BACK in the day, choosing football boots was easy – everybody wanted Predators.
But simple black boots are a thing of the past.
GETTY – CONTRIBUTOR: Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero have smashed in the goals for Man City this season… but what boots do they wear?
Now there are hundreds on the market, each seemingly more bizarrely complex than the next.
Do I want the luminous orange or the lime green? Laces or no laces? Do I need built-in socks?
And let’s not even start on Mario Balotelli’s mohawked monstrosities.
All that really matters is goals – especially if you want to make a late bid for the World Cup squad.
AFP: Mohamed Salah is the top scorer in the Premier League this season
So, what is the best pair to pick if you want to find the back of the net?
Using data from Football Boots DB, we’ve found out what EVERY goalscorer in the Premier League this season is wearing to discover the division’s top-scoring boot.
WHICH BRAND COMES OUT ON TOP?
ON the face of it, Nike.
Excluding own goals, the ball has hit the back of the net 309 in the Prem this season – most of them from Manchester City.
And of those strikes, 169 have come off of a Nike boot (or the head of someone wearing a pair).
Which manufacturer’s boots have scored the most goals in the Premier League this season?
NIKE: Nike Hypervenom Phantom III is warn by the likes of Harry Kane and Alexandre Lacazette
REUTERS: Harry Kane celebrates after scoring yet again for Tottenham… he has eight in Prem this season
That equates to 54.7 per cent of all goals scored this campaign.
A total of 116 have come from players wearing Adidas, 18 from Puma and 5 were scored from a Mizuno foot.
While finally, Michail Antonio one goal is the only netted from and Umbro boot.
WHAT IS THE TOP SCORING BOOT?
ROMELU LUKAKU ditched his Nike boot deal for Adidas this season… and it’s helped fire the Adidas X 17.1 right to the top of the table (even if the trick hasn’t worked for United).
The Belgian’s eight goals – plus the same number as Man City’s Gabriel Jesus – have helped the super-light polkadotted footwear notch 50 Prem strikes already.
It is the most popular boot in the league, with 8.6 per cent of players wearing it.
The five top-scoring boots in the Premier League this season
AFP OR LICENSORS: Romelu Lukaku scored in Adidas boots for Manchester United against Newcastle
ADIDAS: Lukaku wears the Adidas X 17.1 boot, which is the most popular in the Premier League
Who wears the Adidas X 17.1?
Gabriel Jesus – Man City (8 goals)
Romelu Lukaku – Man Utd (8)
Glenn Murray – Brighton (4)
Pascal Gross – Brighton (3)
Sam Vokes – Burnley (3)
Michy Batshuayi – Chelsea (2)
Tomer Hemed – Brighton (2)
Jay Rodriguez – West Brom (2)
Cesar Azpilicueta – Chelsea (1)
Nacer Chadli – West Brom (1)
Steve Cook – Bournemouth (1)
Troy Deeney – Watford (1)
Jermain Defoe – Bournemouth (1)
Demarai Gray – Leicester (1)
Ahmed Hagazy – West Brom (1)
Vicente Iborra – Leicester (1)
Daryl Janmaat – Watford (1)
Christian Kabasele – Watford (1)
Saed Kolasinac – Arsenal (1)
Joel Matip – Liverpool (1)
Alfie Mawson – Swansea (1)
James Morrison – West Brom (1)
Matt Phillips – West Brom (1)
Diafra Sakho – West Ham (1)
David Silva – Man City (1)
Moussa Sissoko – Tottenham (1)
And in fact, a total of 26 different goalscorers are wearing a pair this season – making it the most prolific on this list.
Nike’s super-agile Hypervenom Phantom III comes in second with 45 goals, from the likes of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Alexandre Lacazette.
And it’s Nike for the rest of the top five with the Mercurial Vapor XI, Mercurial Superfly V and Magista Opus II picking up the minor honours.
