Top 20 Customised Boots

20 - Zinedine Zidane - Adidas Predator Mania



A nice little customisation here. The boot hasn't been altered in any way but this has made it onto the list because of its aesthetic value.

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19 - Frank Lampard - Adidas Predator Absolute



Another smart customisation. Higher than Zidane's because Adidas actually gave Lampard his own logo for the Predator Absolutes.

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18 - Gokhan Inler - Nike Laser II



Although mix-sole boots is a common place in football; these boots have made it into the top 20 because the E8 Lasers were never released to the public and the mix-sole is a strange one.

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17 - Henrik Larsson - Adidas Predator Pulse



I was always confused by this modification of the heel counter. Clearly changed for comfort purposes. Made its way onto the list because its quite interesting.

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16 - Ronaldo - Nike Mercurial Vapor III



Ronaldo's boots have customisation on the outstep and instep but that isn't why the boots are on this list. They have made it because the details (such as the Nike swoosh) are stitched on and the studs have been changed too.

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15 - Zinedine Zidane - Adidas Predator Precision



Given to Zizou to commemorate his winning of the World Player of The Year. They are a custom colourway which looks quite nice. Havn't made it higher in the top 20 because custom colourways are publicly available through the NikeID and the MiAdidas services.

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14 - Lionel Messi - Adidas F50.6



Worn by Messi when testing the F50.7-style tongue. Very difficult spot because they have been given the same material as the F50.6 and the same colourway too. They are a unique, one-off boot to test a future product without being picked up on by the public.

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13 - Steve Finnan - Adidas Predator Mania



Like the Henrik Larsson customisation; this is a strange one. The heel counter has been removed completely. A modification for comfort purposes. A very unique customisation. I believe it warrants its place amongst the top 20.

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12 - Ronaldo - Nike Mercurial Vapor I



Similar to the customisation of his Vapor IIIs these also have the details stitched on. The reason why these boots are ranking significantly higher is because the studs have been modified too. The normal soft ground studs on the Vapor I are Nike "Snap Studs" yet Ronaldo's boots are the traditional screw-in studs.

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11 - Zinedine Zidane - Adidas Predator Absolute



These boots just ooze class. They definitely deserve a place in this list. They're higher up than the other custom colourway because they are so unique and look amazing. The gold Precisions were a bit messy but these Absolutes look simple and classy.

10 - Damien Duff - Adidas F50+



One of the most well-known customisations. The fact that these are Duff's is irrelevant. Many players had this customisation but it warrants its place in the top 20 because they look infinitely better. The all leather F50+ was never released to the public - we had to make do with the synthetic/fabric/plastic version.

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9 - Deco - Umbro Revolution Force



Very nice customisation. The number fits into the design perfectly. The replacing of the "X" with the "20" is a touch of class by Umbro. This customisation was also used on Luis Garcia's boots.

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8 - Kaka - Adidas Adipure



Made by Adidas to commemorate Kaka's winning of the World Player of The Year. A classy boot in a great colourway. Because of the simplicity of the Adipure this boot is something special. They've made it into the list despite the fact that custom colourways are becoming common place in football.

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7 - Fredrik Ljungberg - Puma V1.08



Ljungberg customised his V1.06s this way aswell. He always has a tongue on his boots (not quite sure why considering the V1.06's side lacing) and it looks unique and classy. Maybe a bit pointless but is something different.

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6 - Zinedine Zidane - Adidas Predator PowerSwerve



Completely custom. An Adidas Predator PowerSwerve astro turf boot is not available. The soleplate of the Mundial Team and all the features of a soft ground/firm ground Predator PowerSwerve. Not to mention all the personalisation.

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5 - Ronaldinho - Nike Tiempo 10R



Very different to the retail version. Ronaldinho has a tongue strap, proper leather (not that polished rubbish on the retail version) and a mix-sole. Certainly deserves its place amongst the top 5.

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4 - Thierry Henry - Reebok ???



This boot was never released. There's very few boots more unique than a completely custom boot. Noone knows the name of this boot or why Henry had these made for him. All we know is that they were extremely different.

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3 - Owen Hargreaves - Adidas Predator Mania



Made to look like the Predator Precision to disguise the Predator Mania. A Predator Mania with Precision details all over it. No personalisation for Owen Hargreaves but it was reported that they were his. Without doubt one of the best custom boots.

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2 - Lucio - Adidas Predator Absolute



How could you make the Predator Absolute even better? Get rid of all the plastic and replace it with leather. Lucio's all leather Absolutes looked great and were clearly modified for the better.

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1 - David Beckham - Adidas Predator Absolute



Beckham would have to make an appearance in this list. The boots he wore against Paraguay are just one of many custom boots that he has worn. These stand out because of all of the little differences - the embroided signature on the side, the customised tongue, the text under the heel counter and the details on the heel. He has always had alot of personalisation on his boots but these were particularly extravagant.

1 - Mattieu Croft - Nike air zoom 90 II



Despite the ridculous oversight of a certain Boro fan, Crofty skips into top stop on the list on appeal (mostly by appealing to himself). This particular example of Crofty's class and individualism is all the more remarkable being as he did it himself, without the aid of any art school-educated visual design nancies. Further, while Beckham's pathetically egotistical boots did he and England no good whatsoever, Crofty's pearls provided him with two great successes. Initially, they fooled everyone in the Boot Room (circa '05) into respecting him and were the main factor in him being promoted to Moderator FC. Secondly, they made a triumphant on-pitch debut in the 2005 U18's Grand Final, assisting Crofty to assist his side to victory. Unfortunately, their reign was short lived. During the ensuring festivities they prooved unable to handle the fast life and after being filled with beer (amongst other things) were never quite the same again. It was decided that immediate retirement was the best option for everyone and they and Crofty parted company amicably, by mutual concent. Today they live a quiet life far away from the bright lights of stardom, somewhere in Crofty's folks' storeroom.