The launch of the adidas Samba pack, midweek Champions League fixtures, a weekend of football full of upsets, ladies and gentlemen, we will not get weeks in football much better than that! But there is only one way to cap off the past week in style/liven up your Monday morning (choose accordingly), and that is with a boot spotting courtesy of the Instep! We had some monster boot spots this week. From boot switches, custom boots, limited edition boots, plus a few footballers who were not quite sure about what boots they should wear! Check out what made the Instep cut this week.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX

Lionel Messi Barcelona F50 adiZero edited

Having your headline athlete going off after 21 minutes is definitely not something adidas would have wanted to see, but we were still able to capture a glimpse of Lionel Messi rocking the new F50 adiZero. We are sure Messi would appreciate the boots coming in the blue of his native Argentina, and we think the boots would match up brilliantly with Argentina’s kit the next time he plays for his country. It seemed there were slightly more stars in the orange colourway of the adiZero over the blue colourway, but there is no doubting the new adiZero was popular with the pros this weekend.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – adidas Nitrocharge 1.0

Steven Gerrard Liverpool Nitrocharge edited

There is no official word from adidas about it, but it looks almost certain now that Gerrard has moved on from the Predator series to the Nitrocharge. We never normally see Gerrard wearing bright football boots (he has always been the traditionalist), but the new Samba pack Nitrocharge is almost certainly the loudest boots Gerrard has ever had on his feet. Maybe it’s Gerrard’s way of proving he’s still young and with the times…

Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – adidas adiPure 11Pro

Frank Lampard Chelsea adiPure 11Pro edited

Another player who always likes to stay classy and old school is Frank Lampard, and it was rather surprising to see Lampard has made the instant move to the new adiPure 11Pro. The midfielder had always had a preference for white football boots, and while the pop of purple is something a little different from Lampard, we have to admit that the boots actually looks very snazzy on the pitch! We are going to be releasing an article that goes over the differences between the past models of the F50 and 11Pro and the new release boots, and while it is definitely an article that is probably for boots nerds (self confessed right here, and proud of it!), it is definitely an article to keep an eye out for if you want to know more about the new boots.

Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace) – Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR

Yannick Bolasie Crystal Palace CR7 Vapor edited

Signature colourways? Who cares! We always see a few footballers who wear the signature colourways of Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, and Yannick Bolasie is the first player we have seen besides the Portuguese star in the CR7 Vapor. Bolasie is starting to establish himself as the EPL’s boot geek, having also worn the light blue customised Hypervenom a few weeks ago. Considering Crystal Palace’s form this season, they might need something from out of this world to help the team up the table…

Robin Van Persie (Manchester United) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX (Custom)

Robin Van Persie Manchester United F50 adiZero edited

Robin Van Persie caused a bit of stir with his spirited celebration against old club Arsenal on Sunday, but we can see a few questions raised over Van Persie’s choice of footwear during the clash against Arsenal. Despite it being widely publicised that Van Persie has made the move to the F50 adiZero, the Dutchman snubbed the new F50 in favour of the old Infared/White/Black colourway. It could be because adidas have not quite worked out how to customise the new adiZero to Van Persie’s exact specifications (Van Persie’s boots sport a customised soleplate dating from the Predator adiPower), but this could be another boot saga for the striker.

Richard Menjivar (Atlanta Silverbacks) – Mizuno Morelia Neo

Richard Menjivar Atlanta Silverbacks Mizuno Morelia Neo edited

After years of abstaining from the US soccer market, Mizuno USA finally announced they are breaking into the US, with Mizuno expecting to start selling boots from the 2nd of December. It is welcome news to US soccer fans, and it seems Mizuno wants to ensure they make their presence felt in the US. The Japanese boot brand sponsored the Soccer Bowl final between New York Cosmos and the Atlanta Silverbacks. Richard Menjivar made himself one of the very first players wearing Mizuno boots in the USA, but a Marcos Senna goal unfortunately denied Atlanta the Soccer Bowl trophy.

Hernane (Flamengo) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX

Hernane Flamengo double adiZero edited

Right now, I am facing a dilemma. I am loving both the orange and blue colourways of the new F50 adiZero, and it is pretty hard to pick which one to go for. Hernane may have given me the answer to my problem. Perhaps not too sure about which colourway he prefers, the striker wore both colourways at the same time in Flamengo’s match against Goiás. Maybe wearing two different boots at the same time is for the eccentric, but you have got to love Hernanes for doing something a little bit different!

Jonathan Walters (Stoke City) – adidas Copa Mundial

Jonathan Walters Stoke white Copa Mundial edited

This is a boot spot that will either make some readers very excited or perhaps die a little inside. The launch of the limited edition white Copa Mundial was a massive success for adidas, and while Youssouf Mulumbu was technically the first player to wear the boots (we could not get a proper photo of that a few weeks ago, sorry ladies and gents), Jonathan Walters wore the boots for the first time in Stoke’s 6 goal thriller against Swansea. The white Copa Mundial just oozes class, and it is a pity I did not pick up a pair for myself…

Cliff Akurang (Bishop’s Stortford) – Asics Lethal Flash DS

Cliff Akurang Bishop's Stortford Asics Lethal Flash DS edited

The first round proper of the oldest football competition in the world kicked off this weekend, and the first few rounds is what the FA Cup is all about: unknown semi-professional teams who are up against the big boys and maybe, just maybe, produce a sensational David-style knockout against big Goliath. It also gives us an opportunity to see a few boots that we do not normally see in the higher leagues, like Cliff Akurang’s Asics Lethal Flash DS boots. Coming in with a synthetic upper, the heel of the boot is risen by 10mm to change the angle at which the foot hits the ground, which works to reduce the stress on joints and muscles.

Benjamin Balima (FC Sheriff) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX

Benjamin Balima FC Sheriff F50 adiZero edited

Hernane was not the only player who wore two different F50s this week, with Benjamin Balima opting for the launch colourway of the third generation F50 on his right foot and the first generation Electricity/Infared/Purple colourway on his left. It could be Balima’s way of seeing how much the F50 has really changed between the first and third generation boots, but the third generation F50 matches with the FC Sheriff kit better than the first generation F50.

That is it for our boot spotting this week, what was your favourite spot today? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

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