NIKE: The likes of Anthony Martial, Richarlison and Tammy Abraham wear Nike Mercurial Vapor XI
REX FEATURES: Anthony Martial has scored five goals this season for Manchester United
WHERE’S MOHAMED SALAH?
YOU may have noticed that the Premier League’s top scorer is not on this list.
That’s because free-scoring Liverpool winger Salah has been sporting a pair of Adidas X 17+ Purespeeds throughout his goal-laden campaign.
Appropriately named for the rapid Egyptian, the Purespeed has helped the Kop star lead the charts with nine goals this season.
ADIDAS: Adidas X 17+ Purespeed is worn by prolific Mohamed Salah, but is designed for creators
AP:ASSOCIATED PRESS: Mohamed Salah is the Premier League’s top scorer with nine goals
However, actually designed for creators rather than scorers, its wearers have notched just 21 goals so far.
And what of the rest of the Prem’s best marksmen?
We are yet to mention eight-goal Sergio Aguero so far… that’s because he wears Puma ONEs.
While six-striker pair Leroy Sane and Jamie Vardy wear the Nike Mercurial Superfly V.
GETTY IMAGES – GETTY: Sergio Aguero has netted eight times for City in the league this campaign in Puma boots
PUMA: Puma ONE’s are worn by Sergio Aguero and Stoke’s Choupo-Moting
SO WHICH ONE IS BEST?
WELL, it seems the best players seem to score goals, whatever they’ve got on their feet.
The Chairman of Agbele Sporting, Hon. Ponmile Omidiji, has rejoiced with and extended warm felicitations to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, on the occasion of his birthday.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Omidiji and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement reads: “It is my greatest pleasure to felicitate with you, the man of the masses and a philanthropist par excellence, on your day of birth.
“You are a morale booster and a great motivator to this generation. You always utilise any position you occupy for the benefit of others. Indubitably, you are a good man and worthy of emulation,” he added.
Omidiji also seized the opportunity to commend Hon. Soname’s contributions and tireless efforts towards the development of football in Nigeria and beyond, noting that such commitment is truly appreciated.
He offered heartfelt prayers for the celebrant, praying that Almighty God would continue to bless and protect him, that God’s grace would abound in his life, and that all his concerns would be firmly in God’s hands. He further wished that the world would always be kind to him.
Christian Chukwu, former captain and head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has died at the age of 74.
The football icon passed away in the early hours of Saturday, though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear at the time of reporting.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his longtime friend and teammate, Chief Olusegun Odegbami, who spoke to Channels Television. Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu in Nigeria’s triumphant 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on,” said Odegbami.
“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” he added.
Born on 4 January 1951 in Enugu, Chukwu carved a legendary career in Nigerian football, notably captaining Enugu Rangers to numerous domestic triumphs and leading them to continental glory in 1977 with victory in the now-defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup.
He made history in 1980 as the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy following a 3–0 win over Algeria in the final held in Lagos.
Chukwu went on to contribute to Nigeria’s football success off the pitch, serving as assistant to Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof during the Super Eagles’ victorious 1994 AFCON campaign and their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
As head coach, Chukwu led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His tenure as national coach lasted from 2002 to 2005, ending during the qualification phase for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Nicknamed “Chairman” for his commanding presence on and off the pitch, Chukwu also played a role in Nigeria’s youth football development, working as assistant coach during the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup, which Nigeria won in China.
In 2019, he battled prostate cancer, which affected his mobility. A public appeal for support was launched, and Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola stepped in to cover his overseas medical expenses, reportedly donating $50,000 for his treatment.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes Marcus Rashford was unable to see football “the way I see it” before the unwanted England striker was shipped out of Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old Rashford fell dramatically out of favour with the Portuguese boss and spent seven weeks on the sidelines until he was loaned to Premier League rivals Aston Villa during the transfer window.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“And sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Aston Villa coach) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Amorim, whose team face Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, said his focus now is on turning around a wretched season.
“Guys, in the summer… like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” he said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
