A Technology Too Far?

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.