Finding the best football accessories can be a tough ask, especially when there are so many options and not enough guidance on what you truly need to make your life easier or enhance your game.
Once you have the best football boots, though, there's always room to up your accessories game. From base layers to sports bags through to cleaning products, there are some great options out there that will have an undoubtedly positive impact.
While there are more comprehensive guides to the best grip socks for football, best football boot insoles, best football shin pads and even the best goalkeeper gloves, here I will run you through a more general overview of what I believe are the best football accessories available right now.
Best football accessories
The quicklist
Staying warm or cool has never been easier, with this base layer designed to help with both. Capable of wicking away sweat quickly, Nike's technology also ensures players are kept warm in winter months through increasing blood circulation in key areas.
There's nothing worse than having to chuck your muddy football boots into your bag with clean clothes and other belongings. Fortunately, this bag has a separate compartment for your boots, keeping everything fresh.
Best for storage
I often do a few training sessions a week just by myself in order to keep my touch and skills sharp, and found that this bag is ideal for lugging round a ball, cones and my boots in, with the different compartments keeping everything ordered.
Nobody likes cleaning their football boots, but we all know it's important if we want to be looking our best out on the pitch. This handy tool makes the job a whole lot easier, with cleaning time massively reduced thanks to the product's design.
Professionals have figured out a clever way to wear their preferred socks with their boots without having to cut their team socks, and Nike has made these sleeves available to purchase. They're brilliant if you want to have your own grip socks underneath.
Grip sock pioneers Trusox are still dominating in their respective field, with the iconic design helping lock players' feet into their boots and reduce slippage. I've used Trusox for nearly a decade now, and love the security they provide me in my boots.
Best base layer
Whether it’s hot or cold, base layers have all sorts of benefits that can enhance your playing experience: from regulating body temperature, wicking away sweat and improving blood flow, the Nike Pro Dri-Fit Long Sleeve base layer is expertly designed from the latest technologies.
With multiple colours to choose from, as well as different options in terms of sleeve lengths, the Nike base layer is a great option to pair with a number of different kits, too. I play for a team whose home kit is white, which Nike fortunately covers with its extensive options. When paired with the best Nike football boots, you'll look a million pounds out there on the pitch.
But while plenty of players enjoy playing in base layers, I also find them a great option to aid recovery. The compression fit improves blood flow and oxygen intake, providing your muscles with the energy they need to get back to 100 per cent that bit faster.
Best bag
A bag that will make every footballer’s life easier, hard shell bags have two compartments that helps separate muddy football boots from the your clothes and other belongings. The best football boots for firm ground can often pick up lots of dirt in the winter months, so having that separation is key.
I’ve been using these types of bags for years and love how durable they are. While they're initially quite expensive, they're a sound investment that will last you season after season - in my opinion, they're well worth the money.
Not only do the separate compartments keep your belongings clean and odour-free from the football boots caked in dirt, they also help to keep everything a lot more organised. I found this particularly handy when I didn't have to rummage around trying to find my wallet or car keys.
Best for storage
This bag is great for those who like to train individually (or meet up with a small group), but hate hauling around loads of equipment. Luckily, this multi-functional sports bag has several compartments that can store the most comfortable football boots, footballs and everything else you need for a kickabout.
Easy to carry thanks to its cuboid structure, despite its size, I also found transporting this bag just as easy as regular sports bags, though with plenty more space to fit things in.
The best thing about these bags is that you can alter the amount of compartments. The bags come with several dividers which have velcro on the side that stick to the walls of the bag, meaning you can change the amount of space you need to keep everything separate. I particularly loved not having to sift through this bag when trying to find things.
Best for cleaning
Cleaning your own or even your child's best football boots for kids can be one of the most tedious things, but, luckily, this little portable Boot Buddy gadget helps take the pain out of it.
First making headlines on Dragon Den, the Boot Buddy is a tool that can be used to wash your boots straight after a game, keeping them as fresh as when they were brand new. The gadget features a refillable bottle to hold water, a hard bristle brush with an adjustable screw-in neck to control the flow of water on one side and a fork tool on the other side to remove mud.
A very useful tool that any footballer can have in their bag, the Boot Buddy is very simple to use, too. All you have to do is squeeze the bottle and water flows out where the brush is, allowing you to start scrubbing away. I love that this product takes the usual hassle of cleaning boots from tens of minutes to just less than five. It also helps a lot if you have to carry your boots in the same bag as your clothes or other belongings, as you’ll be able to clean your boots more easily and prevent odour or dirt transferring to any belongings.
Best design
One of modern football’s best kept secrets, football sleeves are used in every top level match and they're really quite simple - essentially, they're just footless football socks that help to create even more of a seamless transition with the best laceless football boots.
Ideal for a player who prefers wearing their own socks underneath, you don't have to go through the hassle of cutting your socks and dealing with the fraying that inevitably comes.
Available in a range of different sizes and colour variations, it’s quite easy to find a set that will match your team’s colours. Another advantage of leg sleeves is that they can eliminate the need for sock-tape, as the compressive ends of the sleeves hug your legs and would prevent your shin pads from falling out. They also just look a lot cleaner, helping remove that messy transition from sock to tape to cut sock.
Best grip socks
Trusox are the pioneers of the grip sock industry after bursting on to the scene in the early 2010s, with players such as Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez terrorising defenders in the iconic design.
The patented grip technology which features suede like grip pads on the inside and outside of the sock for enhanced underfoot traction, which I believe is unrivalled by any other grip socks. It's like your feet are glued to your boot to provide a seamless one-to-one feel, and they're certainly one of the best grip socks for football.
I love how they come in a range of colours, thicknesses and lengths, too, helping players customise depending on their personal preferences and what colour they need.
