The modern game of football is no
place for purists. Days when boot rooms emitted the glorious, pungent aroma of
Kiwi shoe polish, and apprentices earned their minimum wage meticulously
brushing first teamer’s boots to a high shine ready for match day, the dense
black paste tarnishing their white logos with a grey hue, are long gone.
Today,
though, in an age where football boots incorporate as much technology as the
International Space Station, and are more likely to have been conceived by a
scientist in a white lab coat than a master shoe-maker, has boot technology
topped out? Have we reached the point where brands are simply recycling
technical concepts under the guise of ever more fantastically-sounding,
futuristic names and acronyms?
Back in
2008, Nike released the Mercurial Vapor Superfly, which, in hindsight, is
regarded as one of those Concorde moments – a great technological feat and
massive leap forward that will probably never be surpassed. Despite the unique
but short-lived use of a carbon soleplate and a whole host of other assets that
made them feather-light, the Superfly featured pressure-activated Adaptive
Traction Technology. Sounds great, doesn’t it? And it was. Two revolutionary
studs placed at the forefoot extended like a piston by a couple of millimetres
when pressure was applied by the foot, giving the wearer more grip in soft
ground. Such is the marvellous innovative spirit at Nike, the idea was inspired
by a cheetah’s paw, the claw of which extends under pressure to provide extra
traction.
So,
surely there can’t be many more improvements and advancements that can be
applied to a boot, given that the Superfly seemed to break all undiscovered
ground on its way to the zenith four years ago.
But even
more so, it begs the question, is anything more effective than nature? After
all, it could be argued that a shoe of any kind is simply a cover to protect an
already-ingenious and technically-advanced body part, without the need for
added technological intervention. Even running shoes have recently succumbed to
the benefits of barefoot running and reverted to shoes with basic cushioning
after realising that ligaments and tendons have become lazy and therefore weak
in traditional running shoes.
So how
much of it is hyperbole, a desperate marketing ploy by brands who already ply
their trade in the heavyweight division to sell more products? With all the
self-belief of Buddhist Monks, marketing experts are always quick to persuade
you that such technology will make you play like Lionel Messi, despite the fact
that you never made a decent enough impression on the science teacher-manager
of your year 8 school football team.
The fact
is, the game has evolved to the point where science has allowed for training
methods, diets and equipment to make players what they couldn’t be even twenty
years ago. These days, brands carry out exhaustive research, employing a whole
host of mechanical, biomechanical and engineering specialists, in addition to
material engineering and process experts in covering all bases to provide us
with the most advanced boots possible. But there is a danger of
over-engineering something that arguably reached a pinnacle several years ago.
Does a Dyson vacuum cleaner – which has been engineered to within an inch of
its life – really need to do anything other than suck?
There is
no doubt that football boots today, supercharged with lighter and more advanced
materials, help your game, improve your touch and aid in making you faster. It
stands to reason. But they can also be viewed as a placebo that simply have you
believe you’ll perform better.
“Doctor,
doctor, I’ve been feeling a little slow lately.”
“Well
here’s some F50’s. That ought to do it.”
Whatever
revelatory innovation adorns the next Vapor or F50 in the ultra-competitive
world of football boot manufacturing, I’ll always live by
the ‘look good, feel good, play good’ philosophy. Either way, however
outlandish the technological claims, there’s some pretty sharp-looking boots on
the market that would enhance the performance of, or even convert, the most
committed purist.