If you want the best Nike football boots or fancy emulating heroes like Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, you'll want to take a butcher at these.
Currently, Nike have a wide range of options when it comes to football boots. Their soccer products have been reviewed and tested to their limits by us in order to help point you in the right direction as to which boot is best for your preferences and foot shape, so you can optimise your performance on the pitch.
FFT has been dedicating itself to categorising designs to make boot shopping easier for you. If you're simply looking for the best football boots of any and all manufacturers (including Adidas, Puma, Umbro and New Balance), be sure to check out our other review hubs.
But here we're focusing on the best Nike football boots on the market right now...
The Quicklist
The introduction of Nike’s Air Zoom technology has given an extra boost to the ever-reliable Mercurial range. Comfortable, yet still providing that burst of speed, it remains the standout option for those seeking a lightweight boot.
Comfortable from the first wear, the Phantom GX’s manage to suit all width types. Introduced at the 2022 World Cup, this boot will adjust to the shape of your foot and quickly fit like a glove.
A slight tweak on the classic Tiempo series, but with excellent results. Nike have brought in a new synthetic leather, but not lost the magic touch associated with this boot.
The Phantom Luna is purposely designed to take into account the physiological differences of women’s feet. Changing direction sharply is less strenuous, in an aim to reduce the risk of injury.
If you’re looking to save the pounds, but still want a boot that won’t let you down on the pitch, the Nike Premier remains the shrewd choice. Latest entry adds water resistance and a lighter feel.
A mix of classic features with new technology, the Nike Tiempo Legend IX Elite remains the best on the market. The only downside is they are no longer in production, so you’ll have to move quickly.
Best Nike football boots 2024
Best lightweight
The mercurial line is Nike’s crown jewel when it comes to football boots. It has two offerings in the Vapor and Superfly, where the only difference is that the Superfly has a mid-foot collar.
The latest model sees the introduction of Nike’s Air Zoom technology into the Mercurial. The Air Zoom unit provides more energy return to players for greater push off and acceleration.
Nike have also upgraded the vaporposite upper that was used on the previous model with vaporposite+. The vaporposite+ offers a great barefoot feel for the ball.
This model is also more accommodating for players with wider feet, especially when compared to previous models in the Mercurial range. The most underrated aspect of this model, however, would be its level of comfort. The Air Zoom unit, alongside a plush suede inner lining in the heel area, makes it more comfortable than previous models.
This move to make the boot wider and plusher has slightly compromised the great lockdown and responsiveness that is synonymous with the Mercurial. But, if you want a boot that’s lightweight, comfortable with a great feel for the ball, the Mercurial might be for you.
Best for comfort
The Nike Phantom GX is one of Nike’s newest lines, debuting during the 2022 World Cup. The line has two offerings, a low-cut version and a mid-cut version with a dynamic fit collar and ghost-lacing system. Though there are slight differences, both boots perform the same.
The GX saw the introduction of Nike’s GripKnit technology, where the grip element is woven into the knitted upper of the boot. GripKnit has a gritty, waxy texture which provides enhanced grip when making contact with the ball. Other than touch on the ball, the strong point of the boot is comfort.
The Nike Phantom GX also offer little to no break-in time and are pretty much match ready straight out of the box, with the soft and pliable upper meaning, after only a few wears, the boots adjust to the shape of your foot.
Suitable for players with feet of all width types, the Phantom GX also don't suffocate your foot and comfort increases through wear time.
However, the one area in which this boot is parhaps lacking is the soleplate. Though good traction is offered, the soleplate doesn't have the snappiness that could provide it with some energy return. Lockdown can also be a bit of an issue, and some players with narrower feet may experience heel slippage.
Best for touch
The Tiempo Legend 10 saw a drastic change from the previous models, with Nike replacing the kangaroo leather synonymous with the Tiempo line with a synthetic leather variant called flytouch+. The new upper is thinner, won’t overstretch and won’t absorb water.
The thinner upper allows for a closer barefoot feel for the ball on the ball, with microdots on the upper further enhancing touch. Memory foam pods also provide comfort and padding on the upper, making it comfortable throughout.
With suede lining and a fully flexible heel area, comfort has clearly been a focus area for this new version of the Tiempo legend. In terms of sizing, the boot fit is on the narrower size and it's recommended to get your usual size.
The boot uses the same soleplate as the previous model which has a mixture of stud shapes to offer aggressive traction and a snappy soleplate which provides a decent amount of energy return.
As a result, the Tiempo X is a great boot that feels like it's made for speedsters, while still maintaining traditional elements. A change in direction to what the Tiempo usually feels like, but it's still one of the best on the market.
Best for women
Nike's newest line of football boots, the Phantom Luna is designed with women at the forefront of thinking - with the majority of football boots failing to take into account the physiological differences of women’s feet.
Regardless, the boot is still unisex, but due to the accommodations made for women’s feet, it does fit narrow.
It's cushioned throughout and well-built meaning the Phantom Luna is a solid option, fitting snuggly to offer a great amount of lockdown and all-round responsive feel. The GripKnit and micro-moulding texturing on the upper provide better grip on the ball, making striking feel very true and natural.
One of the most unique aspects of the boot is the soleplate with the cyclone 360 stud configuration on the forefoot making pivoting easier and less strenuous, therefore helping to reduce the risk of injury.
That said, there's an element of placebo. The impression is that pivoting is easier with the stud configuration, but during testing FFT found that there’s no noticeable difference and tangible way for the average person to realise this. Despite that, the soleplate is stiff and offers a good amount of energy return.
Best for value
The Nike Premier is from the line of boots created by Nike to provide a quality, traditional feel football boot while on a budget. To put it simply, this is a no-nonsense football boot, there's nothing high-tech or fancy here, the Tiempo Premier keeps things plain and simple.
The boot’s strongest point is its all-round comfort. The kangaroo leather upper is super soft providing a great deal of comfort and a cushioned touch on the ball. Do note, that colourways released after July 2023 will feature a synthetic upper in Nike’s flytouch+ which is used on the Tiempo Legend XI.
The refreshed upper means that the boot will be lighter, more water resistant with little chance of overstretching like you would see with a kangaroo leather upper.
Uniquely, the boot comes with a fold-over tongue which you don’t see on modern football boots, but there are dotted guidelines that provide the option for those who aren’t fans of the fold-over tongue to it cut off. The conical studs make it a great option for firm ground and suitable for 4G pitches.
Pound-for-pound the Premier III might be the best football out there if you’re on a budget.
Best overall
This is now the older, but it might be the best Tiempo model of all-time. The boot fuses classic kangaroo leather with modern design concepts. The premium K-Leather mixed with the adaptive mesh tongue provides a snug and comfortable fit.
The overall fit of the boot feels a bit narrower than previous models but the K-Leather does stretch as time goes on. The foam pods with the stitch-less design provides players with a clean, cushioned touch on the ball that’s unique to anything on the market.
Like most Tiempos, comfort is at the cornerstone of the design. The heel area is lined with a soft suede material keeping your foot locked in while offering a premium level of comfort. The boot features a full-length soleplate comprised of conical studs for mobility and angled studs for sharp traction, with an overall snappy soleplate giving a great amount of energy return.
If you’re looking for a pair of leather football boots with an edge to them, then these are your best option - but you'll need to hurry - the boot is no longer in production.
They’re a gem that are harder to get a hold of, but still available at some retailers.
