The end of the European season is in sight, with brands making their last moves of the campaign. That’s given us the ammo for this week’s Boot Spotting, adding new releases to special editions, signature styles and custom creations. Ready? Let’s go…
Kylian Mbappe (PSG) Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Superfly IX XXV
Celebrating 25 years of the Mercurial, Nike released silver limited edition versions of both the Vapor XV and Superfly IX last week, and they followed that up with the wider XXV pack release, which saw the Vapor with volt accents and the Superfly with pink, and Mr Mercurial, Kylian Mbappe switched into the latter, and he bagged a brace in them against Angers.
Alejandro Balde (Barcelona) Nike Air Zoom Mercurial Vapor XV
Plenty of players switched into the Mercurial XXV pack this week, and accompanying Mbappe in the Superfly we plopped for Alejandro Balde, who wore the Vapor in Barca's 1-0 win over Ateltico.
Paul Pogba (Juventus) adidas Predator Accuracy .1 low
Last week, adidas launched the 'Heatspawn Pack', the brand's last pack release for the 22/23 season, and players duly made the switch into the colour ups. Paul Pogba, back on the pitch after such a long time away, laced up in the Predator Accuracy .1 low for Juve's 1-1 draw with Sporting, which saw the Old Lady progress to the Semi Finals of the Europa League on aggregate.
Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan) adidas X Speedportal +
Sticking with the adidas 'Heatspawn Pack' and with European competition, and Federico Dimarco wore the X Speedportal + as his side booked a slot in the Champions League semis against city rivals AC Milan with a win over Benfica.
Paulo Dybala (AS Roma) adidas COPA Pure +
Completing the adidas 'Heatspawn Pack' was Paulo Dybala, who slipped into the COPA Pure to notch against Feyenoord, firing Roma to the Europa League semi finals 4-2 on aggregate.
Javier Hernandez (LA Galaxy) PUMA Future x PowerCat Tokyo Ultimate
Sure, PUMA Future x PowerCat Tokyo Ultimate might be quite a mouthful, but its a special boot that was released as the first in retailer Pro:Direct's 25 year anniversary celebrations, harking back to one of PUMA's most vibrant releases of the last two and a half decades, and The Galaxy's Javier Hernandez netted in them against Austin this weekend.
Sebastien Haller (Borussia Dortmund) PUMA Ultra Ultimate
Sebastien Haller returned to action following a battle with testicular cancer earlier this year, and to raise awareness of the illness for Testicular Cancer Awareness Month PUMA provided the striker with his own signature Ultra Ultimate, complete with the phrase “Testicular Cancer Awareness Month – Check Your Nuts”. He wore them in the 4-0 win over Frankfurt.
Sergio Ramos (PSG) Mizuno Alpha
Sergio Ramos got his latest signature collection from Mizuno recently, and he's been wearing the Alpha in PSG's latest games.
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) Next Generation Nike Tiempo
We've already had a good look at the next generation Nike Tiempo on the feet of Lucy Bronze, but more players are being spotted in what is set to be the first non-leather Tiempo, including Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson.
Lewis Travis (Blackburn Rovers) Lotto Solista 200 VI
Don't often get to see Lotto's boots in action, so it's been a pleasure to see Blackburn's Lewis Travis in the Lotto Solista 200 VI in recent weeks.
Adama Traore (Wolverhampton Wanderers) Nike Mercurial Vapor 14
Adama Traore has embraced his nickname 'Beast', and has long been a fan of getting his boots customised with it. His latest has come from @jordan.dawson, who has emblazoned the word 'Beast' down the side of a pair of Nike Mercurial Vapor 14.
