If your child has outgrown their football boots, through wear and tear, or are simply in desperate need of brand a new pair, then you're in luck as we've detailed the best football boots for kids.
It's essential that children's football boots fit correctly and aren't too battered or bruised, otherwise there could be a detrimental impact on their performance or enjoyment of the game.
Fortunately, FFT has been dedicating itself to categorising a range of different boots to make shopping that little bit easier for you. If you're simply looking for the best football boots out right now - or the best boots available for under £100 - be sure to check out our other reviews.
But here you'll find the best football boots specifically for kids looking to become the world-beaters of tomorrow.
The quicklist
By managing to implement the super-thin upper onto the kids version of the Vapor 16, Nike has created something incredibly lightweight. Players will feel virtually weightless in these boots and be able to cover every blade of grass.
Best for versatility
With a large, clean striking zone, featuring plenty of space for wide feet and an aggressive stud pattern, the Nike Kids Phantom GX are well-suited for young stars in the making - regardless of the position they play.
While the majority of kids boots can be on the pricey side, Puma have produced one of the most affordable options on the market. Lightweight but still offering proper protection.
Combining a lightweight feel with high-quality material, the kids version of the Adidas F50 closely resemble what the professionals wear in the elite version. They're light as a feather and offer users a great touch.
Best overall
Perfect for the next generation of Kylian Mbappes, the Nike Kids Mercurial Vapor 16 Pro provide a true one-to-one sensation between foot and ball, thanks to the brilliant Gripknit upper technology and sock-like construction - the same materials used on the Nike Mercurial Superfly 10 Elite.
These boots have already proven themselves in the adult game, as one of the best speed options on the market. But they will also help your kids find an extra yard of pace with the aggressive soleplate offering great traction to help speed away from opposition defenders.
Nike's Speed Cage lining inside the upper ensures this lightweight feeling doesn't come at the expense of stability. This provides the perfect level of structure so players can feel supported at all times inside the boot.
Best for versatility
With the Nike Phantom GX Elite adult version being one of the standout releases of 2023, it's fair to suggest that the Nike Kids Phantom GX Academy DF is one of the best options for a young star in the making.
Geared towards providing a cleaner striking surface, the Phantom GXs feature a dynamic fit collar that extends into a ghost lace system covering the laces. This also ensures that your child's laces won't come untied during a game, meaning you don't have to get your hands dirty re-doing them during a game. Result!
With a multi-ground soleplate featuring on these boots, it'll save you the need to buy multiple pairs for different surfaces. This particular version is suitable - and safe - to wear on both astroturf and grass, with a mixture of chevron and conical studs providing a balance between aggression and stability at all times.
Your child won't have to spend weeks breaking in their new boots, either, with the Nike Skin material that forms the upper: a super a soft, pliable mesh that offers a good degree of comfort straight out the box.
Best Value
Puma's speed boot answer to the Nike Mercurial and Adidas X, the Ultra Pro is a viable alternative to the more established offerings from the market heavyweights. And, with the latest Ultra generation another improvement, these boots deserve a shot at being high on you list as a junior option.
The upper is highly adaptable to movements, with Puma's Ultraweave material a thin, light and remarkably stretchy woven fabric. This is the same material that features in their football kits, highlighting the performance aspects of the fabric. On top of that, there's texturing on the upper aimed directly at giving players a closer touch.
When looking at the soleplate, Puma has introduced a mixture of chevron and tristar studs to aid traction, while the Speedplate outsole provides good energy return through rigid support. The studs can also be worn on astroturf and grass pitches, with Puma advertising them as FG/AG - though we'd heed caution, due to the aggression of the pattern posing a greater risk on artificial grass.
Best for comfort
Boots created for kids are quite often simply lower tech versions of the adult design. Kids feet grow quickly and the merits of splurging the kind of money that elite adult boots cost are limited.
Yet, the Adidas F50 Elite, is a different beast: a junior boot that still has much of the cutting-edge technology available to the world’s best players.
Utilising the brand's super lightweight Aerocage skeleton and the thin, semi-translucent Aeropacity upper, the Adidas Kids F50 Pro are lightweight but they manage to maintain an adequate structure. In these boots your young star will be flying away at speed with very little weighing them down - without sacrificing any support.
What's more, the soleplate is the snappy, ultra responsive one that Adidas use across the F50 range. A plastic insert through the midfoot gives the boot a great energy return and a mix of bladed and chevron boots provides significant traction and aggression.
How we test football boots
We put every pair through its paces across several sessions on all surfaces to determine their true level of performance. We mark them on key factors including comfort, stability, fit and feel. This also allows us to balance them against the claims from brands on new features and the latest technology.
We will always test thoroughly to see just how accurate each claim really is. Each pair we review is tested by an expert member of the team who lives and breathes football boots, and therefore can cut through the marketing minefield and provide simple yet detailed advice for players of all levels.
In depth knowledge of the market means that factors that are important to consumers like value for money will always be flagged.
How to choose the best football boots
The football boot market can be tricky to navigate at the best of times, with an array of options available and brands championing the latest tech that will have you jumping higher, running faster and controlling a ball with inch-perfect precision.
Ultimately, your choice of boot should come down to what best suits you and your game. Below are some factors to consider when looking for your next pair...
Leather or synthetic
When trying to work out what pair of football boots suits your child best, the material of the upper is a vitally important factor to consider. In years gone by virtually all boots were made from natural leather, but these materials are slowly being phased out by many brands in favour of lighter, synthetic options.
With leather not as common, leather-imitating synthetics have taken precedence in that area of the market. Often lightweight, these still retain a great level of comfort and pliability that leather offers. But they will also look to provide the same close-touch to the ball that ultra lightweight synthetic materials do.
Styling
This is the area of perhaps the greatest range for players, with something for everyone. Most brands will offer pairs that offer a simpler, more traditional look and also extravagant designs that are flashy and colourful.
Regardless of your own style, there are a range of pairs to complement it perfectly, giving you a unique image on the pitch.
Soleplate
Soleplates often feature an array of different designs and technologies, with brands attempting to produce in the most-innovative ways possible to deliver performance.
‘Speed boots', such as Nike's Mercurial range, will feature responsive, aggressive outsoles with high levels of traction.
But more traditional pairs, such as the Copa Mundial or the Nike Tiempo, are slightly lower tech and the soleplates focuses more on comfort under foot than all-out speed.
It is also worth considering the surface you normally play on. If you play exclusively on artificial ground then an Artificial Ground (AG) specific soleplate is the best option, whereas if you are playing on turf every week then a Firm Ground (FG) pair is the best bet when it is relatively dry and a Soft Ground (SG) when it is wet or slippery.
Getting the right fit
Getting your child to try on a pair first before purchasing is something we'd highly recommend. This is because brands often vary in sizing. For example, what might be perfect in Adidas boots could well prove too small in an option from Nike.
Ensuring correct sizing is a must, because if they're not there's the potential for a negative affect on performance. Too tight and there's potential for causing foot trauma; too loose and blisters might flare up as your child's foot slides around in the boot.
Plus, foot shape is highly personal. Some boots are particularly narrow and will be unsuitable for players with wider feet. Equally, wider-fitting boots can feel slightly awkward for those with narrow feet.
This is especially important if considering a pair of laceless boots as the lack of laces means there is very little adaptability – they will either work for your child's feet or they won’t.
