On a weekend of derby drama we're taking a look back at which players stood out for their boot choices as club football was thrust back into action. From Buenos Aires to Birmingham, here's the pick of the custom, throwback and latest footwear on show...
Carlos Tevez (Boca Juniors) Nike Tiempo Legend V
The main story of the weekend was drama surrounding the much hyped but cancelled second leg of the Copa Libertadores final in Argentina. Carlos Tevez was ready to run out in his Nike Tiempo Legend V boots after training in them at a sold out La Bombonera, but the Boca bus was attacked on the way to River Plate.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona) adidas Nemeziz Messi 18.1
Sticking with the Argentinian theme, and Lionel Messi was able to debut the latest colourway of his signature Nemeziz on pitch this weekend, which dropped as part of the 'Initiator Pack'. In the absence of the Copa Libertadores final, eyes were on La Liga as Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Madrid.
Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) PUMA Future 2.1 Netfit
"A special pair for a special match." So said Antoine Griezmann of his custom PUMA Future boot that he wore when his home nation took on the nation that, well, he really likes. With less pressure than when the sides last met back in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, France ran out 1-0 winners against Uruguay.
Yannick Bolasie (Aston Villa) Nike Mercurial Vapor XI BHM
Yannick Bolasie dusted off his limited edition Black History Month Nike Mercurial boots for the Second City derby on Sunday. Forget Boca v River, there was only one game on the minds of the good folk in the Midlands this weekend, and Villa took all the spoils running out as 4-2 winners.
Albert Adomah (Aston Villa) PUMA evoSPEED Fresh
Albert Adomah obviously got the dust-your-old-boots-off-for-the-derby memo as well, as Villa winger rocked up in the 2016 PUMA evoSPEED Fresh edition. It was the Ghanian who made way for Bolasie's introduction. Old boots for old boots.
Furdjel Narsingh (De Graafschap) Nike Mercurial Vapor IX
Furdjel Narsingh takes the award this week for best boot/kit combo, by pairing up the 2013 'Volt/Bright Citrus' Nike Mercurial Vapor IX with his club's yellow kit. Unfortunately that's all Narsingh took from the match as his side slumped to a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Utrecht.
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) Nike Blackout
Melwood seems to be the place to be for mystery boot spotting this month with the likes of Virgil van Dijk and James Milner both being spotted in blacked out boots recently. Skipper Jordan Henderson has joined the party in what is likely to be a next gen Nike boot. It's the same silhouette as current Hypervenom player Marcus Rashford has tested.
Daniel Keita-Ruel (Greuther Fürth) Nike x Virgil Abloh Mercurial Vapor 360
Daniel Keita-Ruel stood out this week in the second tier of Bundesliga as he took to the pitch in the limited edition Mercurial Vapor 360 collaboration between Nike and OFF-WHITE's Virgil Abloh. The much hyped drop was debuted by Kylian Mbappe back in March this year.
Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) adidas COPA 19.1
On to the weekly COPA watch, and the latest big name to be seen sporting the new silo is Juve's Juan Cuadrado. The Colombian was seen training in the 19.1 last week before turning out in them for Juve's 2-0 win against SPAL. The COPA's popularity is increasing by the day.
João Moutinho (Wolves) adidas COPA 19+
While more and more players are being seen in the new COPA, there aren't many that are brave enough to follow in Paulo Dybala's footsteps by going laceless. But João Moutinho has done just that, taking to the pitch in the 19+ during Wolves' 2-0 home defeat to Huddersfield on Sunday.
Alexander Scholz (FC Midtjylland) adidas World Cup
With all the hype surrounding the COPA 19, it's always reassuring to see that some players are still fully paid-up members of the old school. Alexander Scholz was spotted wearing the adidas World Cup this weekend as FC Midtjylland narrowly lost to FC Copenhagen in the Danish top flight.
