40. New Balance Furon V7+ x Aime Leon Dore, 2024
Stars who wore them: Bukayo Saka
Aimé Leon Dore is a New York City-based fashion brand that focus on high-quality products that blend classic and contemporary style and draw inspiration from diverse cultural influences. Bukayo Saka is a footballer of high quality, a classic beat-your-man winger with a contemporary, close-control street style who epitomises the cultural diversity that makes modern English football so brilliant. This collaboration on the boots Saka wore at Euro 2024 was perfect, really.
39. Adidas Supernova, 2003
Stars who wore them: Patrick Vieira, Frank Lampard
The Adidas Supernova is an intriguing football boot. It was a standalone release, with no upgrade or rework later on, designed to capitalise on the Predator Mania's success, only go more minimal.
These black and silver beauties were short-lived but ultimately the last "proper old-school football boots" before Adi revisited the Copa range. A moment in time, indeed.
38. Nike, What The Mercurial, 2016
Stars who wore them: N/A
What do you do when you've made dozens of iconic Mercurial boots? Well... put them together into one product. Nike have done this kind of thing with shirts, too - Arsenal and Manchester City both got mash-up kits when they left the American manufacturer - and this special edition boot brings back all kinds of memories.
A total one off. If you bagged a pair, you're very lucky.
37. Lotto Zhero Gravity, 2006
Stars who wore them: Luca Toni, Andriy Shevchenko, Cafu
Lotto is a brand that players of the 80s and 90s love - so when the company started a research and development centre to make a new "Zhero Gravity" boot, you could understand if eyes rolled. In a brilliant feat of innovation, though, Lotto managed to produce the very first laceless football boots in history, a phenomenon that has since stuck around.
These white/gold efforts were beautiful and one we still look back on fondly.
36. Adidas F50 Elite Messi Trifuno Dorado, 2024
Stars who wore them: Lionel Messi
The boots worn by Lionel Messi at the 2024 Copa America finals (which Argentina won, of course). They paid homage to the various golden boots he has worn throughout out his career, like the gold F50's he wore during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
A metallic gold base, with white three stripes and black and white applications, makes for a stunning look. Some of the graphic elements hark back to the 2011 generation of the boot. Adidas like to bring back signature looks for Messi ahead of major tournaments and gold is an obvious, and fitting colourway to opt for.
35. Nike Mercurial Vapor X, 2014
Stars who wore them: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden Hazard
Sometimes, the colour of a football boot is enough to spark memories. That's true of 2014's coral Vapors which were worn by the great and the good in the blazing Brazilian sunshine. The low-cut version to the Mercurial Superfly, the Vapors were slightly more understated but arguably looked even better for it.
Lighter than ever, they certainly stand alongside most Vapors since. Bravo.
34. Adidas Predator, 1994
Stars who wore them: Paul Gascoigne, John Collins
Back in '94, Adidas brought out the first-ever Predator. Former Liverpool and Australian footballer Craig Johnston began experimenting in his garage by adding ping pong paddle covers to his football boots to try and improve the power and finesse of his shots, the German brand took over the patent and an iconic franchise was born.
John Collins scored the first-ever goal in the Predators, bagging against Rangers for Celtic in the Old Firm Derby. It is now a cornerstone of the football boot world.
33. Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, 2010
Stars who wore them: Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba
The silver and orange colourway is iconic now. These were first shown to the world in an incredible Nike ad featuring Roger Federer, the greatest players on earth and Homer Simpson. They don't look as good now as they did then - they look better.
32. Adidas F50 Adizero, 2010
Stars who wore them: Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben, Dani Alves, David Villa
After a while the F50 just became Messi's boot. That's what happens when you're that good - but also when you hold one aloft after netting in a Champions League final. This iteration was particularly nice with the three stripes wrapping around the heel.
The boot was one of the original launch colourways that took the world by storm and used a revolutionary lightweight upper called 'SprintSkin'. Minimal stitching was used on the upper to reduce weight, and the rib cage like support on the interior added comfort and structure.
31. New Balance Furon Bambaly Edition, 2018
Stars who wore them: Sadio Mane
What's so nice about the Bambaly Furon from New Balance is that it pays tribute to a star who you wouldn't usually see custom boots for. Messi and Ronaldo have had their special editions, so Sadio Mane getting one is a lovely touch. These are quintessentially Senegalese. They still look awesome.
