From Las Palmas to Leicester. It's Monday, it's Boot Spotting. A busy week of European football is ended with a wide open Premier League and a miserable Mourinho. We look back on the past seven days of action to pick out our selection of the latest, custom and most random footwear on show.
Kelechi Iheanacho (Man City) Nike Mercurial Vapor XI
Kelechi Iheanacho rescued a point for Manchester City at home to Southampton on Sunday lunchtime. Introduced at half time, Iheanacho took to the field wearing the Nike Floodlights Mercurial Vapor XI but due to a problem with his left boot switched into the previous Spark Brilliance design to pull off a split boot look. PUMA very much own that split space but Iheanacho's mash up could have Nike pondering.
Kevin-Prince Boateng (Las Palmas) Nike Tiempo Legend VI
Kevin-Prince Boating is continuing to mix up his Nike boots this season. With a lower profile at Las Palmas, KPB is less pressured to sport Nike's latest colourways and has made the most of that opportunity by switching into different custom designs all season. Boateng's latest custom job comes in the form of an all white Nike Tiempo Legend VI boot with a gold soleplate and follows his Tiempo Legend IV Elite worn recently.
Shinji Okazaki (Leicester) Mizuno Basara 101
Shinji Okazaki was back in the Leicester team and back on the scoresheet as the defending Premier League Champions beat Crystal Palace 3-1 on Saturday. The Japanese frontman was laced up in the black/green Mizuno Basara 101, a boot that has received little on pitch support but offers a synthetic, lighter alternative to the more popular Morelia Neo.
Leo Messi (Barcelona) adidas Messi 16.1
Messi added another match ball to his hat trick collection in the Champions League last week. The Barca man set off as planned in his new signature adidas Space Dust Messiu 16.1 boots but switched out of the colourway at half time and into the previous edition to complete the scoring against Manchester City. Since then, Messi has remained in the previous blue edition, rather than his latest exclusive drop.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Man United) adidas X 16.1
Has Zlatan Ibrahimovic finally joined adidas? It's been on the cards since he signed for United in the Summer, especially considering he had been blacking out his Nike boots while at Paris Saint-Germain. For the first time in a competitive game, Zlatan was sporting the latest adidas X 16.1 Stellar Pack colourway indicating that he's signed for the Three Stripes. Adidas may wait until United and the big man hit a bit of form before announcing their new signing, though.
Tom Hiariej (Groningen) Nike T90 Laser IV
Groningen's Tom Hiariej took things back at the weekend to lace up in one of football's lost but most favoured silos – The T90 series. Wearing the fourth and last generation of the boot that was replaced by the Hypervenom, Hiariej opted for the Crimson/Black edition launch in September 2012. The last of the genuine 'Power' silos from the Swoosh, the T90 was the boot Nike marketed towards strikers, with Rooney, Torres and Higuain featuring heavily in the marketing.
Robin van Persie (Fenerbahce) adidas X 15.1
Robin van Persie made a goalscoring return to Old Trafford on Thursday with Fenerbahce wearing the previous X edition. RVP has always given adidas a hard time when it comes to lacing up in their most recent boots. During his time at United he wore a heavily modified version of the F50 adizero with a Predator soleplate and even now he's staying away from the 16.1 designs. The man knows what he likes.
Marouane Fellaini (Man United) New Balance Visaro
New Balance dropped a beautiful limited edition design on their Visaro silo last week, with the aesthetics inspired by the Poison Dart Frog. Marouane Fellaini was quick to move into the new colourway, but things didn't quite go to plan for the big Belgian, with United sent back up north after a 4-0 hammering by Chelsea. United may have planned on parking the bus, but someone left the handbrake off.
Neymar (Barcelona) Nike Hypervenom Phinish II
Like Messi, Neymar only wore his new signature boot for 45 minutes in the Champions League last week. The Brazilian took to the Camp Nou in his second collaboration with Michael Jordan but the Barca number 11 jumped out of the Jumpman design at half time to switch back into the Nike Floodlights Pack, a boot he wore again at Valencia on Saturday.
Falcao (Monaco) Puma evoSPEED 1.5
Falcao has put his torrid time in England behind him to focus on a return to Monaco. During that transition period, Falcao has cut ties with PUMA who invested heavily in the striker during his Atletico Madrid days and the Colombian is obviously still in the hunt for a new boot deal having tasted the cash that accompanies said deal. For the moment, he's wearing a blacked out edition of the PUMA evoSPEED 1.5.
