Has football boot evolution gone too far?
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Has football boots evolution gone too far? Are some football boots like the adidas Predator 20+ unfair? In today's video, JayMike and Josh from SR4U discuss if football boot evolution has gone too far, and if all the innovations we've seen over the last years have been pointless and unnecessary, by taking a look at some of the big innovations we've seen from Nike, adidas and PUMA since 1994 where adidas rocked the football boot world by releasing the first Predator.
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Ever since 1994, the football boot evolution has been faster and faster, with new, crazy innovations coming thick and fast. After the first adidas Predator football boots in 1994, we got a synthetic leather football boot in 1998 with the Nike Mercurial R9, there was an asymmetrical lacing on the Nike Air Zoom Total90 football boots in 2000, Lotto gave us a laceless innovation in 2006, and we got the F50 adizero that introduced a mindblowingly lightweight outsole on the F50 adizero from 2010. Then, Nike and knitted football boots took over in 2014 with the Nike Magista Obra and Nike Mercurial Superfly IV. And then, of course, adidas released their laceless football boots in 2016 and have now given us the ultimate football boot in terms of evolution and innovation, the adidas Predator Mutator 20+. But here, JayMike and Josh discuss whether football boot evolution has gone too far, and if all the innovation we've seen has even been necessary - and if football boot technology today is unfair? If you look to the world of running and the saga around the Nike ZoomX Alphafly which ended up being banned by the authorities, should the same thing happen to football boots if they become unfair because of how much grip is offered by the Predator 20+? That's what Josh from SR4U and JayMike will discuss in today's video to see if they can agree on whether football boot evolution has gone too far or not.
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Boot Nerds unite!
What a video you guys just put together. Super entertaining and informative. You guys really get better year after year
Soccer Reviews For You can u start a gaming channel, cuz I know u play forza and have quite the setup 😉 honestly just wanna see more Josh
Soccer Reviews For You ok bro
jay mike is my favorite boot nerd he has taught me a lot about football boots and i watch his vids all the time i would love to get some support on my own youtube i also make vids about boots too thanks jay mike have a great day and keep up the good work!!
Could you do a comparison between the Vapor Flyknit Ultra and the Predator 20.1+ please but... with a twist cut the dynamic fit collar on the 20.1+ to make it a *laceless low cut* !
I stopped playing in 1996 after high school and didn’t really put on cleats until fall of 2018 when my kids started playing. I went in the attic and got my Copa’s out. The leather was tight when I put them on but stretched out to form to my foot in about 10 minutes. However, the sole and cleats couldn’t stand the test of time and dry rot made them crack and crumble...
So I went and got a new pair of Copa’s.
I care.
First off I’m 54 and been actively playing for well over 40 years so I have worn many different boots I still try the latest adidas (big predator fan)
Me though the best boot in the past was the adidas leather. Upper Accelerator from 98. The instinct from 2013 Was for me the last one that felt like quality on my feet. except for re- releases but they are always over 300 and limited issue and very hard to get your size. . I may simply go back to Copas as they seem to be the last leather upper boot left. As the knit uppers just are not durable. I am playing now with a pair of instincts with ag cleats as the 20+ predators with the high knit tops put too much strain on my Achilles’ and lead to a chronic pain after every trading season or match. And my newest predators 21.1 predators fell apart.
My Copas make my feet cramp. I want to switch to a pair of predators
Same here. Stopped playing in '98 in HS with my Copa's. Then got back into playing in 2011 and slipped on my Copa's from HS and after a few practices, they fit like a glove. I decided to buy a new pair for the heck of it and they feel just as amazing now as they did 20 years ago.
Cleats, do you mean studs..... ?
Well, yeah.... It's 70% marketing.
I still remember the days when i was the super cool kid in school for wearing the nike mercurial R9.
Same with the nike magista🤣
Same with the Nike hyper venom
Same
during my High School and College Days Adidas Inter II
is my boot of choice
whats that
Big up to our friend Josh from chipping in with his opinion - GO SUBSCRIBE TO HIS CHANNEL HERE: ua-cam.com/users/vujojosh
Sir Jay Mike i am your big fan
Top 5 80-100$ boots please
*HAS BOOT EVOLUTION GONE TOO FAR in your opinion?* /Jay
Yes
yeah nike mercurials are not tough and the modern designs are not good in compare to old cr7 mercurials
I think no
Yup....
Nah. Now you can get very good boots for cheap prices
Unisport deserves more subscribers, I was busy watching a unisport vid before this one
Well, they grow around 1333 subscribers every day, so that's actually pretty good.
