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19th Century
In the 19th century football boots were purely for protection and had a steel top cap. They were made entirely out of leather and could weigh up to a kilogram.
Development was limited through the 1800 hundreds and it was only after World War that the boots advanced -
Post World War Two
South America was now leading the way in football boot innovation as they developed a lighter boot, enabling players to be quicker and more agile.
Unlike boots prior to this, these boots were less focused on protection and therefor lost the toe cap, however they were still made from leather. -
1960s
The technological developments of the sixties bought a momentous step-change in design which saw the lower cut design introduced for the first time in football history.
The lower boot allowed players to move faster and saw the likes of Pele wearing Puma football boots in the 1962 World Cup Finals. Adidas, though, quickly emerged as the market leader, a position it claims until the present day. In the World Cup Finals of 1966, an astonishing 75% of players wore the Adidas football boot. -
1970s
The 1970s will be remembered for the way in which football boot sponsorship took off. In terms of design and style, technological advancements produced lighter boots, and a variety of colours, including for the first time, the all-white football boot.
In 1979, Adidas produced the world’s best selling football boot the Copa Mundial, built of kangaroo leather and built for speed and versatility. Although Adidas remained dominant, several other football boot makers joined the fray. -
1980s
The greatest development of recent times in the design a was developed in the eighties by former player Craig Johnston. He created the Predator football boot, which was released by Adidas. Johnston designed the Predator to provide greater traction between boot and the ball, and football boot and the ground.
The design allowed for greater surface areas to come into contact with the ball, with a series of power and swerve zones within the striking area allowing the player to create greater power. -
1990s
The Predator by now featured polymer extrusion technologies and materials allowing for a more flexible sole as well as the conventional studs being replaced by a bladed design covering the sole, giving a more stable base for the player. In 1995 Adidas released their bladed outsole traction technology which are tapered shaped blades.
Most significantly the nineties saw the entry of Nike, immediately making an impact with its Nike Mercurial soccer boot (1998), weighing in at just 200g. -
2000s
The 2000s saw an even further increase in developement of the studs on the underside of the shoe, These were being designed to grip surfaces better. Additionally, the sole was designed to be more flexible and allow the player as much freedom to move as possible.
With increasing development in studs, boots designed for specific surfaces became increasingly popular. Also, customisation of the boot kicked off as a tailor-made mindset dominated the decade. -
Present Day
With personalisation of boots (such as NikeID) and tailored stitching into the boots, the asthetic side of boots is skyrocketing. There are a lot of colours and types of boots available and boots associated to specific players continue to flourish.
On the technical side, current boots are looking to remove laces or cover them with material to give the shoe a sock like fit. Materials such as Nike's Flyknit are becoming stronger and companies are taking steps to protect the players foot as well.