Kids Football Boots

Football boots are a great Christmas present for kids, right in the middle of the football season when old boots are starting to look worn and they want the new model which is out now and worn by their favourite player. It can be quite a confusing market though for the parent or relative with all the different makes, models and materials – which is the best one? Our friends at Football Bootroom put together the following guide which will hopefully help you!

Believe it or not, the first and most important thing to think about when buying football boots is the size needed. Football boots are not something to “grow into” – that won’t make a good footballer and will be very uncomfortable when wearing! So make sure you check their current boots and see if a change in size is needed or not. It’s true that kids football boots aren’t super cheap, but then they aren’t that expensive either especially if you find some in the sale, so get the right size!

Then we get to the all important make and model choice. Adult football boots at the top end can cost easily over £100, but in the junior market they are much more reasonable as the materials used are not as high specification as the expensive top of the range models. They still look similar though, so kids can still imagine that they are wearing the same football boots as England stars Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard. Adidas and Nike are the main companies that kids will know about due to the players mentioned, so we’ll explain the models in their range and some of the more niche brands below.

Adidas

Predator
You can get two versions of the Adidas Predator in kids sizes, the top of the range Powerswerve and the value Adsolado. Buying the Powerswerve model can cost around £80 so they are the right option if you don’t mind spending money for top quality boots, but the absolado at around £40 will suit more budgets. Both models incorporate the swerve “vamps”, although on the value range they don’t have the same effect as on the more expensive boot they still look very similar and you can try to “bend it like Beckham”. The Predator is available in many colourways from black and white to more colourful versions and is a great value boot that is very popular on the football pitch.

Worn by Beckham (LA Galaxy & England), Gerrard (Liverpool & England), Berbatov (Man Utd & Bulgaria), Ballack (Chelsea & Germany).

F10 iTunit
The F50.9 and F50 iTunit are the top of the range versions of this boot family, the F10.9 and F10i are the models lower down in the range that you will look to be buying for kids. The tunit is the lightweight boot in the Adidas range and it achieves this by using a lightweight upper rather than the traditional leather you’ll find on other Adidas kids football boots. A pair of boot for the quick winger, midfielder or striker, again available in some funky looking colours.

Worn by Messi (Barcelona & Argentina), Adebayor (Man City & Togo), Defoe (Spurs & England)

Adipure/Adinova
The adipure and adinova are the more traditional football boot which will appeal to the footballer who doesn’t want to stand out, and wants to make a quiet statement about their football boots. An off centre lacing allows for a larger clean area to strike the ball on this quality football boot.

Worn by Lampard (Chelsea & England), Kaka (Real Madrid & Brazil)

Nike

Mercurial
The Nike Mercurial range is similar to the Adidas “F” range in that it is the lightweight boot of the range.In junior form, the mercurial range is represented by two models, the veloci and talaria. The veloci can be had for around £50 and the talaria at around £30, so there is something to suit all price ranges. Again achieved by using a lightweight upper rather than a leather upper, there is also a cover over the laces to allow for a clean strike of the football. In adult form the mercurial vapor superfly is the most expensive boot on the market at around £200, so the cheaper versions of this football boot for kids is much appreciated! New colours are often coming out in the mercurial range with black the current version as we type this.

Worn by Ronaldo (Real Madrid & Portugal), Ribery (Bayern Munich & Germany), Walcott (Arsenal & England)

Total90
The Total90 looks quite different from a lot of football boots, with a “power” zone on the top of the boot which allows for a clean and powerful strike of the football. It certainly works for Rooney and Torres well!  The Total90 is often available in some very loud colours (think bright yellow), so if you know a kid that likes to stand out playing football then these may well be the ones for them!

Worn by Rooney (Man Utd & England), Torres (Liverpool & Spain)

Tiempo
Similar to the Adidas adipure and adinova, this leather boot with roll over tongue looks classical and works really well. A great fitting boot and my boot of choice when I was a kid!

Worn by Fabregas (Arsenal & Spain), Tevez (Man City & Argentina)

Puma

In the Puma range you have a good selection of boots and price ranges to suit many budgets. At the top end there is the V1.08, Puma King and V-Kon III, all very good boots but costing arounf £50. Mid range you then have the value versions of those boots, the V5.08, Esito and V-Kon II. Puma make very good boots and despite not being one of the main two companies, there is still quality and with pro’s such as Ashley Cole and Nicholas Anelka wearing them they have pedigree behind them as well.

Reebok

Worn by Ryan Giggs throughout his Man Utd career and lately by Thierry Henry of Barcelona, Reebok boots have been around and popular for a long time (they were my first boots as well!). They still have a more traditional look about them, keeping mainly the black leather look with flashes of colour and they look good because of that. Since they don’t have the marketing power and associated costs, you’ll often find Reebok kids football boots for a few quid less than the latest Nike or Adidas boots, but they are just as good and well worth consideration.

Umbro

Another traditional brand in the mould of Reebok, Umbro have been making quality football boots for years and are currently being worn by England captain John Terry, along with Michael Owen who has worn them throughout his career. Yes, they don’t look the most exciting boots, but if the looks are not that important to you and you want a pair of boots to fit your child well then these can be a good option.

Others

Mizuno and Nomis, are some of the other brands that you may come across and to be honest their offerings are just as good as the others mentioned above. They don’t have such market recognition in the UK though and that may be an issue when you child doesn’t have the same boots as their friends! However, if you have a kid that likes to be different then sometimes looking “off the beaten track” is the right way to go!

Hopefully this has been useful for you looking towards Christmas presents and football boots for kids, if you want to find out more information about football boots then please check out Football Bootroom for regular updated information!

No related posts.