Ranked: Our Top 15 Football Boots of 2021
We've listed our 15 favourite boot releases of the year
This is it, then. Tin hat firmly on. We've made the courageous decision to list our Top 15 Football Boots of 2021 for the sole reason to let you vent a year's worth of locked-down pent-up frustration. Yep, let it all out, give us both barrels. A year is a long time in the football boot world and 2021 has provided us with a hell of a lot of limited edition, signature and tournament releases. This started as a Top 10 list, but we always knew it would stretch a bit, so here's our Top 15.
15 |Mizuno Morelia Ultralight Gold MIJ
If Mizuno weren't already the kings of quality then 2021 saw them consolidate that position with the release of the Morelia Ultralight Gold 'Made in Japan' edition. Shimmering golden premium k-leather upper with a fold over tongue? Yes please. Get on the list.
14 | Lotto Zhero Gravity "White/Gold"
A limited edition tribute to the game's first ever laceless boot? Go on then. This is a celebration of a maverick, a boot that kicked off a trend a decade before the rest of the market took notice. Finished in white and gold too. Well worthy of a position on our list.
13 | Diadora Brasil Italy Van Basten
Want to know what will guarantee you a place on this list next year? Make a black leather boot with a fold over elasticated tongue. The Diadora Brasil Made in Italy 'Van Basten' edition was a tribute to the legend's time at AC Milan, and we're suckers for a backstory. You won't see it on professional pitches but that only adds to its charm.
12 | adidas X F50 UCL
You'll be forgiven if you were surprised to see this so early on this list. A re-made F50 adizero is always going to stir up limited edition hype, but in a year of big adidas re-makes we reckon it might have been overshadowed by another pack. More on that later...
11 | PUMA Future Z NJR Brasil
Has PUMA's football boot line up ever looked stronger? The Ultra brings that famous PUMA lightweight speed, but the Future stands out as the boot that controls the game. Neymar's Brazilian signature colourway was the pick of the bunch in 2021 for us.
10 | adidas Predator Accelerator
If you've immediately closed the page for seeing this has only just scraped into the top ten then we apologise. We initially had it higher. But we feel like we do owe you an explanation anyway. Yes, it's a stunning boot. Yes, it was always going to sell out. But, turning the lights out on one of the greatest Predator's of all time. Well, it's a bit of a cheat code for adidas isn't it? Still, we want more.
9 | New Balance Furon V6 "Alpha Flair"
Do you know what? The New Balance Furon V6 is our most underrated boot silo of the year. Yeah, we've had a bit of fun with limited editions on this list, but when it comes down to business and wearing them on pitch the Furon easily gives the likes of the Mercurial, X and Ultra a run for their money in the speed boot stakes. It's super soft, incredibly light and could easily be the best speed boot you've ever worn, certainly the most comfortable.
8 | adidas Predator Freak+ EQT
We fell for the nostalgia of this one as soon as we saw it. The Predator Freak EQT wrapped in that iconic colourway to celebrate 30 years of the adidas Equipment collection is a beautifully executed plan. A bit of on pitch presence consolidated its place in our top 10 football boots of 2021.
7 | PUMA Ultra 1.2 Spectra
Looking back to EURO 2020 (in 2021) we've picked out the PUMA Ultra 1.2 as our pick of the on pitch tournament packs. Dropping as part of the Spectra Pack, the Ultra was wrapped in a clean colourway synonymous with summer football and speed boots. Sometimes less is more.
6 | Nike Tiempo Legend IX "Rawdacious Pack"
When Nike tell you they're dropping one of the lightest Tiempo boots of all time you pay attention. If you've tried the new Tiempo you'll know that it hits that sweet spot of feeling modern and lightweight while still supplying that comfort and touch of what it has built an identity and a legacy on. The pick of the colourways? Has to be that Rawdacious Pack combo for us.
5 | Nike Mercurial Superfly Mbappe x Lebron
This one split opinion but for us it's a powerhouse of a collaboration that twisted the Mercurial into a unique design. A link up between Lebron James and Kylian Mbappe was always going to hit hard on the court and pitch, but for us it's all about that understated but premium dark shimmer and that re-designed double Swoosh.
4 | PUMA King Platinum 21 London
The fact that the PUMA King has remained relevant and dynamic through several decades of football should be celebrated. Many silos have lived a short shelf-life but the King had modernised and adapted where others have fallen. The King Platinum is lightweight, comfortable and still offers the epitome of touch. Wrap that clean London edition colourway around it and it's a simplistic masterpiece.
3 | adidas adiPure Legends Pack
Just look at that leather. You want to sink your thumb into it and nod off into lucid daydreams of Kaka slaloming through helpless defences don't you? The silky adidas adiPure was brought back to life by adidas this year and we thanked them for that, and then immediately seeked an apology for making us choose between three re-releases that made up the Legends Pack.
2 | Nike Mercurial Superfly VIII Dragonfly
The eighth generation Mercurial Superfly kicked off 2021 for Nike and we've been spoiled by a number of smart colourways throughout the year, but we're going back to the start for our favourite, and in turn our second favourite boot of the year. The Nike Mercurial Superfly VIII Dragonfly was built in a way to showcase the new technology from the outside in. Like peering through a glass bonnet of a supercar. That blur of colours when moving at pace, stunning.
1 | adidas Predator Pulse Legends Pack
Honestly, we tried so hard not to pick the Predator Pulse Legends Pack as our number 1 boot choice of 2021, we're aware its an unsurprising choice and we were tempted to mix things up, but we just kept coming back to it and it felt dirty to place anything above it. If you could pick one pair of boots to have for free this year, it's these every time for us. We simply couldn't not pick them. That gold fold over tongue, the one for one re-make of the upper, the rubber swerve elements. Yes, boot design is about pushing the boundaries of innovation and progression but... but... just look at these.
Got some thoughts on our list? Few things you wanna get off your chest? Get onto our socials, @ us, and we'll only read the nice ones. See you in 2022...