The game has gone mad, Bill!
Last week we showed you the images of Adidas' new "Gloro" line of football boots, and you loved them. And why wouldn't you? They were simple, classy, and they had all the features needed including the return of the legendary tongue strap.
Traditionalists of the game like their football boots to be no nonsense, but there is also a new wave of slightly mental boots that are being worn by the game's top players and are proving to be quite popular with amateurs too.
Well, it seems that Adidas is catering to both parties, after they announced they had invented the first "full-sock" boot and released the following photos last year, Nike then unveiled their Magista line offering a sock like support above the ankle, and crucially got their product to market first. They are the bright yellow boots you saw in the World Cup, and every week in the Premier League.
The upper is made entirely of knitted material, has no tongue, and, incredibly, it also has no laces. The boot will slip on like a sock and look to provide a snug fit to the foot. The bottom of the boot will feature studs in a moulded plate similar to what we already see on Adidas F50's and other lightweight Adidas boots.
Well now the first leaked image of these boots being worn and photographed has surfaced, and the full article is expected in shops next month:
Obviously the final version will be more polished, like the previous images, but the boot is finally coming out over a year after it was first announced.
What do you make of these new boots?
One the one hand, it is a scientific fact proven on the schoolyard that you run faster and dribble better in socks, but on the other hand, the thought of taking a studs up challenge to the foot in these things... OUCH!
The Adidas Primeknit FS is pencilled in for an April 2015 release and are expected to retail for $300 US.