Christmas is less than two weeks away, the EPL is becoming more pulsating by the week, Nike just unleashed a flood of new boots, it is a good time to be a football fan hey? But as usual, the Instep helps start your week/top off your weekend with a look at this week’s big talking points from the boot spotting world. From new boots to boot switches, we scour the boot world for only the finest of boot spots. Take a look at what made the Instep cut this week.

Carlos Tevez (Juventus) – Nike Tiempo Legend V

Carlos Tevez Juventus Tiempo Legend V edited

Of course, the big talking point in the boot world this week was the unveiling of the all new Tiempo Legend V, which has somehow seen Nike cram more technology into the Tiempo whilst still maintaining the heritage feel of the boot. Carlos Tevez has been a long time fan of the CTR360 Maestri III, but the Argentine has been squeezed into the Tiempo by Nike, so much so that he is now one of the headline athletes of the range. It is perhaps a move by Nike to show how versatile the Tiempo V is, with defenders (Gerard Pique), midfielders (Ronaldinho) and forwards (Carlos Tevez) being some of the headline athletes for the boot.

Marcelo (Real Madrid) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX

Marcelo Real Madrid enlightened adiZero edited

Marcelo has had a history of being a player who likes things to be a little…different when it comes to his boots with his history of flirting with old boots. That was pretty evident this week as Marcelo dragged out the Enlightened F50 adiZero from his locker, which is fitting in the week that Nike unveiled the Reflective pack of boots. While the Reflective pack of boots will make their way onto the pitch from next week as a general release boot, the Enlightened pack was a special release to commemorate one round of UCL football. It is a pity, the gorgeous Enlightened pack of boots would have been a massive hit with boots fans if it was a regular boot!

Jonathan Biabiany (Parma FC) – Nike Vapor IX

Jonathan Biabiany Parma FC custom Vapor VIII edited

I am interrupting this boot spotting just to say one thing: how awesome is the Parma FC jersey? In celebration of their one hundred year anniversary, Parma FC wore a one-off centenary shirt for their game against Cagliari this weekend. We are not quite sure whether it is the cotton material, the minimalistic design or the shoelace-like collar, but the shirt is as cool as the boots worn by Biabiany! Perhaps in an effort to match the retro kit, Biabiany brought out the Reflective pack Vapor IX…one week earlier than he is allowed to wear it. While the Reflective pack Vapor does have a low profile look about it, it will be anything but under the flash of stadium floodlights!

Lee Cattermole (Sunderland) – adidas adiPure 11Pro

Lee Cattermole Sunderland adiPure 11Pro edited

We featured him in our boot spotting last week for bringing back a classic in the form of the adidas World Cup, now Lee Cattermole has switched into the new Black/White/Green adiPure 11Pro colourway, the first time we have seen the colourway in the EPL. While the launch colourway of the adiPure is not for the faint hearted, the more conservative black colourway was probably a welcome sight for those who want their heritage boots to actually look like heritage boots! Now that the Tiempo V has been launched, it will be interesting to see which boot will be more favored amongst the pros.

Ravel Morrison (West Ham) – Nike Tiempo Legend V

Ravel Morrison West Ham Tiempo V edited

This season has seen the uprising of some impressive young footballers, and Ravel Morrison has certainly caught the eye thanks to West Ham’s severe lack of strikers. The West Ham young gun was one of several players who stuck with the old T90 Laser IV, but he has now moved on to the Tiempo Legend V (which look kinda like the Mango/Black/Crimson T90s he’s been rocking). While we do like the two-block look of the Tiempo V launch colourway, the classic colourway that is sported on the Reflective pack colourway is something we just cannot stop looking at…

Andros Townsend (Tottenham) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX

Andros Townsend Tottenham F50 adiZero edited

Talking about another young star who has stuck with an old pair of boots, the mercurial Andros Townsend probably had the boot companies drooling at the thought of getting the gifted winger onto their books as he continually stuck with the Volt/Black/Bright Orange Vapor IX. But in a very quiet move, Townsend has made the shift to the new F50 adiZero, a pretty smart decision by adidas. With players like Lampard and Gerrard on their books, we could be looking at an adidas-heavy England midfield come the World Cup next year.

Jamie Ness (Stoke) – Predator LZ SL

Jamie Ness Stoke Predator LZ SL edited

While many players are attracted to the all round nature of the regular Predator LZ, there is the occasional player who settles for the LZ SL. With a Sprintskin upper instead of Hybridtouch in an effort to keep the weight of the boot down, the LZ SL is probably a boot that has caught the attention of a few curious boot fans. While the previous LZ SL colourways have been, well, bright for the sake of standing out, adidas this week lifted the lid on two new LZ SL colourways that carry on the Samba theme from the prior Samba pack of boots. We wonder whether Ness has got his eye on the gorgeous Samba-inspired LZ SL

Andrei Prepelita (FC Steaua Bucuresti) – Puma V1.11 SL

Andrei Prepelita FC Steaua Bucuresti Puma V110 SL edited

Remember when Nike, adidas and Puma went through that phase where they had an arms race in an effort to create the lightest boots on the market? The Puma V1.11 SL hit the scales at 150 grams, and while the F50 adiZero Prime went sub-150 grams, we love the refreshing look of the V1.11 SL. Speed boots have a tendency to be ‘loud’, but the V1.11 SL looks classy, whilst the pop of pink ensures the boot is separated from other predominantly white speed boots. A top choice from Prepelita, rocking a boot that we do not see too often on the pitch.

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

 

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