As a Nepali.. I dont know how much I have glued and sewn my football boot 😆
🤣🤣🤣, ho
Same I also have sewn & glue my boots many time until it got unwearable
Me too lol. I had to buy a new pair worth 600 rs (7$). Still, ain't no forwards getting past me in one piece 🤣
As a South American its a matter of price.
Back when I was growing up in the late 80s and esrly 90s we had something called Kichute which were the hardest, most hideous thing imaginable, that could potentially damage your feet permanently, but for more than 50% of children it was all we had, some didn't even have those. They were so tight that half of the time you could't even use socks with those and your feet you contract fugi.
I used my Adidas three years beyond what I was supossed to because of how bad Kichutes actually were. Kichute were sewn fabric instead of leather but hard rubber at the tip and soft rubber at the sole, suposedly to be lighter but to improve your straight shot and they were awful while Adidas shoes were hard leather but the sole was fixed and the point softer and didn't atrain your feet at all. It was like heaven and hell.
I've got used to those Adidas snd there's no two shoes in the world that can make me feel such difference aa between those two.
Now I've seen a video of a guy kicking older balls and complaining that the balls were too hard to kick and that was the point of shoes being hard and why kicking with new shoes might feel painful even.
Now shoes are lighter because footballs are lighter and they have all those added features like grip surfaces because footballs are rounder.
What I'm trying to say here with this is that the evolution of shoes should always go along with anatomy instead of innovation for the sake of innovation because those overpriced garbage shoes that break after three games might be the only pair of shoes kids from impoverished areas (which is where the best footballers come from) might be able to get in their entire lives.
Some technology indeed improve performance. I can really feel my touch is improved in the Predator 20 as compared in the Predator 18. Certain boots do provide actual benefit than others when designed properly. Eg the nitrocharge actually provide more protection than other boots. Mercurials do provide the best lockdown for quick push off and change of direction. Its just the actual benefits sometimes dont look cool enough to consumers hence the companies have to make the boot more gimicky than they actual is. But certain boots tech can actually improve your performance, just maybe not as extreme as what the companies are promoting.
Wtf is the boot in the middle in the thumbnail 😂
Is the reason way many people click on the video.. 😂😂👌
Oh that... That's a bait. Click bait ... 🤷
They actually does exist. Kieran Brown has made a video on them
@@Madselo what's the name of the video
@@symbio_official i think IT is Called something with Amazon
The partnership we never knew we needed 👌🏻
But the one that we deserved
A book called "Elegance Borne of Brutality - An Eclectic History of the Football Boot", published in 1995 was way ahead of its time. Worth looking at. Great video!
I was thinking the same thing. For example I much prefer the vapor 11s to the current ones, they just feel softer and more natural
Vapour 11 are the best vapours ever.
pranjal kumar agree 100%
I’ve revisited a few boot videos recently and I can’t help thinking you’ve got the wrong way of thinking in terms of the ideas that never caught on not being progress.
Knowing something isn’t good is definitely progress.
Knowing where and where not to focus your developments is 100% progress.
I used to be so jealous when I saw my mates with their R9 and M10 boots while I had my cheap and ripped off boots to wear for training...😩
i miss the predator lethal zones. those boots really caught my eye. the superfly iv’s were great to me and never gave me blisters on my achilles. rn im rocking the adidas x 16. i love the boots more than i loved my superfly ivs (hard to say but its true) the comfort and feel is great
I think that the way we keep trying to push the boundaries is a classic example of innovation. For example the Puma EVOspeed. It may not have been a great boot but it led the way at that time in speedboot market. We see this everywhere in all industries
I think a boot with net system rough surface rounded outsoles which are not too slippery and surface made with more durable light and elastic substance will be so awesome to wear and play . It will be just like a smooth elastic band covered around the feet.
I don’t think the evolution and innovation in football boots has went too far yet to a point where it’s just “overpowering”. While there are some certain models who fits in the category of innovation going too far without any effect or being detrimental to the experience to some of the wearers. I feel at this current stage the whole innovation game has slightly cool off after the big breakthroughs of the mid/late 2000s to mid 2010s(2016 to be specific) with brands nowadays just making subtle changes in between models by not drastically changing the base foundation,concept or formula which like josh says for the sake of change or forthe wow or shock value” adidas and Nike were guilty for it. I do think the next big tech is around the corner but it’ll be some time when we see it
Conclusion: yes and no.
