Adidas Messi 10.1

            In the world of soccer today; the best players not only are watched and supported, but they are also highly commercialized. Sponsorships are everywhere, and what clothes or shoes a player wears, what he eats or drinks before a game, and even the video games he plays are all often sponsored. This is mainly prevalent in the cleat area of the game, and not only do brands want top players to use their shoes, but they will even go so far as to make a special cleat just for a specific player. While some players will have special colorways that are considered “theirs”, the two players with the most popular boots are definitely Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Ronaldo has, in previous years, had his own version of Nike’s Mercurial Vapor, and this year he has a Mercurial Superfly, but he is always with Nike and their speed boot. On the other end of the brand spectrum, Messi has been with Adidas’ speed boot, the Adizero F50. Both are typically priced around the same, at a little over 200 dollars, and I would say that both are premium, quality shoes for anyone to wear.

            Recently, Adidas has released yet another Messi version of their cleat, Messi logo and all: the Adidas Adizero F50 Messi 10.1. This version has a bright orange base with jagged, teal stripes across the upper. The color and style of the cleat is meant to represent and honor the home of Lionel Messi: Argentina. Besides its looks and meaning, the cleats are the same as any other Messi version of the F50, coming in at just 6.2 ounces.

            As specialized boots for players grow, and the type of cleats these are changes, it makes me wonder about the future of soccer cleats. First of all, at a youth level, it doesn’t seem strange to wear a pair of cleats that have the name or support of your favorite player, and it seems like a fun idea for some younger players. But once you look at higher levels, it doesn’t seem as clear as to whether or not this is an okay thing to do. At the professional level, most people would agree that it would be strange to wear a pair of cleats that have the name of another current professional player, favorite or not. This raises the question to at what point this is right. Is it right at the college level? Is it right at some of the professional B-leagues? Is it right even at the high school level? I would say that if it seems strange at all, that it wouldn’t be right, and that about the highest level should be at high school.

            Also, the cleat styles that have popular player backing are mostly speed, lightweight cleats. Both the Mercurial and Adizero lines are under 8 ounces at the highest level, and this is considered a very light cleat. While the demand for lighter cleats grows, many want a traditional feel that can offer the protection lacking from a light shoe. The lighter cleats are just the ones that become the most popular, and therefore make more money, leading to the company supporting their lighter cleats the most. While this may be good for business, it creates a market full of light cleats and leaves the people who prefer a traditional style out of the main market. Sadly, I think that the future of soccer cleats is going to different brands trying to make the lightest cleat possible, and eventually options and choices for buyers will drop away.