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Performance driven, stylish, and absolutely empowering, the best football cleats from the past 5 years demand attention. With hundreds of incredible cleats available, we have narrowed it down to the 25 best. Take a look at The 25 Best Football Cleats From the Past 5 Years.
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Isaac Clark is a Philadelphia-based writer for SportsUnlimited.com. He loves Bo Schembechler quotes and the University of Michigan. He runs his company’s twitter account @SportsUnlimited or you can keep up with his literary blog YellowTypewriter.com.
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No. 25 - Nike Speed Destroyer – Turf
These turf shoes are pretty nasty with a combination of trainer and football cleat to drive performance on turf fields.
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No. 24 - Reebok NFL 4 Speed III
Low-top, built for speed, and classic soccer-cleat style, these Reebok shoes hit the NFL hot.
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No. 23 - Jordan Dominate Pro TD
With covered-up laces and a Velcro strap at the top, these shoes certainly do not cover up the fact that they are Jordans. Even without seeing the iconic Jumpman, you'd know these bad boys were Jordans all the way.
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No. 22 - Nike Air LT 2.1
Slick and revolutionized, the Air LT 2.1 is a cleat for the football player's football player. Great style, great fit, and powerful while running.
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No. 21 - Nike CJ81 Strike TD
Best wide receiver of the past 5 years has clearly been Megatron. Calvin Johnson doesn't need any fancy cleats to perform, but these guys look great and work well for him. They won't make you play like Megatron, but they are very solid cleats.
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No. 20 - Nike CJ81 Elite TD
A step up from the Strike TD, these guys look nastier and play nastier. Lightweight, but supportive they can be worn at any position.
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No. 19 - Nike Vapor Talon Elite
These Vapor Talons have absolutely killer looks with similar qualities to soccer cleats. These are built for speed and are lightning quick.
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No. 18 - Deion Sanders 2012 Nike Air Diamond Turf II
They may look like a novelty, but these shoes perform. With retro-styling from the 90's based on the shoes Deion wore in his prime, if you wore these on the field, you'd stand out as much as Deion did.
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No. 17 - adidas Adi-Zero 5-Star
Translated from "the beautiful game", these low-top cleats have a great hard, lightweight shell with speed to boot.
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No. 16 - adidas Adi-Zero 5-Star 2.0
adidas took the 5-Star and pushed it further with the amazing looking 2.0. Performance qualities, but what I love about these cleats is the looks. I'd wear these to the office if it made sense.
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No. 15 - Reebok Molded NFL Burner Speed
Going pink is great because supporting a cause with incredible NFL play and sweet looking boots is something that should be embraced by all.
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No. 14 - Nike Lunar Superbad Pro
Dual-colored mid ankle boots that run with power and style is the basis of the Lunar Superbad Pro. A fantastic football cleat that feel comfortable throughout the entire game.
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No. 13 - Nike Super Speed
It's all in the name. SUPER SPEED. Just fly because speed is such an integral part of the game, but Nike knows how to not sacrifice style for performance.
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No. 12 - Under Armour Nitro Icon Low MC
Also built for speed, these lightweight burners are colorful and flashy. For the wide receiver who likes to dance in the endzone, these cleats are made for you.
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No. 11 - Nike Air Speed Nubby
Another Turf shoe that supports, achieves, and competes. The Air Speed Nubby has a funny name, but there is no funny business to this shoe because winning is everything.
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No. 10 - Nike Zoom Air Blade D
We’ve arrived in the top ten and we'll start with the Zoom Air Blade D. Classic football cleat style with improved technology for performance you can't go wrong with these Zooms. Stylin' and flyin' these are built to make plays, but are handsome enough to sit on your mantle.
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No. 9 - Under Armour Highlight MC
High tops that revolutionized the industry. Under Armour has provided football heads with something to put on their feet that makes them feel like a mechanical warrior, a terrorizing monster, a powerful speedster.
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No. 8 - Air Jordan 11 PE
Iconic, inspiring, and beautiful, the Air Jordans are simply Air Jordans, but for football. Whatever sport you play, you want to be like Mike.
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No. 7 - Nike Lunar Super Bad Pro
Glory, glory, Super Bad Pro. Glory, glory, Super Bad Pro. A fast, strong, and slick shoe that, when worn, makes every other player on the field look a generation behind.
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No. 6 - Nike Vapor Carbon Fly 2 TD
A similar boot to the Lunar Super Bad Pro, the Vapor Carbon Fly 2 TD is just so much faster. It's light for lightning speed, it's strong for extraordinary strength, and it's cool. It's very simply, very cool.
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No. 5 - Under Armour Spine Brawler Mid MC
Now that we are in the top 5, it is extremely difficult to determine the remaining positions. The top five are the top five and all are incredible, but the Spine Brawler comes in 5th because it has revolutionary style and protects the ankles extremely well.
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No. 4 - Nike Alpha Pro
There is a reason that there are far more Nike shoes on this list than any other brand. That reason is simply stated. Nike knows what they are doing. They make a simple looking football cleat stand out with subtle flair. They put every innovation into the performance of the shoe and in turn, the Nike Alpha Pro is an absolute shocker.
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No. 3 - Under Armour Cam Highlight
Cam Newton is a superb athlete with skills very few people in the world possess. The Cam Highlight is a superb cleat with features very few cleats in the world possess. The look, the feel, the performance are all top-notch and that is why so many football players around the world are flocking to the Cam Highlight. Under Armour has stepped up its game significantly and Nike has got to watch their back!
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No. 2 - adidas Adi-Zero 5-Star Mid
An evolution from the soccer-style cleat 5-Star, the Adi-Zero 5-Star Mid provides more support and is in the vein of the traditional football cleat. There are few qualities in this shoe that are not incredible and the style is at the top of the list of incredible attributes.
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No. 1 - Nike Premier Football Cleats
At the top spot we have a multi-dimensional cleat that has the qualities needed for success in any sport, but work perfectly in football. The classic appearance, the Nike signature, and the performance upgrades that make this comfortable, lightweight, strong, and an absolute winner.
If you've seen a cleat you are outraged that didn't make the top 25, shout it the comments!
RELATED: The 10 Best Football Cleats Under $80
RELATED: The 10 Best Football Cleats Available Now
