Time to see who’s wearing what this week as we pick out the best of the Boot Spotting action from around the globe over the past seven days. With new releases and special editions to throwback classics and custom creations, it’s time see who’s caught our eye…
Gabriel Pires (Benfica) Diadora Brasil Made in Italy
Kicking things off with an unexpected treat, and Benfica's Gabriel Pires gave the Diadora Brasil 'Made in Italy' blackout a rare appearance in the Champions League as his side drew 2-2 with RB Leipzig this week.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) adidas Nemeziz Messi 19.1
Messi put on yet another masterclass this week as Barca brushed Atletico aside, with the Argentinian snatching the only goal of the game, four minutes from time. And he did so in a new shirt/new shoe combo, debuting the soon-to-be-released new colourway for the Nemeziz Messi 19.1. The boot design takes more than a little bit of inspiration from the 2010 World Cup F50.
Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) Nike Mercurial Vapor XIII
Nike dropped the Mercurial/PhantomVNM 'Terra Pack' team-up last week, and Eden Hazard is the latest player to advocate the new colourway, pulling on the Mercurial Vapor 13 for Real's match with PSG in the Champions League. Despite the fact that it was rumoured to be Hazard's opponent-on-the-night Neymar who would be lacing up in the 'Terra Pack' Mercurial, it was actually only the Belgian who wore them in the 2-2 draw.
Matti Steinmann (Wellington Phoenix) New Balance Tekela V3
An interesting little spot over in the A-League saw Wellington Phoenix's Matti Steinmann giving us a sneak peek at the next generation Tekela. Most noticeable is the fact that this appears to be New Balance's first laceless boot. Due out in 2020, could this mark a step up in popularity at the highest level of the game for the Tekela?
Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal) Nike PhantomVSN II
From one blackout prototype to another and it looks like Kevin De Bruyne and Dani Carvajal are in good company after [ahem] Shkodran Mustafi was spotted training in the prototype Nike PhantomVSN II this week. Expected to drop sometime early next year, the next iteration of the PhantomVSN appears to have a reworked upper.
Bastos Quissanga (Lazio) PUMA ONE 18.1
A nice bit of customisation was on show in Lazio's Europa League game with Cluj, with defender Bastos Quissanga showing off a pair of PUMA ONE 18.1 that featured several personalised details painted throughout the upper.
Adrian Fein (Hamburger SV) Nike CTR360 Maestri II
Heading into the second level of the Bundesliga, and Hamburger SV's Adrian Fein was spotted in 2012's "White/Silver/Purple" colourway of the Nike CTR360 Maestri II. Hamburger might have lost 2-1 to Osnabrueck, but Fein won the "best boots on the night" award, hands down.
Hakan Calhanoglu (AC Milan) adidas F50 adizero IV
Keeping up appearances, Hakan Calhanoglu once again takes his place on this week's list, this time in the "Samba Pack" colourway of the adidas F50 adizero IV from AC Milan's 1-0 win over Parma. Released ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the bright colourways are still as hard to miss.
Ali Gholizadeh (R. Charleroi S.C.) Nike Mercurial Vapor 12
The trend that sees players wearing different boots on each foot continues, and this week's proponent is Charleroi's Ali Gholizadeh, who wore different colourways of the Mercurial Vapor 12, in which he scored the opener in his side's 3-1 win over Sint Truiden in the Jupiler Pro League.
Divock Origi (Liverpool) Nike Mercurial Superfly VII
Divock Origi became the latest pro to show off the capabilities of the Nike By You service, where by you can fully customise your own kicks. The Belgian opted for a pure white base with red accents through the heel, complementing the Liverpool kit nicely as he came off the bench in his side's 2-1 win over Brighton.
Rafael Carioca (Tigres) adidas Predator 19+
Interesting effort at a spot of self-customisation on show as Tigres lost out to Club America in the Apertura quarter final. Tigres midfielder took to the field in a pair of adidas Predator 19+, but rather than opt for one of the numerous black versions out there, he instead 'blacked-out' a pair from the 'Hardwired Pack', with some of the "Bright Cyan" colouring still visible.
Freddie Ljungberg (Arsenal) PUMA evoPOWER Vigor 1
Taking the helm at Arsenal, for the time being at least, Freddie Ljungberg also caught our eye because of his choice of boots. The Swede opted to wear the PUMA evoPOWER Vigor 1 'blackout' from 2017. Still looks as good now as back in the day. So does the evoPOWER.