The Evolution of the Boot World: Part 1 - The Past and The Present

Soccer boots have always been an important part of every players kit, but not until recently have the boots evolved into their own market.

By: Sean

As most of us know, soccer cleats didn’t use to be as popular as they now are. From the early days of soccer all the way up to the 90’s, most players stuck to a classic pair of Copa Mundials or something even classier. Black and white was the only colorway around for the most part. The collaboration of words “Mercurial Vapor” didn’t even exist at the time. But by the late 90’s, the boot market started to come together and gain a lot of popularity. Boots such as the Tiempo and the first generation of the Mercurial Vapor were some of the first Nike cleats to hit the market.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     



Then the boot market started to evolve into all different companies and each company’s own silos. Throughout the 2000’s, the Mercurial Vapor evolved into what people claim as one of the best boots on the market. Other boots that started to sprout were the Adidas F50 Adizero, the CTR360 series, the T90 Laser series, the Pele Sports Trinity,  theAsics Testimonial, and the Predator series. Companies also started to release “Limited Edition” or “Signature” cleats such as the Carbon SL or the CR7 Mercurial Vapor.




Other big changes were new companies that came into play such as Pele Sports, which have started to become a big name in the soccer World. Another thing that has caused a stir in the boot market is the evolution of the Predator. The Predator has evolved from a leather power boot into what it is now known as a "hybrid-touch" (synthetic leather) control boot. The change from a leather power boot to a synthetic control boot has caused many different reactions.






Another big change in the boot world was the direction that Nike went to create an Environmentaly Friendly boot, labeled the Nike Green Speed:






The boot world has not only evolved in Men’s soccer but also women’s soccer. Stay tuned to see how women’s soccer cleats have changed throughout the years in The Evolution of the Boot World: Part II – Women’s Boots.