Boot Spotting: 3rd of August

There’s now only 11 days to go until the start of the EPL season! While we can’t wait for the start of, ahem, Norwich’s domination of the EPL (not all of the Soccer Reviews writers support this statement), we’ve come across a few of the best boot spots from the various friendly matches.

Jack Wilshere (Arsenal) – Nike CTR 360 Maestri II

If Cesc Fabregras and Samir Nasri do leave Arsenal, there will be a great expectation on the shoulders of Wilshere to ensure he fills the void left by the two midfielders. While the colourway Wilshere is wearing isn’t much of a surprise, Wilshere has customised his CTRs with a Tiempo soleplate, a trend that is becoming more popular amongst players. Or could it be Nike testing out the soleplate that will be on the Maestri III in disguise?

Gareth Barry (Manchester City) – Adidas AdiPure IV

A colourway that is seen as often as the wearer of the boots in a Manchester City shirt (boom boom tish). In all seriousness, the Black/Blue AdiPure IV is hardly seen on the feet of players, with many opting for the classic White/Black colourway instead.

Steve Gohouri (Wigan Athletic) – Nike Tiempo III

It’s a wonder to us why some players are still opting to wear their old Tiempo III boots, when the new Tiempo IV has softer leather, looks better and is lighter! Perhaps Gohouri will be slowly making the transition towards the new range in the future.

Nigel De Jong (Manchester City) – Puma King

In another scoop for Puma, they’ve not only snagged the services of Thierry Henry, but also Dutch enforcer Nigel De Jong! Puma have got a big line up predicted for 2011 and 2012 and it’s good to see the ex-giant of football gear starting to wake up.

Jason Roberts (Blackburn) – Adidas Predator X

The same question from Gohouri can be applied to Roberts as well. Perhaps Roberts has an unbreakable connection with his Champions League edition Predators which means he can’t get rid of them? Who knows.

Marcos Ceara (PSG) – Lotto Zhero Gravity

With the Lotto Zhero Gravity Ultra is famous for being the only laceless football boot on the market, it claims to give a really snug fit. I think many have reservations whether the boot might simply slip off in the middle of the game, which is perhaps why Ceara has gone for the editions that have laces!

Paddy McCourt (Celtic) – Adidas Copa Mundials

You couldn’t get a much more Irish name if you tried (well, maybe Stephen Ireland), but the Copa Mundials are a tried and tested classic around the world and it’s easy to understand why McCourt has settled for the ultra soft kangaroo leather upper of the Copa Mundials.

Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal) – Adidas AdiPower

While many have fallen for the bright Blue/Electricity AdiPowers, some have criticised Adidas for selling the soul of the AdiPowers by not making the traditional Black/Predator Red colourway the headline boot. Some have decided to settle on an old favourite, and Koscielny is one of those players.

Stanislav Sukhina (Referee) – Adidas F50 AdiZero (Leather)

In all my time of refereeing and watching football games, I’ve never seen a referee wear a pair of AdiZeros! While referees don’t need to wear AdiZeros for the leather upper, the construction of the AdiZero makes it perfect for acceleration and speed, something that a LOT of referees I’ve seen need!

Iain Turner (Preston North End) – Puma V1.11 K-Leather

When we first revealed pictures of the K-Leather V1.11s, we instantly fell in love with the sharp looks and supreme construction of the White/Blue K-Leather boots. This colourway is hardly seen on the feet of players and it should be marked whenever we see one!

Kenwyne Jones (Stoke City) – Nike Tiempo Legend IV

This is a very interesting spot and we’re surprised not many people picked up on it. Kenwyne Jones of Stoke City who normally wears the Mizuno SuperSonic Waves, was spotted in a pair of the Nike Tiempo Legend IVs secondary release colourway. We’ll keep our eyes peeled to see if it is a permanent switch or he reverts back to his old boots.

Richards Ocheayi (Kaduna United ) – Umbro GT Pro

The Umbro GT Pros are hardly ever spotted on the feet of professionals and so it was even more of a surprise to us when we found this picture of the Kaduna United keeper in a pair of them.

Artyom Dzyuba (Spartak Moscow) – Nike Mercurial Vapor IV SL

And now to end a boot spot on a retro spot! When this Mercurial was released, Nike was miles ahead of the football boot arms race and the Vapor IV series was one of the most popular boot series ever. It’s always great to see a Vapor IV spot and we always look to find some to show our readers.

That’s it for today’s spotting. Did you see anything peculiar on the weekend?