Football’s in short supply at the moment, which has made Boot Spotting something of a tricky proposition. But we’ve scoured Australia, Russia and Turkey – the few places where a ball is still being kicked – to bring you a dose of mainly throwback classics and special editions. Ready? Let’s do this…
Oston Urunov (FC Ufa) Nike Mercurial Vapor Dream Speed 2
Usually reserved for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Sam Kerr, this week it's on the feet of FC Ufa's Oston Urunov that we see the Nike Mercurial Vapor Dream Speed 2, as the Russian side played out a 0-0 with CSKA Moscow.
Nahuel Bustos (Talleres Cordoba) Nike Mercurial Superfly 360
Nahuel Bustos found the net in Talleres Cordoba's 3-0 win over Huracan this week, and he did so in the limited edition Nike Mercurial Superfly 360 'LVL UP', the Swoosh's first special edition of 2019. The distinctive design saw a combination of safari, silverware, cheetah, galaxy, gold, and lava-inspired patterns blended with neon hues, metallics, and volt to form a colour stripe that honoured the Mercurial’s rich style heritage.
Gael Clichy (Istanbul Basaksehir) Nike Hypervenom Phantom I
In a match that featured Premier League alumni such as Jon Obi Mikel, Demba Ba, and Martin Skrtel, it was Gael Cliche that caught our eye with his choice of OG Hypervenom Phantom I in the "Hyper Crimson colourway. The match finished 1-1 with Skrtel putting into his own net before Ba equalised.
Wanderson (FC Krasnodar) Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII
Always a shoe-in to make it on this list (no pun intended) FC Krasnodar's Wanderson was spotted wearing the Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII 'Kinetic Black' in his side's 2-0 to FC Sochi.
Aivi Luik (Melbourne City) PUMA Future 4.1
As part of the celebration surrounding the partnership with Manchester City, PUMA launched the "City Pack" back in late 2019. Just so happens that Manchester aren't the only team in the "City" group, with Melbourne City being another who play in the Sky Blue. So Aivi Luik took full advantage of the colourway as she played in the "City Pack" Future 4.1 as her side romped to a 5-1 win against Western Sydney Wanderers in the W-League semi final.
Ellie Carpenter (Melbourne City) Nike Mercurial Superfly VII
Featuring in the same match and adding a little bit of 'Future Lab' flavour to the proceedings in the absence of any other new releases at the moment, and Ellie Carpenter wore the Mercurial Superfly VII in the game.
Gary Hooper (Wellington Phoenix) adidas Predator 18.1
Gary Hooper bagged the second in Wellington Phoenix's 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory this week, and he did so in the vibrant adidas Predator 18.1 "Energy Mode" from early 2018. The bright colourway tied in quite nicely with his side's home kit for an added bonus.
Michael Jakobson (Adelaide United) Nike Tiempo Legend VII
Newcastle Jets handed out a bit of a schooling to Adelaide United this week, with a fairly routine 3-0 win. Adelaide defender Michael Jakobson will have had better afternoons, despite being the glorious Nike Tiempo Legend VII in that special edition "White/Black/Gold" colourway that Nike released in 2018 to honour their longest lasting silo.
Joe Ledley (Newcastle Jets) New Balance Tekela V1
The New Balance Tekela isn't a common sight in the European leagues, but it's seen more often over in the A-League. And it's on the feet of another former Premier League player that we see it in it's V1 AW18 look, with former Crystal Palace defender Joe Ledley wearing it for Newcastle Jets' 2-1 win over Melbourne City.
Nicolas Cordero (Huracan) Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII
Huracan received a bit of a schooling in their match against Talleres and rightly look dejected, playing the game out in an empty stadium. But that didn't stop us noticing the use of the Nike By You service by Huracan's Nicolas Cordero, who opted for a stylish whiteout design, matching nicely with the base colour of his side's home kit.
Lucas Barrios (Huracan) adidas X 18.1
Yeah, OK, we're milking this match a bit, but there's not the greatest choice at the moment... Anyway, Lucas Barrios was seen in the adidas X 18.1 from the "Spectral Mode", one of the cleanest designs of the speed silo seen to date. Clean until it's been played in that is...
Big Steve (Camden Sunday Football League) adidas X 15.1
Thought the last one was scraping the barrel? Think again my friend. In one of the Camden Sunday Football League Division One matches played this week a player was seen wearing the adidas X 15.1 "Black/Shock Pink/Solar Gold" colourway, the second look for the 'Chaos' silo following adidas' Ace and X revolution.
Little Gav (Camden Sunday Football League) Nike Tiempo Legend VII
Another one from the Camden Sunday Football League, and this time it was the Nike Tiempo Legend VII "Gamma Blue/White/Obsidian/Glacier Blue", from the 'Always Forward' pack release, which originally debuted at the start of the 2018/19 season.