-Cheers Jeff
Great video, I'm currently a design student working on my senior project and I want to design a football boot that has some innovation to it but I also don't want it to be super crazy since I'm also a fan of simplicity. I guess new innovations will mostly come in the forms of materials more than functionality since all cleats serve the same purpose but have different properties. Maybe in 20 years, players will still be wearing sock-like boots but with technology integrated into it, something like mini sensors on the upper that expose hard plastic out of thin air onto the upper right before impact to prevent getting stepped on or hit. Who knows, feel free to share any crazy/futuristic ideas with me! :)
Can you gift me once you design a football gift. Please 🥺
Who is the host - that accent is bananas?! I wonder where he films this - that's a lot of boots! Love Josh; he knows his stuff. And yes, tech will be regulated at some point. As it is in most sports.
We need to make football like was 90's
Without yellow cards if you take shirt off
Firecrackers and smoke bombs
No censorship to team crowd songs
well i might be alone but i do not like the racist chants :/
@@p1lot7 racism is wrong everywhere
@Kaiser Wilhelm II racism in football can affect a soccer game by making the players agitated or lose their focus. It can also erupt into huge, potentially deadly fights between the fans.
@@alien_250 but not in team crowd songs?
They also need to let you do strong tackles like u used to be able to do
The real revolution in football boots was at the end of the 1960s into the early 1970s, with the introduction of the Hummel Alan Ball, the PowerPoint boots, and the side lacing Stylo Matchmaker George Best, in black and maroon with side lacing. All modern boots take their styles from these innovators.
My first ever Football boots was a Adidas Predator 02' I also had a 07'
but my favourite was the 06' design and feeling wise.
i am really hyped because i am going to be getting the Adidas Predators soon! I think the spikes look cool and the little extra grip and control is nice to have
i don’t think so, i just think that they haven’t found a way to execute the ideas correctly. i also like that you can get boots that are right for you, with colors, patterns, and custom ideas of your own.
Honestly I think football is quiet different from running - in running there are things like all time records with absolute time. In football it's always only a measure of who performs better in those 90 minutes. As long as every player has boots that are on par, everything's fine...
Personally I think that football boots may go too far in the future because the boot technology will get better and better quality then it will get more expensive until it becomes pay-to-win then we've got to enforce rules.
Everything is knitted right now, in the past there was a lot of variety, we've lost that.
I wish we could go back in time...
To the good old daaays
Wish we could turn back time*
@@EmzyyTFF it means exactly the same, both are correct 😂
It’s from a 21 pilots song lol
@@EmzyyTFF oh yeah, my bad, sorry dude 🤦🏻♂️
btw now u got me singing it 😂
me wearing them old but good boots at school
everybody including teachers and the headteacher is looking at me and laughing
just study hard . Achieve your goals and then after laugh at them :)
@@amaterasu6888 facts
Well your headmaster and teachers need to grow the hell up then how childish lol they should no better !! ..
Best cleats I ever wore was the mercurial victory mango/peach cleats from 2012. 40 bucks, and I broke ankles and egos vs cats that had on the 150-200 dollar cleats. It’s not all about the boot other than style, and looks.. it’s about the person who’s wearing the boots skill set.
Oh. There are big differences
You and Josh is all the football knowledge I need lol
Love from India!!
Same to you
Kon kon India' ki national team me select hona chahata he.
Nobody wants love from there
@@evanjames5699 have you got no life!
@@evanjames5699 bro where are you from . B.c
If u don't like a unisport video before watching it, idk what you're doing here
Ha! I do the same thing! Also, I comment on ALMOST every video!😂🤣
No
Being rational?
I do that with every video...
I never leave a like.
Also less discussed dangers of boot design evolving at light speed, with better cleats injuries such as torn ACLs become much more commen due to the boot not allowing the body any margin of error to slide around.
Underrated UA-cam Channel
Amazing video. Unisport.
As a former benfica prospect...diadora nove was way better than the mercurial vapor. 6.8oz and axeler wire in the sole. Better upper too but never caught on. Unreal
Who else thinks that Jay likes the Adidas Mania 😂😅🤣.
Me!😂
Along with SR4U this channel is a channel worth watching, and only 2 mill subscribers, you honestly need more👍
No one can stop unisport from making videos
Neither cyclone nor Corona
There is only so far boot technology can go . Ultimately it boils down to the skills of the players themselves !
Ahh I remember the day Josh posted the video telling everyone that Nike’s are gimmick boots and they can’t really improve performance. Those days when people use to go crazy for the Nike boot codes 🤣.Ahh mowing lawns and getting good grades just to buy Nike Elite cleats.
