The recent Confederations Cup turned out to be quite the show off regarding some of the most important football boots on the market right now, and we will now look into which boots did the best during the big football fiesta in Brazil.
It was a truly amazing football event with beautiful goals, fresh moves and cheeky tricks as the Confederations Cup went down in Brazil, where the samba country also came out victorious in the end after an impressive 3-0 win against the reigning World- and European champions from Spain. But Brazils impressive final victory was not the only happening that we will remember from the event. During the amazing event we also saw some of the absolute top boots in the world in action, and we will now take a look at the amazing boots and how they performed during the Confederations Cup.
When looking at football boots that performed on the absolute top level it is hard to miss the Nike Hypervenom Phantom. On the feet of the big darling and recently crowned Barcelona star Neymar Jr., Nike had pretty much the ultimate platform to show off the unpredictable boot, as he delivered both amazing goals, assists and showed amazing skill.
Neymar delivered a couple of goals that really proved that, if you have the skills, the new Hypervenom can help you find the back of the net in the most beautiful way. The Nike Hypervenom was clearly one of the boots that truly stood out and performed to the fullest during this years Confederations Cup.
But it is not everyone who prefer to stick their feet in the quick and agile Hypervenoms, which was also something we learned during the Confederations Cup. The Italian superstar Mario Balotelli was initially promoted as a Hypervenom player, but the ever entertaining striker quickly changed his mind as he, already prior to the tournament, had changed back to the control boot Nike CTR360 Maestri III.
And considering the football he delivered on the pitch, it didn't actually look to be a bad choice for Balotelli. The Nike CTR360 Maestri III proved, on the feet of Balotelli, Iniesta and David Luiz, among others, that the boot is more than ready to make its mark when it is time to get down to business for the World Cup in Brazil next year.
It is, although, not only Nike who are able to deliver superior control on the pitch. Fernando Torres had an excellent confederations cup, and with his Adidas Predator LZ II on his feet, he also provided a perfect promotional display for Adidas, in terms of proving that you can both have speed and superior control in the well developed and popular boot. He manages to find the back of the net a few times and is more and more looking like a man who is heading for the level he has been known to deliver.
The Spanish Chelsea star could be found on the very top in most games, something he celebrated by showing off his Adidas Predator LZ in great fashion and as he has been known to only wear white boots, Adidas are probably well satisfied that he seems to have found a liking in the colourful green version of the Predator LZ II.
The players were clearly working really hard during the Confederations Cup, which is something that may easily be associated with the new kid in town, the Nitrocharge 1.0, which also made its mark. Adidas' latest star, the Nitrocharge 1.0, showed off its obvious abilities, for example on the feet of the skilful and technically gifted David Silva, who clarified that it is not just the engine of the team who can benefit from technologically loaded boot.
The super quick and attacking winger seemed to take full advantage of the revolutionising Energysling technology. The technology serves to provide better acceleration and more energy for the 90 minutes; and the little Manchester City player proved, with numerous beautiful goals, that he has found a boot that fits his elegant play. A big plus for the Nitrocharge which has been given a nice début.
A boot that was far from début during the Confederations Cup, but which has been well tested and developed over many years, is Nike's legendary Tiempo series. And also in the Brazilian heat we got to see what values that are associated with the classic and very elegant boot Nike Tiempo Legend IV.
On the feet of the Spanish defensive general, Sergio Ramos, and the Italian football magician Andrea Pirlo, what we already knew, was yet again confirmed this boot is a piece of superior elegance. The free-kick that Pirlo delivered in his national team match number 100 for Italy doesn't need further introduction. Whereas, Ramos might need a little cheering up after a rare final loss; hats off to Pirlo!
But, whereas Pirlo's ball control is exceptional, his speed is not at the same level. If you put him in a sprint you might have to wait a little to see him cross the finish line, and he would surely be beaten by the speedy Spaniard Pedro, who also masters sublime ball control. He does so in a true classic, the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX, which also made its mark at the Confederations Cup, and once again proved to us all, that this is a true top boot.
This boot is born for speed, a unique and unmatched speed that will leave the big defenders breathless and serve them their worst nightmare. The Nike Mercurial series is an icon in the world of football boots, and the latest top model, the Vapor IX, could be seen on the feet of Brazilian Jo and Italian Alessio Cerci during the Brazilian football event. This boot is welcome at any football event, and it is always ready to attract attention, in a positive way.
Brazilian Fred managed to create a lot of positive attention around himself and hereby also his secret weapon, the Adidas F50 Adizero, which is the German's go at a speedy lightweight boot. The boot weighs in at just 165 grams, and yet it is among the big boys when we are talking about the development of the latest football boot technologies.
The F50 Adizero is designed to be lightning fast in decisive situations, and super sharp when opportunities arise; the exact virtues we could see the Brazilian striker Fred perform as he, with two goals, secured Brazil a spot in the final after a 3-2 win against Italy. Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez also showed how the F50 Adizero is the perfect match for a speedy and technically gifted striker.
It was, although, not only Nike and Adidas who proved that they can deliver boots to meet the needs of the worlds top footballers. On the feet of the Brazilian defender Dante, Puma displayed a clear signal that they have a boot silo that is designed to deliver when it counts, and so did the classic and iconic Puma King to the fullest.
Dante, who has had a terrific season in Bayern Munich, was an important part of the Brazilian success, and the final triumph. He defended well and even found the opponents back of the net; and he did all that with the Puma King on his feet. With all this success, why not do some 'hairy' celebrations.
Confederations Cup was a true party and a joyous event for all football fans, as well as boot nerds. We got to see a range of the very top shelf boots to be found on the market right now. They were well placed on the feet of some of the biggest footballers in the world, and it was a true pleasure which really just leaves us with one comment: Oh my god, how we are looking forward to the World Cup in Brazil next year.
This years Confederations Cup was a perfect display for what the absolute top boots can deliver when they are sitting on the best footballers. Which boot do you think performed the best? And which boot would you prefer to stick your feet in, if you were to go to the World Cup in Brazil next year? Feel free to leave a comment here or on Facebook and Twitter.