Buying a pair of football boots is no easy task. Buying the wrong pair of cleats can often lead to serious injury. There are various model types of playing surfaces and various types of materials that can be used to manufacture a football boot. Hence, the sheer number of variations that are available can often be overwhelming. Fret not, for we have picked the best football boots that you can buy in India. We’ve segregated them into neat categories based on playing surface and price range so that you can quickly narrow down to the best football cleats that meet your specific needs.
Also check out Swami’s take on the Best Footballs That You Can Buy
Best Football Boots – Quick Comparison
It is highly recommended that you read our detailed guide below on how to buy Football Boots in order to understand the various terms such as AG, FG, SG, and the other technical details that cleat manufacturers use in their football boot specifications. In this article, we are covering boots for the most common playing surfaces in India – FG and AG. For other types of football boots, check out our article on SG, Turf and Indoor boots.
The boot manufacturers also make two different versions of the same model of boots. The top-end versions which the pros use and take-down versions of the same boots that are much cheaper and affordable. These take down versions are excellent choices for everyday use for most players because let’s face it, not everyone gets paid like Messi and Ronaldo.
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Best Football Boots – Review
Let us take a look at the best football shoes that you can buy in India in various price ranges.
Best Football Boots Under 10000
Nike Mercurial Superfly 6 Pro Football Cleats
The Nike Mercurial series is Nike’s top-of-the-line ‘Speed’ configuration boot. It has a very aggressive fully bladed stud configuration that gives super high traction. This high level of traction enables you to make quick turns and fast runs, the likes of which you see Eden Hazard often do. However, to achieve this high level of traction, Nike has sacrificed a bit of comfort in the Superfly 6 due to the bladed configuration passing stud pressure to the feet. However, playing 90 to 120 minutes in these boots should not be too difficult.
The uppers are made of super lightweight synthetic fabric which gives an almost barefoot feel. This further allows you to make fast runs with the ball at your feet. However, the thin outer material offers very little protection to your feet. So be watchful of strong tackles and beware of getting stepped on, because it would be very painful.
Adidas Predator Pro Football Shoes
The Predator series from Adidas is one of the best football cleats that you can buy in India which has an excellent mix of traction, comfort, and control. The use of polygonal studs (which offers grip similar to conical studs) gives the boot good traction without sacrificing on the comfort. This feature makes the Adidas Predator, a great choice of shoe for players who like to keep the ball close and move around similar to Lionel Messi.
The synthetic uppers are flexible enough to fit your feet well and also tough enough to offer you a good amount of protection. This makes the boots slightly heavier which may be an issue if you like to run really fast.
Nike Phantom Vision VSN Pro Football Boots
The Phantom Vision series from Nike is specifically designed to be the best football boots for finishing thanks to its clean striking surface. It comes with a balanced mix of conical and bladed studs that give good grip and comfort. The main selling point of the Phanton Vision, however, is the clean shooting face on the uppers. It comes with Nike’s Ghost lace setup, where the laces are under the outer layer of the boot.
This setup ensures that the contact with the ball is clean and smooth. The force from your kick is transferred to the ball without any loss. This clean shooting face of the Nike Phantom VSN makes it an ideal choice for players who like to hit the ball with force, similar to Christiano Ronaldo and also for players who like to play crosses and long balls – wingers, full backs and goalkeepers come to mind.
Puma Future 4.1 Netfit Pro AG Football Boots
The Future series from Puma is specifically designed to give grip and comfort while playing on Artificial Grass surfaces. It has mostly conical studs which favor comfort but does not compromise on grip altogether either. This increased focus on comfort, makes it ideal for players who like to be constantly on the run, throughout the match like N’Golo Kanté. It is also the best choice for indoor AG courts which are becoming hugely popular across Indian cities.
The uppers are made of a mix of synthetic and knit material which allows the cleat to fit various different feet types. If you have wide feet, then the Puma Future 4.1 is a great choice.
Best Football Boots Under 5000
Nike Phanton Venom VNM Club Football Cleats
The Nike Phantom Venom has an aggressive fully bladed stud configuration that allows players to run at full speed with the ball at their feet. The superior grip that these boots offer, also allows you to quickly pivot and change directions without the danger of slipping, which can be dangerous on FG firm ground surfaces. Ideal choice for players similar to Mo Salah, who run quickly, change direction, and shoot.
The uppers are made of relatively flexible synthetic leather which provides good flexibility. The outer material is relatively hard which gives great protection to your feet. Although, slightly on the heavier side, it does not slow you down.
Best Football Boots Under 4000
New Balance Furon 3.0 Football Boots
The Furan 3.0 from New Balance comes with a full polygonal stud configuration which gives excellent grip on the field without compromising on the comfort. Similar to the Adidas Predator, it enables players to keep the ball close to their feet and move around fluidly in a manner similar to Kevin De Bruyne.
The outer is made of a synthetic knitted material which is specifically designed to adapt to your feet’s shape and size. This makes the New Balance Furon 3.0, the best football boots for wide feet players. The knitted material allows soft and deft touches on the ball without overhitting it.
Best Football Boots Under 3000
Puma One 19.4 Football Shoes for Men
The One 19.4 from Puma comes with a balanced mix of conical and bladed studs. This gives very good traction without any significant loss in comfort as stud pressure on the feet is avoided. The studs are also made from durable rubber which increases its life. This is essential because the abrasive nature of Artificial Grass (AG surface) tends to wear our cleats quickly.
The superior control that the synthetic uppers offer is ideally suited for players who play with flair similar to Ronaldinho. The boots are lightweight and enable quick movement and dribbling with the ball close to you.
