Whip up some nostalgia.
The past couple of years have been a barrage of limited edition boots, left right and centre. The big brands have been pulling out all the stops to make you part with your cash but nothing whips up hype like nostalgia, especially with popular football boots of yesteryear.
It comes as no surprise that we’ve seen our share of remakes even in recent months. Nike incorporated their “pink panther” and CR7 safari colourways onto the Nike Mercurial Superfly while adidas went the extra mile to replicate classic F50 models with their excellent soleplate from the current adidas X Ghosted .1.
In the extensive back catalogue of boots from the last 20 years, there are gems that need to make a comeback which we will be happy to receive with open arms. Here are 5 football boots that deserve a remake.
Puma evoPower 1 – Tricks colourway
Puma’s attempts at remakes haven’t been very successful. The reissues of the Puma V1.06 haven’t gotten the hype it deserves but maybe because that was a boot that released before the Puma evoPower – the football boot that got the industry to stand up and pay attention to the big cat.
The evoPower 1 remains one of my favourite boots of all time with it’s taut but stretchy upper that encourages the player to strike with the right technique for a harder shot. It looks amazing ’til this day and the boot feels like a dream to strike the ball with. Puma had some really good colourways on this model but none could compare to the pink and turqouise combination from their “Tricks” collection. This was the first time Puma attempted this concept and it went so well during the 2014 World Cup that we saw a bigger Tricks collection during Euro 2016.
Bring this back, Puma!
Nike Mercurial Vapor 1
The boot that started my love affair for football boots. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Nike’s Mercurial Vapor 1 was a trailblazer in design and would not look out of place if it was still worn today. That ultra thin upper opened players’ eyes to what a barefoot touch can bring you and it came in such vibrant colours in an era of black boots.
That flimsy FG soleplate wouldn’t do too well on today’s AG pitches but Nike would do well to switch that out to a modern Mercurial tooling, complete with their groundbreaking anatomical soleplate. I’d pay good money to own one in the chrome/lime, olive green or deep blue colourway to take me back to Thierry Henry in his early 2000s pomp.
Nike Air Zoom Total 90 III
Air technology is making a comeback at Nike and there’s no better way to commemorate that than with a remake of this absolute beauty. The Total 90 boots were all about comfort for the entire game (hence the name) through the Zoom Air pod in the heel and a supple synthetic leather. It was adored by players such as Scholes, Figo and Totti.
This third generation of the Air Zoom Total 90 was also a design masterpiece, brandishing the iconic Total 90 logo on the instep, offering off-centre laces and a placing a small swoosh on the forefoot. The Total 90 logo was also the centrepiece of many of Nike’s kit designs of that generation making this an integral part of Nike’s storied history.
adidas adiPure 11Pro
The adidas adipure 11Pro was a good boot but it stands out so much today for a different reason.
Despite having been phased out for the last six years, adidas has been forced to maintain and produce the 11pros, specifically the white and blue colourway, for Toni Kroos as the German midfielder refuses to wear anything but these leather classics.
Rain or shine, through Champions League finals and El Clasicos, the 11Pros have been there for Kroos as he pinged balls all across the pitch. Fans would marvel at how he’s stayed true to the reliable adiPure 11Pro. Just like the boot’s name, Kroos’ affection for the boots has remained pure.
I’d recommend a limited run of the 11Pros, renaming it the 11Kroos and launching it on Valentine’s Day to announce their undying love to one another. Expect the boots to sell out really quickly though, with 90% of them snapped up by Kroos himself.
Nike Hypervenom Phantom 1
One of the most popular boots to have ever launched in the past 10 years, the Nike Hypervenom Phantom 1 is a massive fan’s favourite. Everything about the boot made it sound so lethal – from its name to the NikeSkin upper that made it look like an apex predator.
Its sleek silhouette was celebrated just as much as the close touch on the ball the upper provided. An amazing boot that got us to reimagine what a striker’s boot could look like. Get it remade in the iconic orange and black and perhaps, fix the minor issue of overstretching, and our money is all yours.
Know any other boots that deserve a remake? Let us know in the comments below.
