The 25 Best Soccer Cleats of All Time

posted by Bryan Byrne |

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Nike CTR360 Maestri II Elite Soccer Boot The 25 Best Soccer Cleats of All Time

No. 2 – Nike CTR360 Maestri II

Weight: 9.2oz
Released: 2010
Highlight: A boot that helps when it comes to control, while allowing players to receive and distribute passes with ease.

You might be surprised to see the CTR360 II so high on this list and listed instead of the CTR360 III. First off the third edition is a wonderful boot, but it just hasn’t proven its value on the market just yet. But the second version was a boot that seemed to be ever existent on the market, with that Challenge Red colorway flashing before me each time I blink my eyes! Nike’s goal with this release was to create a boot that mastered control while allowing players to receive and distribute passes with ease. They were successful! The black region on the instep and the smaller red zone make up the pass and receive pads. The black zone is designed to improve control. Similar to the TPU fins seen on the T90 Laser III, it is designed to improve control by dampening the ball as it hits the surface of your foot. And even though this boot is marketted as the perfect playmaker boot (which they are) they easily double for different style players right across the pitch thanks to their level of comfort.

  • michael

    u missed the adidas predator manias

  • dub

    this is a cool as list. nice work!

  • dub

    no. 11, the Vapors, those last for about a month before they blow out. i’m sure it’s different for the custom ones that the pros wear, but not for plumber Joe paying $1-200 for them

  • Riley

    A decent list but the Vapor 8 should be higher. And having worn the LZs, I’m not sure they should be in the top 10. The zones seemed gimmicky to me

  • Huff eja

    This should have been number 1

  • Jason Chua

    Can’t quite believe there wasn’t space for the Mizuno Morelias (Japan Versions) one of the best leather boots around comparable with the Copas.

  • Chris

    The vapor IV should definitely be on this list somewhere. Best pair of boots I’ve ever worn

  • Paul

    Even though I have always been an adidas guy(nike never fit my feet well), the NIke Vapor III was, and still is my favorite boot. It looks better than any other boot, it was light and the stud pattern was incredible for its time. NIke also had it on the market for a long time, releasing so many colours – Thierry Henry wore the white/gold, C. Ronaldo the Red/White, Drogba the blue/white, Ronaldo the yellow/green. Forget the technology – these boots were sleek, light and had classy swag

  • Sung

    Is the new F50 and the new CTR 360 not good enough compared to the older versions?
    I’m considering getting the two pairs but it seems that the only new one available in this list was the Preds.

  • Ccjshs

    I disagree with the first choice. I believe it is a great cleat but it definitely isn’t the best around.

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  • Peter

    i think there are many boots missed out… i know everyone has different taste and its hard to compress to top 25 but dont really agree with top10 you have there.. but generally all the boots you’ve chosen are great! :)

  • burgie

    I have always worn puma king. In HS days I could get 3+ years out of them playing hard on them 4 to 5x a week. These “new and improved” kings lasted less then one season of medium intensity play. They are not as good as the older Kings and should not be in this list. Put the Puma King Classic up instead.