Another round of domestic fixtures and the welcome return of the Champions League are the main platforms for this week’s new releases, special editions, custom creations and throwback classics to be shown off. It’s Monday, it’s Boot Spotting, let’s do this…
Neymar (PSG) PUMA Future Z 1.1
PUMA took their star man as inspiration for the latest colourway for the Future Z, launching the 'Creativity' this week. And Neymar was only too happy to slip into the new look for PSG's 4-2 win over Lyon, however he was unable to live up to the name of the new look, coming off the bench on the 70th minute when the scoring was already complete.
Raheem Sterling (Man City) New Balance Furon 6+
Raheem Sterling boarded the bus for City's Champions League match this week in a pair of New Balance 327 trainers, adding to speculation that he is set to officially sign with the brand. And in City's FA Cup clash with Everton this weekend he wore the same white boot with gold soleplate that he wore back in October – which looks distinctly like the Furon 6+ – adding yet more fuel to the fire. Feels more a case of when, not if, now.
Lewis Holtby (Blackburn Rovers) PUMA Ultra SL
PUMA reentered the race for lightweight speed recently when they dropped the Ultra SL – the lightest ever boot, weighing in at a mere 90g. And Blackburn's Lewis Holtby was spotted in them in his side's 0-0 draw with Bristol City in the Championship.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus) Next-gen PUMA Ultra
The next generation of the PUMA Ultra is getting more and more of a run out, and Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini is the latest player to test out the prototype. Sure the Italian stalwart is not known for his rapid pace, but he's always favoured a light and tight fit, so it's no surprise to see him testing this new model out.
Donny Van De Beek (Manchester United) adidas Copa Mundial 21
Still struggling to find his groove with the Red Devils, Donny Van De Beek tried a boot change to alter his fortunes in United's FA Cup match with Leicester, opting for the exquisite Adidas Copa Mundial 21 from the 'Eternal Class' pack. Sadly it still did not have the desired effect, with United slumping to a 3-1 defeat. Boots looked ace though.
Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham Hotspur) New Balance Furon 6+
New Balance continue their impressive player recruitment, and as well as the previously mentioned Raheem Sterling, Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele looks like he could well sign with the American brand. Ndombele has been seen training in the Furon silo in the past, and he was again this week in the 'Lead the Hunt' colourway. He continues to play in blacked out Nike Mercurials, so still a work in progress, this one.
Kevin-Prince Boateng (AC Monza) PUMA King Platinum
Over to Italy's Serie B, and Kevin-Prince Boateng was spotted wearing the special edition PUMA King Platinum 'Lazertouch' for his side's 4-1 defeat at the hands of Venezia. Patented new Lazertouch technology is exclusive to PUMA, and it was used here to engrave detailed patterns into a mould, which is fused with the K-Leather to create performance augmented patterns and textures. Tradition with a twist
Andreas Pereira (Lazio) adidas F50 X Ghosted
Lazio had the unenviable task of overcoming a 4-1 first leg score against last year's champs, Bayern Munich. To prepare himself, Andreas Pereira trained in the adidas F50 X Ghosted 'Memory Lane', which combined the classic look of the F50 with the current tech of the X Ghosted. Didn't't have the desired effect though, with Bayern going on to win the tie 6-2 on aggregate.
Daniel Barlaser (Rotherham United) adidas Predator Instinct
Rottherham midfielder Daniel Barlaser caught our eye in his side's 2-0 win over Bristol City this weekend, playing in what was the last look for the last look for the Predator prior to its untimely retirement back in 2015. Taking inspiration from their glorious back-catalogue adidas hooked up the Predator Instinct with a familiar crowd-pleasing "White/Red/Black" colourway. The familiar combo featured on the '98 Accelerator, '00 Precision, '02 Mania bringing a blast of nostalgia to the Instinct. Nice way to bow out, if only for a few years.
Diego Demme (Napoli) New Balance Furon v6
Diego Demme, usually a Nike Tiempo man, rocked up to training this week in a pair of New Balance Furon v6 'Rise & Reign'. Is this yet another player that could be shifting to New Balance? Time will tell, however, it's interesting that the German international has opted for an older model Furon, as opposed to the recently tweaked Furon 6+.
Leigh Griffiths (Celtic) Nike Mercurial Superfly Dream Speed 2
Ending this week's observations with a touch of customisation, with Celtic's Leigh Griffiths showing up for training in a pair of Nike Mercurial Superfly Dream Speed 2, which had been personalised by Dan Hayes, aka @exclusive_custom_cleats to feature several Disney princesses, Pennywise the clown and other characters, representing his kids.
