Even though football boots haven't been boots for decades, the term remains a standard of the sport's vocabulary. It make sense; the sleek, form-fitting footwear of today evolved from heavy leather boots (with evidence of the first football-specific pair being made in the 1500s for King Henry VIII of England). Over centuries, small advances were made. For example, studs were affixed for grip, but players effectively just wore what they had been in all day- steel toe, high ankle, leather. And what did one do to the ball? Boot it. Kick it hard. Kick it long. Punt the ball up and down the pitch with little in the way of finesse, but the makings of something beautiful, nonetheless. Technology evolved, pitches improved, and by the 1970s boots assisted delicate tap-ins, driving volleys, and swerving free kicks. The game became more attractive, the footwear more appealing. Football's charismatic stars turned milliseconds of match play into collective memory. When we talk about football boots we talk about mnemonic devices. To see a boot, physically or in image, is to time travel. People cherish the moments; recall what was worn to produce them. We still do. And those of us who are truly obsessive follow boot releases, check off who's in what, and prepare for every competition heart filled with hope. Occasionally our thoughts are rebooted. Generational talents reframe football. Generational designs restructure ideas about performance and aesthetics. Sometimes nostalgia calls, memories literally rebooted, and a magic color scheme (blue/silver/yellow ; orange/black) swaggers across the pitch again.
Foreword by Nicholas Schonberger