Soccer is one of the most competitive sports in the world today. There are several aspects of soccer that play an important role in deciding the winner and this includes team performance, individual skills, soccer training, and equipment like soccer shoes. Shoes for Soccer have always been an integral factor when it comes to soccer skills and scoring goals. Of course, the shoes were initially designed to get a grip on the grass field and for hitting the ball hard.
The first soccer footwear were black in color and had black cleats as well. Somehow the black color became the classic color for soccer cleats across the world. Of course, now the colors of the cleats have expanded from black to white, blue, green, orange, red, and other colors as well but the black soccer shoes and cleats are still considered a classic. So where and how did soccer footwear come into being?
The first historical evidence of soccer cleats was observed with the most unlikely player of all - King Henry VIII. King Henry VIII ordered soccer boots from the Great Wardrobe and wore them during football matches he played in 1526. The boots worn by the King were made from leather and were hand-stitched by the royal cordwainer, Cornelius Johnson. Each pair of boots cost King Henry VIII four shillings.
Over the next 300 years, soccer slowly grew into a popular sport and this paved the way for proper soccer shoes. According to historical records, the first classic black soccer boots were noticed in the 1920's. A few years later, the shoe industry was revolutionized by the innovation of Adolf and Rudolf Dassler. The brothers started the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory (Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik) in Herzogenaurach in 1924. Adolf, also known as Adi had been making all types of sports shoes but he came into recognition when he persuaded US Sprinter Jesse Owens to wear them. Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in the 1936 Summer Olympics. Later on, Adolf went ahead and created soccer shoes with replaceable cleats. The brothers split in 1947 with Rudolph opening a firm called Ruda, which was rebranded later as Puma. Adolf registered his company as adidas AG in 1949 and thus the story of classic black soccer shoes came into being. During the 1966 FIFA World Cup, 75% of the soccer players wore Adidas soccer cleats and that by all means was a huge achievement for the company.
Since then soccer shoes and cleats have been enhanced to a great degree making them integral to the overall performance of a player. There is more and more innovation involved in the soccer shoes of today with companies trying to create lighter shoes with flexible and controlling cleats. Some of the other top names in manufacturing soccer shoes or cleats include Reebok, Puma, Nike, Diadora, Umbro, Lotto, and Kelme. The soccer shoes of today are the best sports weapon that any soccer player can have in their armory!