Mizuno Monarchida Football Cleats
The Mizuno Monarchida cleats are designed with comfort of the player in mind. These FG boots have a fully conical stud configuration that absorbs the pressure and allows you to comfortable wear the cleats for hours on end. This feature makes it a great choice for daily training, when you often need to stay on your feet for more than a couple of hours.
The outer material is leather, which, when combined with thick grip socks offers the best comfort that any soccer boot can provide. The leather also transfers the force well onto the ball, allowing you to make clean passes and strikes.
Best Football Boots Under 2000
Puma Adreno III AG Football Boots
The Adreno III comes with a fully conical stud configuration that gives good traction and excellent comfort when playing. The outsole and studs are made of durable rubber material that can withstand the increased wear and tear that happens on Artificial Grass (AG surface).
The uppers are made of leather which is flexible enough to offer a snug fit on the feet. This one of the best football boots for beginners since it is easy on the wallet and also offers good comfort.
Vector X Jaguar Football Shoes
The Vector X Jaguar football boots come with a balanced mix of conical and bladed studs for optimum grip and comfort. It is designed for play on hard mud grounds that are found almost everywhere in India. The stud pattern is ideally suited for players who move about the ground with agility in a way similar to Marcus Rashford of Manchester United.
The uppers are made of synthetic PU material which offers good protection to the feet. This is essential when playing in mud grounds where the chances of falling are high.
Best Football Boots Under 1000
Nivia Dominator AG Football Cleats
The Nivia Dominator comes with a fully conical stud configuration that has been designed with player comfort in mind. The boots are designed for play in Artificial Grass or AG surface. They can withstand good wear and tear and so will last for a long time, in spite of rough use on 5 vs 5 courts.
The synthetic uppers offer sufficient protection to the feet. They also fit well. All these, combined with the cheap price make the Nivia Dominator the best men’s football shoes for first timers.
Best Football Boots Under 500
Nivia Premier Carbonite Football Shoes for Men
The Nivia Premier Carbonite football boots are the best football boots under 500. They come with a conical + polygonal stud pattern that offers good traction and comfort for new players and beginners who just want to try playing Football casually.
The synthetic uppers provide good protection to the feet and also keep your feet dry when playing in relatively wet conditions. These are great for kids, school level players, and first-timers who want to play football casually.
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Football Boots – Buying Guide
FG Football Boots
FG stands for Firm Ground. These are grounds with a hard and dry base with or without grass. In India, this is the type of surface that you will find 90% of the time. The field will either be plain normal mud or covered with naturally grown grass. In these types of grounds, you will need to use boots that have studs that will primarily grip the hard mud surface (mud under the grass in case of grass fields) and provide good traction that allows you to run and make sharp turns. The studs may be conical (round shaped) or bladed (rectangular shaped). Conical studs usually provide comfort due to the balanced weight distribution while bladed studs provide additional speed since the traction is much better.
The advantage with going for a pair of FG boots is that you can use the same pair of boots in soft grounds (professional and wet grassy fields) and the Artificial Grass fields too. Although they may not be as suited to these other playing surfaces as the cleats that are made specifically for that purpose, FG shoes work fine. Hence, if you are short on budget and would prefer to go for a single pair of football boots to use on different playing surfaces, FG should be your choice.
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AG Football Boots
AG stands for Artificial Grass. This is a playing surface where synthetic rubber-based grass carpets are used. You find this type of playing surface in 5-5 Futsal courts that are becoming very popular across Indian cities. The artificial grass is a bit more abrasive than natural grass and the bottom surface is usually cushioned using black coloured small plastic sand. Since the base of the artificial grass carpets are not as hard as mud playing grounds, boot manufacturing companies such as Adidas, Nike and Puma have come up with specially designed outsoles with special studs for playing on this surface.
Although not ideally suited for play on the hard mud grounds of India, AG boots work okay on such surfaces. However, care should be taken to not use AG boots regularly on FG surface since the studs could break off.
Comfort Performance Mode Football Boots
Boots with Comfort performance mode typically have fully conical or polygonal studs. These are distributed evenly and hence, transfer the stress and pressure of play onto the ground evenly.
The uppers are also not too tight and provide good comfort to the wearer. Thus, boots with Comfort performance mode don’t cause stress on the feet. You can continue playing with these cleats for long hours.
Control Performance Mode Football Cleats
Cleats with Control performance mode typically have a balanced mix of bladed and conical stud configuration. These help offer superior grip when compared to the Comfort boots. The studs also allow the player to pivot, move quickly, and run at the opposition with the ball at their feet.
The uppers are usually made of synthetic material with textured patterns or knitted material. This texture allows fine control of the ball using soft touches, which is the hallmark of Control boots.
Speed Performance Mode Soccer Boots
The Speed Performance boots usually have fully bladed studs that offer the best traction possible on football cleats. This grip allows a player to sprint, accelerate, and even stop and change direction without fear of slipping. However, these boots do compromise on comfort, since the bladed studs transfer the stress to the feet.
The uppers are usually thin, lightweight, and give an almost barefoot feel. This allows fast movement but on the other hand, sacrifices protection of the feet against tackles and stampings.
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Finishing Performance Mode Football Shoes
Finishing performance mode football shoes usually have a balanced mix of conical and bladed studs similar to a Control shoe. However, the primary difference between the control and finishing boots is that the latter has a clean striking surface. This is achieved through laceless boot configuration, laces to one side configuration, or using technology such as Nike’s ghost laces.
The uppers are usually synthetic which offer good protection to the feet. They are also relatively comfortable and allow the player to shoot and make long range passes with high accuracy.
That brings this buying guide and best football boots in India article to an end. Do let us know in the comments if you found this useful or if you have suggestions for alternate boots.
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