Remember when boots were just leather and laces? One glance through the past seven days of fixtures saw laceless, netted, knitted, strapped, and collared football boots on almost every pitch. The innovation game is strong and the pitch is the brand's catwalk. Here's who we spotted strutting their stuff last week...
Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) adidas Nemeziz 17.1
All adidas players were sporting new designs on the first weekend since the launch of the full adidas Skystalker Pack. Jesse Lingard making the loudest headlines by scoring a brace in United's 3-1 win over Arsenal wearing the Nemeziz 17.1.
David Silva (Manchester City) adidas X 17.1
Just as United looked to have closed the gap at the top of the Premier League their cross-city rivals put on another late show to continue their winning streak. David Silva was the hero this week, notching the winner against West Ham in the adidas Skystalker X 17.1.
Jozy Altidore (Toronto) PUMA Future 18.1
Jozy Altidore's goal was enough to clinch the Eastern Conference Championship against Columbus Crew. The American striker was making his first appearance in the new PUMA Future 18.1 boot and now faces a race against the clock to be fit for the MLS Cup Final.
Nouhou Tolo (Seattle Sounders) Under Armour Clutchfit 3.0
Toronto will take on Seattle Sounders in the MLS Cup Final on December 9 after the Sounders cruised past Houston Dynamo to lift the Western Conference Championship. Nouhou Tolo provided the pick of the boot spotting action wearing the Under Armour Clutchfit 3.0 "Midnight Navy" edition.
Eden Hazard (Chelsea) Nike Mercurial Vapor Flynt Ultra
Eden Hazard was on top form scoring a brace against Newcastle as Chelsea came from behind to win 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Belgian playmaker was laced up in the "Ice" version of Nike's Mercurial Vapor Flyknit Ultra – a limited edition boot that sold out in minutes when it was released last month.
Matt Bloomfield (Wycombe Wanderers) adidas X 15+ SL
Matt Bloomfield went back to March 2016 for his boot choice on Sunday in the FA Cup 2nd Round tie between Wycombe and non-league Leatherhead. The SL edition shaved excess weight off the X 15.1 and was worn by a number of leading adidas players including Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United) Nike Hypervenom II
Romelu Lukaku remained in blackout boots for the second consecutive game last week as the United striker holds out for a new boot deal. Lukaku has been wearing both Nike and adidas boots this season but has reverted to a blacked out edition of the Hypervenom II as a "come get me" plea to one of the big brands to hopefully match his demands.
Roy Krishna (Wellington Phoenix) Lotto Spider 200 XIV
Lotto can take a lot of pride from the fact that they kicked off the laceless craze a long time before adidas joined in, but nowadays they've gone back to laces for their latest design – the Lotto Spider 200 XIV, worn by Roy Krishna at the weekend.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) adidas Nemeziz Messi 17.1
Lionel Messi ended a rare goal-drought 22 minutes after lacing up in his new signature Messi Nemeziz 17.1 design. The Barca man has once again received an exclusive colourway of the Skystalker Pack, but his goal wasn't enough to help Barca beat Celta Vigo at the Nou Camp as they shared a 2-2 draw.
Presnel Kimpembe (PSG) adidas Glitch 17
Presnel Kimpembe was installed as the face of the adidas Glitch when the disruptive concept arrived in France. The PSG man has been wearing various outer-skins over the past month, with the bright pink edition from the Hacked Pack his latest choice.
Wilfried Bony (Swansea) Nike Mercurial Vapor IX
Wilfried Bony scored his first goal in over a year as Swansea lost 2-1 to Stoke City on Saturday. The former Stoke man was wearing a partially blacked-out edition of the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX as he searches for a new boot deal. He'll have to score his next goal a bit sooner for any brand to take notice and match his deal from his Man City days.
