New Balance football boots are slowly becoming the hottest in the game – now, Pro Direct have unleashed the Vivid Spark collection, perfect for playing in the park with over summer.
Honestly, these are some of the best boots of 2022. The bright orange is going to be sure to turn heads from a distance, of course, but both the Furon and the Tekela have subtle little details that make these things perfect for a kickabout with your mates.
The Furon and Tekela are the headline models from American manufacturer NB so new colours are always welcome – while the 442 boots (no, we don't have a share in those ones) are only available in black and gold, to paraphrase Sam Sparro. Isn't it time for a pair of new boots to wear in ahead of next season, anyway?
So let's dig into those details. There are two different boots on offer, here: the Furon V6+ and the Tekela V3+. The Furon is the Mercurial Vapor-like shoe used by speedsters, while the Tekela is more of a traditional fit that passers can play with.
There are two different versions of the Furon: there's the elite one used by players, the Pro, which retails at £190 – and they come with three different stud options. That's the firm ground stud, the soft ground stud and, of course, artificial grass. The Destroy model is cheaper at £110 – that comes in firm ground and artificial grass.
Likewise, the Tekela comes in firm ground, soft ground and artificial grass studs – as well as the Magista FG, a firm ground stud with sock-like support around the ankle itself.
These boots are described as "Impulse" colour by New Balance – because a pair of football boots aren't a pair of football boots unless you make up a colour name! – but it's the beautiful touches of blue and red that captured us.
The Furon has little sparks of colour around the heels, recalling some of the Vapor designs from the mid-noughties, while the rest of the boot is minimal and orange. Check out the Tekela, though: there's an intricate pattern buried into the texture of the boot itself. On the instep of the shoe, there's a big "New Balance" logo to complement the old-school "N" on the outside of the boot. Glorious.
Bukayo Saka's a fan, too.
The Arsenal talisman has been wearing the boots lately for England's thus-far miserable Nations League campaign, as one of New Balance's coolest athletes. Saka signed a deal with NB last year.
These may well also be the last boots that Sadio Mané combines with his Liverpool shirt. The Senegalese may well be off to Bayern Munich imminently but the vibrant New Balance boots paired very nicely with the orange touches on the Merseysiders' last home shirt when Mané wore both in the Champions League final.
Buy New Balance football boots from Pro Direct now
