You never forget your first pair of boots. Whether brand new ones that a friendly sports shop took down from a high shelf on a birthday or Christmas, or battered old pair that your older sibling once wore, the design of footballing footwear can leave a lasting legacy.
You don't even have to have worn a style of football boots to have fond memories of them. Whether it was a specific colourway, boots worn by your hero, boots you scored a particular goal wearing, or just a detail you liked: the tongue, the shape, a flash of white, bit of gold.
But what are generally considered the best football boots ever? We have a list for the Best Football Boots of this calendar year, but a question that has long plagued us at FourFourTwo is: which are the best EVER? Over the past century, the humble boot has evolved from a necessary piece of equipment, designed to keep you from falling on your ass to a bonafide fashion statement, and one that can offer an edge over opponents.
Boot rooms around the world have been populated with plenty but on our list, we've considered only the most iconic...
The 50 best football boots ever: according to FourFourTwo
50. Puma v1.06, 2004
Stars who wore them: Robert Pires, Samuel Eto'o, Alexander Hleb
Puma gave us plenty of classics in the 2000s: those sleeveless Cameroon tops, the World Cup-winning jersey from Italy and, of course, these bold boots.
Supported with plasticky heels but with that same Puma King swoosh design, these were a great update on the classic. That clean striking zone, made possible thanks to the laces cover, really adds to the clean design. Oh, and the colourway was 'grass' which sometmes made it looks like players had no feet when you watched on TV. LOL!
49. Adidas Predator Absolute, 2006
Stars who wore them: Zinedine Zidane, Steven Gerrard, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard
While the rest of football wore a white, gold and black version of the Adidas Predator Absolute during the 2006 World Cup, a handful of players, including Zinedine Zidane, were afforded the luxury of a 'back to front' pair.
The Frenchman's predominantly gold boots were rooted into the turf as he sent a head butt into the chest of Marco Materazzi. An iconic boot through association, as well as pure style.
48. Lotto Campionato, 2002
Stars who wore them: Cafu, Andriy Shevchenko
The Ballon d'Or winner wore Lotto boots, back when Andriy Shevchenko was declared winner of the prize in 2004.
These particular ones were rare: not your usual black but still classy enough that your dad would like them. And that copper colour? Pretty unique, and very Y2K.
47. Adidas Predator Elite, 2023
Stars who wore them: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jude Bellingham, Pedri
Trent Alexander-Arnold rocked the football boot world when he strode onto the pitch at the Etihad Stadium in Autumn 2023 wearing a pair of Adidas Predators, complete with a tongue that hadn't been seen in over 15 years. It took everyone by surprise, even Adidas. The companies VP of Design even admited to FourFourTwo "that's not supposed to happen!"
The Liverpool man looked exceptional in the white and red colourway, and even bagged from outside the area to earn his side a draw. Plenty more colourways arrived, harking a new era of the iconic Predator.
46. Adidas X17+ Purespeed, 2017
Stars who wore them: Mohamed Salah, Luis Suarez, Gabriel Jesus
These boots were gold. Need we say more? Oh go on then... The gold was one thing, but the shimmering fish scale texture and laceless uppers made them all the more alluring. A boot built for a king - or a pharaoh in Salah's case - that was all about speed and arrogance.
45. Puma Ultra Ultimate x Liberty, 2022
Stars who wore them: Laura Weinroither
A women-specific football boot, Puma created bespoke versions of the Ultra Ultimate ahead of the 2022 Euros in collaboration with British retailer Liberty, which decided on floral patterns and customised logos on top of a white base to present an extremely clean, unique design.
Looking more like a piece of artwork rather than a football boot, it's a surprise players even wanted to get these dirty out on the pitch.
44. Puma evoSPEED 1.2 Tricks, 2014
Stars who wore them: Cesc Fabregas, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann
Literally everything in the world of football boots had been done by the time Puma began reinventing the wheel with these ones. What if... it was cool to have odd boots?
Well, that's what the German brand decided to do for the 2014 World Cup, with the right boot coming in a hot pink colourway while the left was an unmissable turquoise. The rule book was in tatters.
43. Umbro Zypro, 2002
Stars who wore them: Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Henrik Larsson
Who could forget the sight of a schoolboy Wayne Rooney thundering one past Arsenal's David Seaman in these on his 2002 debut? The boots were perfect for the young Wazza, resembling a hand-me-down, street footballer's take on a golden slipper.
Remember the name, Wayne Rooney. Don't forget the boots, either.
42. Lotto Stadio, 1973
Stars who wore them: Dino Zoff, Davor Suker, Paul Gascoigne
Like other classic football boots mentioned later on this list, the Lotto Stadio is still going strong more than 50 years later, with the plush K-leather upper remaining and that classic foldover tongue looking as resplendent as ever.
Players from across history have enjoyed playing in the Lotto Stadio, and unsurprisingly their is a 'football Italia' feel, with Dino Zoff the first to trot out in a pair. The turn of the millennium brought about the most high-profile names in football, with traditionalists now opting for the Stadios in the modern day.
41. Nike Mercurial Superfly 7, 'Chosen 2', 2021
Stars who wore them: Kylian Mbappe
Back in 2021, Nike wanted to celebrate two of the brand's most famous athletes: Kylian Mbappe and basketball star LeBron James. Celebrating the challenges each athlete faced to get to where they did, the Chosen 2 boot shimmered under the lights on the single occasion Mbappe wore them.
The double swoosh is supposed to represent both players, while the insole of the right boot read 'LeBron' one way and 'Kylian' the other, such was the thought Nike put into the design.
