Global Football Boots Spotting - 03/12/12

Stephan El Shaarawy (Milan) Nike GS2

We were made to wait, but this weekend we had our first goals scored by a Nike GS2 squad member. AC Milan's Stephan El Shaarawy always seemed the most likely to score first, as he's the current top goalscorer in Serie A, and he duly delivered with two strikes and also provided an assist in an impressive performance.

Cesc Fabregas (Barcelona) PUMA PowerCat 1.12 Graphic

Cesc Fabregas joined the booting elite this weekend as he debuted his own signature boot. A privilege reserved for the games best players like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham, Fabregas wore his PowerCat Graphic boots featuring a unique design, and also featuring his preferred conical stud sole-plate.

Joshua King (Blackburn Rovers) Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII

There was a very careful black-out paint job being worn by Blackburn's Joshua King. Rather than cover the boot, Joshua has been selective on the areas he's coloured in, which is a unique look and actually makes his boot resemble an UA Blur II.

Pablo Alvarez (Catania) adidas F50 adizero

Whilst players around the globe are breaking in their new F50 adizero boots, Pablo Alvarez has customised his own unique look, and designed these classy looking blue/white adizero's. Removing the third colour to create a two-tone look, Alvarez's boots are a nice match for the Catania kit.

Yaya Toure (Manchester City) PUMA King

After spying Yaya Toure wearing a pair of blacked-out PUMA Kings in training this week, we suspected the all-action Manchester City midfielder would be one of the players to debut the new King his weekend. Toure has opted for the standard versions, and is an interesting boot switch for a player who's previously worn speed and accuracy boots.

Curtis Osano (AFC Wimbledon) Nike Mercurial Vapor II

Curtis pulled out a special pair of boots for AFC Wimbledon's television appearance in the FA Cup. Wearing a silver/blue pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor II football boots, originally released back in 2004 the boots appeared in great condition, and we hope his team-mates acknowledged his boot choice.

Simon Kjaer (Wolfsburg) adidas F50 adizero Custom

Award for worst black-out goes to Simon Kjaer, who has literally destroyed his F50 adizero boots with an attempted paint job. Kjaer has been wearing adidas for some time, and these could quite possibly be the result of a contractual issue. But despite Kjaer clearly making his point, it appears only a matter of time until the Three Stripes are visible once again.

Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) PUMA King

Arteta is the second big name player to debut the new PUMA King's, and like Yaya Toure wore the standard versions not the King SL. We met up with Arteta this week to hear his opinion on the new King, which we'll share soon, but can assure you there was absolutely no hesitancy in Mikel switching into PUMA's latest offering.

Marouane Fellaini (Everton) Warrior Sports Skreamer

New boot alert, as Marouane Fellaini was probably the only player in the UK to wear the new Warrior Sports Skreamer. We can't say this for definite, but it's a very interesting choice for Fellaini to move away from Nike and into a boot and brand with strong connections to rivals Liverpool.

Connor Wickham (Sunderland) Umbro GT Pro II

Umbro as we know it may no longer exist, and players like Pepe may have jumped ship to another brand, but Wickham is remaining true to the Double Diamonds - for now. Interestingly, it appears Wickham is sporting a new colourway, so perhaps Umbro are rolling out a few final colour designs?