The Nike Tiempo Legend football boot gets a new version every other year, and every other year it's an outstanding piece of purpose-built footwear.
From our experience, the Adidas Predator is hands down the most popular line of football boots ever made, and if you were to ask someone what their favourite ever pair were, the majority of them would pick one of the Predators that were released between 2002 and 2014.
However, there were a few absolute stinkers in that line. While the Predator Mania (2002), the Predator Absolute (2006), and the Predator Powerswerve (2007) are legitimately some of the best boots ever released, some of the releases in between were seriously ugly, and by the retirement of the silo in 2014 many had lost interest altogether.
That's why the Nike Tiempo Legend is perhaps underrated, as they have to be up there with the most reliable in delivering a good looking, sensible, and desirable boot year after year.
The latest release, the Nike Tiempo Legend VII, are once again outstanding.
Here they are in the stock black/orange colourway:
Leather, not luminous in colour, something Graeme Souness would have no complaints with, and yet it still looks modern and attractive to a potential buyer.
The extremely limited 'blackout' edition, of which there will be only 100 made, are absolutely gorgeous:
Todo lo que necesitas saber acerca de las nuevas @nikefootball #Tiempo7: https://t.co/Vsi31mAq85 pic.twitter.com/K0OtjZHjn1
— Fútbol Emotion (@futbolemotion) June 22, 2017
Why they won't go out on general sale is a mystery, a frustrating one, but nevertheless they are quality.
We tried to think of the last time a Nike Tiempo boot was released that we didn't like, and we genuinely couldn't. That prompted a look back over the history of the line, and sure enough, in terms of stylish, yet sensible football boots, they don't come much more reliable than the Tiempo.
The 'Legend' series was introduced for a genuine legend in Ronaldinho, part of an excellent marketing campaign that tricked many naive football fans into thinking he could volley the ball onto the crossbar to have it land back at his feet on command, and is still regarded as one of the best boots ever made:
Nike Tiempo Legend R10
Nike Tiempo Legend IV
Nike Tiempo Legend V
Nike Tiempo Legend VI
So that's our little tribute to the Nike Tiempo Legend, if you are one of the many who a special place in their heart for one of those boots then let us know which your favourite is.
[Imagery via Footyheadlines.com and ProDirectSoccer.com]