Are the 20.1 low and normal 20.1 as good as the 20+? Love these videos even if you are danish, love from🇸🇪.
@Kaiser Wilhelm II what are you talking about, what is Swedistan
I have both the 20+ feels slightly better but the 20.1 has better lock down but personally I prefer the 20+
You guys are the best youtuber in the world keep up the hard work
I love all unisport vids
Don’t think people build better houses today,they just build them faster.I think a lot of things made 40-50 years ago were far greater quality than today.
Planned obsolescence. Build something that lasts, you can only sell that product for a limited amount of time. Build a product with planned obsolescence, you can launch a newer, better product for a higher price point around the time the older product begins to fail to have a continual stream of cash flowing into your coffers. I think Edison was the first person to come up with the idea when he saw that light bulbs weren't breaking (as regular as they do nowadays) and the light bulb industries sales flatlined. There's a light bulb in (I think) a Chicago fire station that has been burning for over 100 years.
hey jay big fan here
love those things that you do with pwg just keep it comming
great video love from indiia
6:37 pogba can score top corner but he’s hasn’t played in months
And I no he can’t play cause of the coronavirus
The Nike Tiempo IV was the best boot I have ever worn, but sadly I haven't found anything close enough, and sadly I can't find any of the Nike Tiempo IV's that are cheap enough anymore.
I wore a pair of baseball cleats to a game once because I didn't have the proper gear. Nobody noticed it until I punched a hole on the ball with one of the metal studs. Other than that, my feet felt the same on any kind of footwear as long as you've got the right size and correct gear.
Boot? I was confused for second there. Lol 😂
i use the predator 20+, they feel amazing, i highly recommend them
I don't really get impressed much of new inventions of football boots for 5 to 6 years recently. The only pair that I consider as game changer is Nike Hypervenom 1. It's just so good looking and performs so well.
Them pink mercurials are the best for me till date
Look at all the crazy stuff Maradona was doing with what we'd consider basic boots in the 80s, did they hamper his performance in any way? No. The studs offered traction on soft pitches and the boot itself gave protection to the foot and ample control.
How do modern boots differ? Lighter, different stud patterns and some modifications to the control surfaces of the upper. Does this make a difference? Not in a discernible way for most. Losing a few grams might improve your endurance by a fraction but considering your legs are the strongest muscle groups in the body it's hardly a concern particularly if those weight losses allow water into the boot because wet socks are heavy and will increase the chances of blisters etc. The stud patterns don't make much difference, you could swap in longer/shorter/fatter/thinner studs on basic boots to offer better grip on hard/soft surfaces which has the same basic effect, moulded studs kind of limit you to what you've got and you need another pair of boots if you want to change something. The changes to the control surfaces on the upper make the most practical difference but they still don't make anything possible that wasn't possible before, you might be able to get a fraction more curl or manipulate the ball a fraction better but you still have to be world class at the techniques to use this to your full advantage.
It's 90% marketing, if boot manufacturers admitted that their classic boots were arguably as good as their top of the line R&D projects then they wouldn't be able to justify the price difference and their business model would collapse. Every industry has been doing this since the 90s, they're not necessarily trying to make a better product, they're just trying to sell a new product at a high price with some futuristic sounding pseudo science.
I knew the guy that invented the original Predator boots, Craig Johnson (ex Liverpool player). He said Adidas ripped him off and still owe him £3m lol. He set up a youth project based on football in the early 2000's called SupaSkills and I worked for him. He came up with the idea from seeing kids put their mum's rubber gloves over their boots so they could curl the ball really well. They would squeak when you kick the ball.
If you are good, you are good... Even shoeless
You know it’s gone too far when Adidas puts SPIKES on the outside of the boot
his voice annoys me for some reason when i put my headphones on max volume but i still LOVE the channel
Mr. Peanutbutter: "what is this, a crossover episode?"
I have really doubt on how stable those lightweight, thin Mercurial Superflys are... I have never wore them, but I have a feeling like their skin will easily get torn after some hard twist or even by my hand... I don't know but Adidas Copa, X and Nike Vapor 12, 13 are still my all time favourite boots
Great video👍🏽
The collab we needed
Those Adidas copa Wudal & those blue & red Predator mania boots are stunning its the talent in a person not the boots that make a great football player !! .. Bless Up . ✌⚽️🤘💯
Like your collection of boots
I think new designs have definitely made a difference for me. Light, synthetic uppers have their benefits on 4G surfaces compared to say natural leather boots. But what I have wanted to see for years is evolution in the football sock. I am hopeful that one day a company can create technology whereby shin pads are a thing of the past and that socks are made that are so durable, the protection is built into the sock itself. A protection so thin, yet so effective you barely notice it. I know there are already sleeves on the market that have gone a step forward (like Storelli) but built in protection within a sock itself is my next I hope to see idea.
