boots.com/lotto-zhero-gravity/|access-date= 2020-11-03|website= Footy Boots|language= en-GB}}

In the era of the modern game that sees the tempo of matches becoming faster and players more technically inclined, manufacturers introduced new technology, including lighter footwear made from alternative materials.{{Cite web|url= https://www.footy.com/blog/post/2020/01/27/lightest-football-boots|title=The Lightest Football Boots You Can Buy in 2020|date= 27 January 2020|website=FOOTY.COM}}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.{{Cite web|title= Lotto Zhero Gravity compared to the adidas Ace16+ PureControl|url= https://www.unisportstore.com/|access-date= 2020-11-03|website= Unisport |language=en}}{{Cite web|last= Pellatt|first= Corey|date= 18 January 2016|title= adidas Just Revealed the World's First Laceless Football Boot|url= https://www.complex.com/sports/2016/01/adidas-ace16-plus-laceless|access-date= 2020-11-03|website=Complex|language=en}}

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.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-29 |title=The evolution of laceless soccer cleats: design, market leaders and more {{!}} Goal.com US |url=https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/laceless-soccer-cleats-evolution/bltcafba56b359401ce |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=www.goal.com |language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Pellatt |first=Corey |title=adidas Just Revealed the World's First Laceless Football Boot |url=https://www.complex.com/sports/a/corey-pellatt/adidas-ace16-plus-laceless |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=Complex |language=en-us}}

Football boots can be made from many different materials such as rubber, synthetic such as nylon and polyurethane, or leather. Kangaroo leather is often used in high-end football boot manufacturing due to its lightweight and softness , but in recent years, the proportion of synthetic materials used has been increasing.{{Cite web |date=2021-04-20 |title=Soccer Cleats: Best Soccer Shoes For 2022 |url=https://sportycious.com/best-soccer-cleats-960358/ |access-date=2022-04-08 |language=en-US}} Kangaroo leather is breathable and lightweight. Some players prefer leather, while others like synthetic or plastic material because they are more durable and cheaper.{{Cite web |date=2012-11-21 |title=What Materials are Used in Football (Soccer) Boots? |url=https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=7886 |access-date=2022-04-08 |website=AZoM.com |language=en}}

File:AdidasEtruscoBoot.jpg 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.soccer.com/guide/soccer-shoe-guide/ |title=Soccer Shoe Guide |website=Soccer.com |date=July 29, 2019 |access-date=May 15, 2020 }}

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.{{Cite web |title=Types of Football Boots Soleplates |url=https://top4football.com/pg/football-boots-soleplates |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=top4football.com |language=en}} 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.{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/4277722.stm | work=BBC News | title=Ferguson wants bladed boots ban | date=2005-09-24 | access-date=2010-05-02}}

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.{{Cite journal |last1=Okholm Kryger |first1=Katrine |last2=Thomson |first2=Athol |last3=Tang |first3=Alicia |last4=Brown |first4=Nicola |last5=Bruinvels |first5=Georgie |last6=Rosenbloom |first6=Craig |last7=Carmody |first7=Sean |last8=Williamson |first8=Leah |last9=Datson |first9=Naomi |last10=Jobson |first10=Elena |last11=Mehta |first11=Ritan |date=2022-11-16 |title=Ten questions in sports engineering: technology in elite women's football |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-022-00384-3 |journal=Sports Engineering |language=en |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=25 |doi=10.1007/s12283-022-00384-3 |issn=1460-2687 |pmc=9667860}} Despite football boots being unisex, studies have shown that women tend to get injured more often while playing in football boots.{{Cite news |date=2023-08-07 |title=Nike and Adidas urged by MPs to promote female football boots |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66433243 |access-date=2024-04-11 |language=en-GB}}

File:Nike Zoom Air Football Boots.jpg 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. Adidas are responsible for the Predator range, as worn by David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Steven Gerrard, as well as the long-surviving Copa Mundial.{{Cite web |url=https://thesolesupplier.co.uk/news/are-these-the-greatest-players-ever-to-wear-the-adidas-copa-mundial/ |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=thesolesupplier.co.uk}} 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.{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} PUMA® |url=https://about.puma.com/en/this-is-puma/history |access-date=2025-04-01 |website=about.puma.com |language=en}}

File:Zlatan_Ibrahimović_2017-03-09.jpg wearing Adidas red boots]]

The Puma King boots have been worn by players, such as Pelé, Eusébio, Johan Cruyff, and Diego Maradona.{{cite web |url=http://www.in2sports.ca/ontheline-blog/?p=707 |title=Puma Launch their Newest Silo – the Puma EvoPower – In2sports |access-date=2016-06-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426131246/http://www.in2sports.ca/ontheline-blog/?p=707 |archive-date=2015-04-26 }}

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. Among Nike's endorsers are two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian striker Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović. Adidas, which has been providing football boots with screw-in studs to the German national football team since the 1954 FIFA World Cup, have signed agreements with players such as David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Frank Lampard, Lionel Messi and Steven Gerrard.{{Cite web |title= |url=https://www.adidas.co.uk/blog/954210-how-adidas-football-boots-made-fifa-world-cuptm-history}} Puma signed players such as Antoine Griezmann, Gianluigi Buffon, Cesc Fàbregas, Romelu Lukaku and Neymar{{Cite news |title=PSG star Neymar joins Puma after leaving Nike |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37586997/neymar-joins-puma-ending-15-year-nike-partnership |access-date=2024-04-08 |work=ESPN.com |language=en}}

• List of boots
• List of shoe styles
• Cleat (shoe)
• Comparison of orthotics

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{cite book |last1=McArthur |first1=Ian |last2=Kemp |first2=Dave |title=Elegance Borne of Brutality: An eclectic history of the football boot |year=1995 |publisher=Two Heads Publishing |location=London |isbn=1-897850-76-X}}

• {{commons-inline}}

{{footwear}}

{{Association football}}

{{Gridiron football equipment}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:American football equipment

Category:Canadian football

Boot

Boot

Boot

Category:Sports footwear