International break over and domestic football comes wave after wave. We take a look back at the past week of action to pick out our selection of the hottest boots on show from planet football. Strong custom games, new releases and limited edition drops. Jumping two-footed into Monday and not even helping it up...
Clayton Donaldson (Birmingham) Nike Mercurial Vapor XI
Clayton Donaldson is a regular in Boot Spotting thanks to his impressive archive of old Mercurial Vapor boots, but the Birmingham City striker was sporting something new this weekend as he laced up in the Nike Mercurial Vapor XI Tech Craft 2016 edition. The all black boot with shimmering Swooshes of silver is layered in leather for a more traditional feel and Donaldson was the only player we spotted in the new collection as his side beat Bristol City 1-0 at St Andrews'.
Alanna Kennedy (Sydney FC) Nike Mercurial Superfly CR7 Chapter 3
Looking back on the weekend Nike might well feel they should have asked Cristiano Ronaldo to slip into his latest signature boot a little earlier. Ronaldo remained in the Floodlights Pack to score a hat-trick and clinch the headlines in the Madrid derby before he's scheduled to switch into his Chapter 3 boots this week for the Champions League. Alanna Kennedy wasn't hanging around though, she bagged a pair to wear for Sydney FC against Melbourne Victory.
Ugochi Cynthia Emenaso (Nigeria) Nike GS
Ugochi Cynthia Emenaso took us back to July 2012 this week by lacing up in the Nike GS. A limited edition boot made of just 160 grams of recycled and renewable engineering. Only 2012 pairs of the Nike Green Speed boots were released, with a number of those being supplied to Nike professional players. The original GS is a boot that was thought to have its on-pitch days behind it, but the Nigerian international is still representing.
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) Puma evoSPEED 1.5
PUMA celebrated the build up to the Madrid Derby and the qualities of Antoine Griezmann with the next instalment of their "Derby Fever" boots last week. A bespoke evoSPEED design for the Frenchman to wear against his cross city rivals, but the celebrating ended there with Atletico slipping to a 3-0 defeat at home to Real Madrid. Not the script PUMA had written.
Jefferson Montero (Swansea) adidas X 16+ Purechaos
The adidas X 16+ Purechaos "Space Craft" hasn't featured much on pitch since its release in September. By far the most distinct makeover to grace the adidas X 16+ Purechaos, the 'Space Craft' edition was inspired by reflective spacecraft material and the darkness of space to pull an outrageously striking aesthetic. Part of the adidas Limited Collection, the Space Craft X was picked up by Swansea's Jefferson Montero who wore them in training this week.
Eljero Elia (Feyenoord) Nike Mercurial Superfly V
Eljero Elia was sporting a smart custom game on the weekend as Feyenoord beat PEC Zwolle 3-0. The Dutch winger has created a bold but simplistic red and white colourway on his Nike Mercurial Superfly V boots, a smart match up with the Feyenoord home kit. After receiving his brand new bespoke boots Elia reached for the scissors to trim that Dynamic Fit Collar back. Customised customs.
Isabella Hartig (Germany) adidas F50 adizero
November 2014 is when the adidas 'Hunt Series' launched. A limited edition collection that glowed in the dark, the Hunt Series was one of the most disruptive drops of the year and is still in action two years on thanks to Germany U20 player Isabella Hartig who was wearing the F50 adizero edition against Mexico.
Vanja Milinkovi-Savic (Serbia) Nike Mercurial Superfly V
Vanja Milinkovi-Savic's boots don't officially glow-in-the-dark like Hartig's do, but stick these on your bike handle bars and no-one is hitting you, put it that way. The Serbian U21 goalkeeper has gone for a bright is better concept when designing his own NikeiD Mercurial Superfly V boots. Volt, volt and more volt.
Kevin-Prince Boateng (Las Palmas) Nike Tiempo 6
Kevin-Prince Boating appears to be wearing a different boot each week. The man must have to rent a 3-bedroom-semi just to use as a boot archive. The latest boot worn by the Las Palmas midfielder was a custom colourway of the Nike Tiempo Legend 6 this week, wrapped in black with matching Swooshes and a touch volt of on the heel.
Jean-Kevin Augustin (PSG) adidas Messi 16+ Pureagility
It's unusual for players of the very top clubs to wear a signature boot of another player. Probably to avoid the awkwardness of lining up against said player, in his boots. Still, that didn't stop PSG's Jean-Kevin Augustin wearing the adidas Messi 16+ Pureagility Space Dust at the weekend. Suppose if Messi won't wear them...
Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City) Mizuno Basara 101
Shinji Okazaki switched into the latest Mizuno Basara 101 colourway whilst away with Japan on international duty last week, and he brought it back to Leicester with him to wear in the Premier League for the first time on Saturday. A smart red and black colourway lands as the next Mizuno brush up on their youngest silo but it was a losing start for Okazaki in his new footwear as the Foxes went down 2-1 to Watford.
Gevorg Ghazaryan (Maritimo) Nike Mercurial Superfly V
More custom Mercurials in a Superfly heavy week of Boot Spotting. This time the man behind the customisation is Maritimo's Gevorg Ghazaryan. The Armenian midfielder has created a more adventurous design on his Mercurials, pairing up a red upper with bright yellow Swooshes and laces. Not a bad effort at all.
Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham) adidas Glitch
Kyle Walker-Peters was one of a small group of young adidas players selected to wear the disruptive Glitch model. As the Glitch app launched and adidas released the silo to the masses, the Spurs youngster is still equipped in the dynamic adidas boot and has remained in the all white colourway rather than mixing up the inner and outers.
Trevin Caesar (Trinidad & Tobago) Nike Mercurial Vapor XI
Yep, another custom Vapor version. The promising designers were out in their numbers this week with Trinidad and Tobago's Trevin Caesar rounding off proceedings with his own tasteful wrap. Nothing more than a red and white Vapor – simple and effective and a nailed on hit if Nike were to drop it as an official launch colourway.