10 matches in 2 days
I need to move to that place...
they should evolve. f.e. the spikes need sth to protect the opponents from injuries while simultaneously give the player enough grip on the field
The cream predators Beckham wore were iconic
I think that Vostok laces serve a purpose because they can pretty much be able to fit everybody’s wants. For me I like my boots to fit tight, so I would make them to be tight.
Still remember my black and white Pumas from the 80s.
Shop owner: okay so how many shoes do you want?
Unisport: YES
I have played with a lot of boots OG Predator, Predator Accelerator,Predator Mania,F50, R9 mercurial,Tiempo,Total 90, some Lottos and i can say that Mania where the best by far. It almost feel unfair on corner and free kicks, u got more grip more time with the ball on your feet and that feeling of having control on the ball . I scored like 7 olympic goals with that boot
I like Josh , and my opinion is that, nothing is perfect there are improvements in every aspect. Technology enables us to do hit and trail to reach the better quality and design.
anybody calling it " soccer "has no place reviewing a football boot
That is why players before 1990 are the best.Especially in Pele days.The didn't have light weight boots with special material and patterns to make ball spin more or footballs that are light and move certain ways in the air.Nor Var tech nor tackle from behind fowl.
I miss the 2000's boots total 90, predator, mecurial before cr7 adidas, umbro and nike running the show back in the day.
I still using Nike CTR 2 red n white and Laser 4 mango version.
They so so soft now.
Thankfully I bought 2×HG, FG and SG Laser 4 mango version so it will be last long.
Adidas Copa Mundial were thé shoes in the 90ties. Black, kangeroo leather (different times), very light and with a fold over your laces. So innovative back then.
Hi guys, Jay, you may not be aware that around themid to late '90's 'Fila' made a great knitted boot in two models which were very comfortable, had a great feel and grip. The downside was that when it rained, water went straight through and on a cold day your feet would get wet and cold. Maybe Nike borrowed and built on this concept?
What are those boots in the case to the left they look sick and really rare
"KIPCHOGE" i heard that🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪
Steve from "Car problems" on Unisport nice.
Puma King from the 2000's one of the best boots ever
Boots doesn't matter talent matters which you give to us
Boots do matter a little bit
As close to the bootnerds podcast(the best podcast in the world, btw) as it gets. Terrific.
It’s all well and good to have a super light weight, textured boot with a smart cleat design. That’s all perfect for performance. The problem is that trimming it down so much that foot support and protection gets lost. Now you are getting dangerous to the players for the sake of marketing nonsense.
The second boot in the thumbnail. I don't want to be kicked by someone with that.
Ugh. I've got busted kangaroo leather silver beckham predators, busted original spiderweb f50s with the standard traxion sole and the red total 90s with the asymmetric lacing. I wish my hips and knees would let me get back into the game but at 30 I am about to get my hip scoped for the first time and my knee is probably going to need a replacement in another ten years or so. I think being a beast on the pitch like I used to be is a little out of the question 😅
Just give me some Copa Cleats and I am set for life! That K Leather cannot be matched!
As a kid i had Puma kings loved my Maradonas then went to Predators in 94 great boot but quality was piss poor i would love to see how new boots would stand up kicking an old Mitre delta about
The year is 2120, football players wear bulletproof masks and their cleats have microscopic mining towns on the bottom, for max efficiency in gripping the turf.
There are innovations that benefit the masses and innovations that only benefit a niche audiences. It's usually the innovations that benefit the niches that causes controversies. Once a tech for the niches has proven to be effective and can be produced cost efficient you start seeing them appear in the mainstream levels and entry level products. Or, disappears all together if neither effective or cost effective and replaced with a new tech. Or see the tech reused in a different area of products, e.g.: because how certain material is knitted can be reused for shirts or socks.
Dear unisport, can you please make a video about Dries Mertens, he's such an underrated player in my opinion and I'd love to see the best channel on yt talk about him
Adidas Predator "classic" the best ones I ever had!
bro i love your videos. Im staying home and hope you encourage others too
Nicely said!👍