SoccerBible Play Test - Mizuno Morelia Ultra Light Hulk
They've already been crafted into a pair of gold boots, and are currently being worn by a player called Hulk. So we thought it was about time we put the Mizuno Morelia Ultra Light football boots through a SoccerBible Play Test.
When we looked through our Play Test history, we were shocked to realise we hadn't tested a Mizuno Morelia. In our opinion, that's a sin in the football boots world as the Morelia is one of those classic boots that seems to have been around your whole life, and there's a good reason for that.
These Ultra Light Hulk versions are the latest edition of the Morelia, which remain true to the form of quality leather craftsmanship, but at a reduced weight. We popped them on the scales and they came in at 250g, now we're aware that may not stun you in an era of sub-200 gram speed boots. But when you consider a Superfly weighs over 200g, we think Mizuno are doing well to craft a lightweight quality leather football boot.
With the boots out of the box, the first thing to say is they are bright! But we love that after the Morelia's resounding success in South America, they've acknowledged this with a colourway inspired by Brazil, and we just love the flag stitched into the heel.
When you first put the boots on you will be impressed. After lacing the boots up and going for a jog, it almost seems a crime that you should have to break a boot in, because there is no need for this with the Morelia Ultra Lights. They are instantly comfortable with no breaking in period needed, they feel like a boot you've been wearing for a long time, and actually made our play testers realise their current boots (we won't mention names!) aren't as comfortable as they might have thought!
But obviously we're not after a pair of slippers, we want a performance football boot, so how does the Morelia Ultra Light fair. Well, to us the most important thing apart from comfort over the course of 90 minutes, is touch and feel for the ball. The leather upper is soft, it's really soft, and your toes and feet like they have complete freedom, so when you receive and control the ball it feels completely natural to just touch it off and pass to a team-mate. It makes you realise how in some modern speed boots your toes feel quite constricted.
As much as any footballer enjoys the ball at his feet, much to the belligerence of our play testers it was time for some runs, sprints and drills. Mizuno have gone with an almost standard conical stud sole-plate, a tried and tested formula. Now if you feel comfortable in your footwear you can account for slight slippage under the foot, to be able to almost skid when turning, however it's fair to say that with no shaped studs to act as anchor points you don't quite get the immediate acceleration, which is also noticeable in turns.
Another downside of the Morelia Ultra Light is that without any padding the tongue does seem to have a mind of it's own, and slip to one side. Now this might sound like a petty quibble (and perhaps that's a good reflection of the boot), but one nice feature of the Wave Ignitus boots is the comfortable tongue! However, a benefit of the thinner tongue is that it does bring you into closer contact with the ball, and our play testers faces turned to glee when we told them it was time for shooting practice.
The Morelia Ultra Light gives you a clean strike of ball when shooting, this is where the soft leather and lightweight(ness!) complement each other, as the boot is responsive to allow you to burst into the box but still generate power in the way a typical leather boot will. There's no additional technology, this boot isn't designed that way, but make a true connection with the ball and it's going were you want it. Also, strike a good ball or hit a cross field pass and there won't be any after affects on your feet, as the slight padded nature of the upper means your feet aren't taking the brunt of the power and strike.
Another plus point of the Morelia Ultra Light is that without being a trimmed down speed boot, you have every confidence going into a challenge that you will come out on top. With the added bonus that your footwear is light, and you'll also be the first away!
So, how can we summarise, well to be honest the Mizuno Morelia Ultra Light football didn't surprise us. A top quality leather football boot will give you comfort over 90 minutes, so you don't even think twice about your footwear, and rightly so. Also, your touch and feel for the ball feels second nature as the boot is completely responsive. This is all with the added bonus that the boots do feel lighter on your feet, so it seems to be a win-win situation.
