Feeling a little run down that it is the international break next week? Yeah, so are we at the Instep. But one way to get over the upcoming international break blues (plus the fact that it is Monday) is with a good old boot spotting courtesy of the Instep! We scour through a week’s load of football photos to give you only the best boot spots, so start your week off in the best way possible with our boot spotting article. Take a look at what made the cut this week.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – Nike Mercurial Vapor IX

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid Vapor IX edited

Despite the launch of the new Hi-Vis collection from a Nike, the poster-boy for the Mercurial range has snubbed the new Electro Purple/Volt colourway. It was a move we actually anticipated, and Ronaldo will not be seen in a new colourway until mid November, where he will bring out the latest installment in the CR7 Vapor series of boots. The latest boot takes on the phrase ‘out of this world’ quite literally, and it will most probably divide boot fans once again!

Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa) – Nike Hypervenom Phantom

Gabriel Agbonlahor Aston Villa HV edited

It does seem there is a growing number of players ditching their Nike Mercurials in favor of the Hypervenom, and Gabby Agbonlahor is one more player who had made the switch. To us, it feels like Agbonlahor has been wearing Mercurials forever (remember him in those ads with Walcott to see who was the fastest player in the EPL?), but the Aston Villa striker has now made the Hypervenom as his weapon of choice. Villa fans will be hoping Aggie will be as influential as their now injured, Hypervenom-wearing star striker…

Jacob Butterfield (Middlesbrough) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX (Custom)

Jacob Butterfield Middlesbrough custom adiZero edited

Minus the blackout and whiteout F50 adiZero colourways we saw at the start of the season, the F50 adiZero range has been missing colourways that just ooze ‘class’ (you wait until you see the next Messi adiZero, blimey it’s different). If only they would release a colourway like Jacob Butterfield’s White/Gold/Red adiZeros, who has gone to miadidas for his simple, flashy boots.

Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace) – Nike Hypervenom Phantom (Custom)

Yannick Bolasie Crystal Palace custom Hypervenom edited

Even though he was in the Championship last season, it was always worth keeping an eye out for what Bolasie was wearing each week. The man has given us some cracking boots spots including both generations of the GS and the Vapor IV. So it is unsurprising that in his first start for Crystal Palace that Bolasie becomes one of the few players wearing a customized Nike Hypervenom. While the boots do not really match Bolasie’s kit, the light blue Hypervenoms actually look rather nice on the pitch!

Borja Fernandez (Getafe CF) – Under Armour Hydrastrike Pro

Alvaro Vadillo Getafe CF UA Hydrastrike Pro edited

Every so often, we have a brand that comes along to try and break into a football boot market dominated by Nike, Puma and adidas, but we see a lot of these companies fall short. Under Armour has been rather quiet of late, and they only have one or two endorsers in Europe’s big leagues. Borja Fernandez is sporting UA’s entry into the ‘control’ silo, which features a K-Leather upper and H20i water intelligence technology that wicks moisture away from the surface of the boot. It is a good boot to check out if you are looking for something that little bit different.

Archie Thompson (Melbourne Victory) – adidas F50 adiZero TRX

Archie Thompson Melbourne Victory adiZero edited

With the A-League starting up this week, we will start to see more spots from the top league of Australian football over the next few weeks. One surprising spot is that of Archie Thompson in the adiZero. The Melbourne Victory fan-favorite has switched from the Vapor to the adiZero over the off-season, a surprising move considering that Thompson was Nike’s go-to athlete in the A-League. Thompson was the only player in the A-League to be given the GS II, such was his ties with Nike.

Chris Lines (Port Vale) – adidas Predator LZ SL II

Chris Lines Port Vale LZ SL edited

There are loads of players in the adidas Predator LZ II, but we do not see many players in the SL version of the Predator. Chris Lines is actually the first player we have seen this season in the LS SL II. Even though the boot is predominantly black, the multi-coloured Lethal Zones certainly makes the boots stand out. The SL features a Sprintskin upper to bring the weight of the boot down, but there is actually another boot that adidas will be giving an SL treatment of sorts in the next few months. Which boot is it? Well you will have to wait to find out!

Daniel Braaten (FC Copenhagen) – Nike Hypervenom Phantom (Custom)

Daniel Braaten FC Copenhagen blackout HV edited

Missed out on the blackout Hypervenom? Yeah, so did I. But Daniel Braaten has given me ideas about how I can get around my dilemma! While we have seen some disastrous efforts at blacking out boots, the detail on Braaten’s boots does suggest he went to a professional to get his boots blacked out. Considering that the Hypervenom released as a part of the Stealth pack was not 100% black (it was more of an obsidian), Braaten’s boots look closer to what the prototype Hypervenoms looked like than the Stealth pack release.

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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