Guide: How to choose the best football boots for you
Finding the perfect football boots is more than picking the best-looking pair. It depends on your style of play, preferred material, foot shape and your overall expectations from a football boot. And we’ll guide you exactly through those topics so that you can pick the football boot that fits your individual needs the best!
Finding the best football boots for you
First of all, it is important to note that a football boot won't necessarily make you a better player. A speed boot won't give you Mbappé's superhuman speed and Messi's football boots won't turn you into a ball magician overnight. Your skillset as a player is something you develop through dedicated practice. That being said you shouldn't neglect the importance of the fit and feel you can achieve with the right pair of football boots. The mental benefit you get from wearing the right pair can have a huge impact on your game.
What are you looking for in a football boot?
Ultimately, it comes down to personal preferences. Maybe you appreciate the comfort and the elegance of leather like the Mizuno Morelia or Puma King. Or maybe you want a thin upper like the adidas X to achieve that responsive feel. For some laceless football boots may feel better for shooting.
The options are many depending on how much time and research you invest. A good place to start is to set your priorities and expectations as you browse through the different boot categories and materials.
Our Ultimate Boot Selector works great as a guide - you simply answer a few questions and we'll present you with a couple of football boots that fit your needs.Football boots by position
No rules dictate what kind of football boots are assigned to different styles of play or positions. That's not to say that we should completely ignore the advertising of the big brands as they can give us an indication of what to expect from certain boot models.
What is most important is what you prefer, i.e. how the ball feels on your feet, type of traction, level of comfort, weight, etc. A defender can use a pair of lightweight Nike Mercurials, and a fast winger can be perfectly satisfied in the old-school adidas Copa Mundial as long as they fit and feel good!
The best football boots for your shape of foot
A widely appraised football boot might not necessarily be the best option for your particular foot shape. For example, the Nike Mercurial is rather narrow, why it can be difficult for football players with wide feet to fit into them in their regular size.
A good pair of football boots should follow the shape of your as close as possible while feeling comfortable. This will provide you with an optimal fit and lockdown, while you won't be distracted by discomfort. If your boots are too big it can lower your responsiveness and comfort, and worst of all lead to painful blisters and injuries.
So try out different boots and always go for the one that fits you the best. It is simply not worth sacrificing a good football experience by choosing what looks better but doesn't fit right.
Best football boots for wide feet
Depending on what you are looking for, the PUMA Ultra , Nike Phantom GT and Mizuno Rebula are considered some of the best wide fit football boots currently available. Check out our blog that covers all the best football boots for wide feet to learn more about this topic.
Unisport reviews on football boots
Fortunately, we live in a time where we have easy online access to relevant information. So no need to rely on your local sports store's sales representative to choose what football boots you need.
Of course we need to mention our own YouTube channel . Here you can find tons of video content including football boot reviews. So if you have a particular football boot in mind it is likely that we have covered it on our channel.
How to choose the right size for your football boots
How tight your football boots should fit or how much space you want in the toebox is entirely up to you. As a general rule, you should only choose the size that feels both tight and comfortable when you first wear it.
It is worth mentioning that the upper on your football boots will stretch to some degree. This is especially true for leather football boots, while synthetic and woven uppers will stretch less. This is why some purposely buy their football boots a little smaller in order to achieve a really good fit once broken in. Now, this is not something we necessarily would recommend as it probably won't be the most comfortable ride.
You can also learn how to choose the right size in our WebTV guide .Summary and final tips for picking the best football boots
- Remember to choose the right outsole (FG, AG or SG) for the surface you play on. This way you can avoid injuries and keep your shoes under warranty.
- Do your research! Find out what gives you the best fit and feel, or alternatively try the football boots in your local store.
- Do not go up a size to accommodate a boot that does not fit your foot type well. There are plenty of better options out there.