Maybe you have already picked side. Maybe you don’t care, or maybe you have absolutely no clue. The options are plenty when you are looking for a new football boot, and it is very different from back in the days when there was only one football boot to wear. Therefore, I went around are Headquarters to hear what our own employees prefer to wear.

Obviously this is not an easy task. Why is it that we offer so many different football boots? Doesn’t it all just come down to a boot with studs on it? The quick answer is, yes. But how much help is a quick answer? It is certainly not enough for us, so we decided to look into what preferences actually guide us to pick the one boot from the other.

You can find a massive selection of football boots right here

Looking at the basics, we can say that there are three different types of football boots; leather, synthetic, and knit. They each cater for different needs, and generally the needs we speak of are: fit/comfort, ball feel/control and weight.

Leather boots come in many forms and shapes. Kangaroo leather and calf leather are however the most common types. Kangaroo leather, or k-leather is it is also known as, is considered the best material due to its incredibly soft and flexible fit, as well as great durability. Of the good leather boots we can mention classics such as the PUMA King Top DI, adidas Copa Mundial and Nike Premier; but also more modern incarnations such as the f50 adizero and evoSPEED leather, Nike Tiempo Legend and the adidas 11pro.

Comfort is also the main reason for picking a leather boot. Both Alstrup, Juuso and Mathias agree on this. juuso explains: “I wear a leather boot because of the comfort. A good leather boot will adapt perfectly to your feet. Besides the increased water uptake I cannot find a single reason to wear anything else.”

The water uptake has been one of the paramount reasons for why the suppliers started to experiment with other materials. And this is where the synthetic material comes into play. Water uptake means a heavier and more bulky football boot; and as the game got faster, the weight also became a dominant reason for going for synthetic boots.

As the material has been developed, and we are now seeing synthetic uppers that emulate leather almost perfectly, which is probably also why this type of upper has become so popular. Among the fans of the synthetic is Marius:

“The synthetic upper provides the best of two worlds. The comfortable fit that we know from leather and the close ball feel, known from a woven upper. At the same time, the price point is mid range and therefore not too expensive. And due to the material being synthetic, you can easily add technologies to it. For example the Dribbletex on an adizero, which delivers perfect grip in all weather conditions; it is easy to step into and it doesn’t overstretch and take up water in the rain.”

The synthetic upper has become the most widely used today and is the upper we know from some of the most popular football boots going from speed boots such as the f50 adizero, Mercurial Vapor and evoSPEED. But also on boots like the Hypervenom, Predator Instinct and evoPOWER are amongst the very most popular football boots.

The popularity did however reach new heights as the ‘knit’ revolution really kicked in last year. Now the main focus was no longer the obsession with weight, but more on obtaining the ultimate snug and almost barefoot like fit. And here the knitted football was created. An upper made of yarn - developed over many years, with extensive research and top secret techniques.

In this category we will find some of newer offerings with the Magista Obra and Mercurial Superfly from Nike, as well as the brand new Primeknit 2.0 from adidas. This boot is the talk of the town these days; and has become so by being able to offer a mix of comfort, speed and ball feel that has not been seen before.

Mathias is in the crowd of fans of the knitted football boot: “It is surely the best boot I have ever worn in regards to the fit. The boot just fits like nothing else. The flyknit is a light, breathable and supple material that really does a proper job!”

There are plenty of pros and cons to be found with each selection of upper material, but in the end it comes down to personal preference. Are you looking for exceptional comfort and a classic touch then you wanna look towards the leather boots. Are you however going for full speed and low weight, as well as additional technologies, then go for synthetic. Have you fallen for the knitted material and barefoot like fit, then you wanna pick the Magista, Superfly or Primeknit.

The conclusion must be that there is no right answer to what football boot is generally the best. In the end it comes down to personal preference, and we are seeing that each upper type has an audience. But what upper do you prefer? Take your football passion to a social level and share your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.