We rarely think about how football boots will affect live betting, as we assume that pros have the best that money can buy.
It wasn’t always this way, as footballers in the 19th century used to don their heavy work boots for the match. These boots had no studs and steel toecaps.
Perhaps as a result of players finding out that being kicked by a steel toecap isn’t fun, specialist football boots went into production.
When the Football League kicked off in 1888, players were wearing thick leather boots with high ankles. Leather studs were soon added.
The boot manufacturing industry took off in the 1950s, thanks to the Dassler brothers.
Rudolf Dassler founded Puma and claimed to be the first to introduce screw-in studs to the world, producing Puma Super Atoms that resemble modern footwear far more than the old leather cleats.
Rudolf’s brother Adi, founder of Adidas, also claims to have invented screw-in studs – whoever it was, modern footballers have lots to be thankful for.
Modern sports betting markets wouldn’t know how to react if an entire team came out wearing a new kind of boot, but this is exactly what happened in the 1954 World Cup.
The screw-in studs gave the West Germany team the extra grip they needed to beat Hungary 3-2 on a rain-soaked pitch. The importance of brand names and player endorsements grew through the 20th century.
The Copa Mundials from Adidas remain one of the most iconic boots in history, donned by the likes of Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane.
Wayne Rooney’s DC United may be among the football betting favourites to triumph in MLS this season, but Rooney was wearing Nike’s famous Total 90 Lasers as he was firing Manchester United to Premier League titles.
The sweet spot on the front of the boot aided those technically-gifted stars who were looking to place all manner of curve and swerve on their shots.
Modern boots now come in all sorts of colours and styles. The Adidas Nemeziz boots may not have done Lionel Messi much good as his Barcelona side crashed out to Liverpool this season, despite being huge favourites on betting sites to reach the Champions League final.
However, these laceless boots offer a level of comfort and control that is a million miles away from the leather boots of old.
