A silent passing of the boot baton that has manifested at all levels — from the elite echelons of the Premier League right down to the grassroots game and the aforementioned Sunday morning battles in the parks and hardly-fit-for-cattle fields of Blighty. On the surface, such blatant pigeonholing might seem unfair. But the PUMA King’s contemporary synonymity with a no-thrills approach to the beautiful game signifies a slow shift in the culture of football. The Puma King is one of most legendary football boots to have ever been made. Worn by luminaries such as Eusebio, Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff (just to name a few), it was a no frills boot that was popular in the 60s right into the 90s for its performance and soft leather upper.

While Bayern agreed to Matthaeus’ footwear demands, his national team – also sponsored by Adidas – were less accommodating. Numerous times the midfielder was handed fines for refusing to wear the three stripes. But he didn’t care. He was Puma through and through, and his passion for the brand started at an early age. Growing up in Herzogenaurach, his father worked at Puma’s original headquarters as a facility manager, so when Lothar was deciding what boots to wear, it was a no brainer. And, if at one time good enough for World Cup winners and God-like figures, why have the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi then not opted to continue the PUMA King’s rich football heritage? PUMA King Football Boots, designed to dominate on every pitch whether it's astro-turf, firm ground, or artificial ground, King offer the ultimate in performance and comfort. So, how is it that, in just a few decades, the PUMA King has gone from halting contract negotiations and housing the twinkle toes of some of the most technically gifted footballers the planet has ever seen, to become almost entirely synonymous with the inelegant centre-half? Step onto the field with the confidence of a true leader. Conquer every match, control every play, and leave your mark with the PUMA King Football Boots. Your reign starts here, now, and on every ground you play.Similarly, a 2019 article in the Evening Standard headlined ‘Best football boots: Nike, Adidas and top UK brands for men’ mused at length over a number of boots by the titular big-hitters, and also those by Umbro and relative new boys on the soccer scene New Balance. Nowhere did it even mention PUMA. In today’s climate of knit and synthetics, Puma is figuring out the best way to pay tribute to the name. I expected a boot like this to fit large so I went half size down. To my surprise, it fit very tight and I think going true to size would have been just right for most people with moderate width feet. Despite how tight it was, the boot stretched slightly over the course of 2-3 sessions to accommodate every curve of my foot. Perhaps it comes down to an issue of quality, whereby PUMA Kings have simply failed to evolve as well as other brands. Or perhaps, with the rapid advances in technology, and the ever-expanding scope for meticulous designs and modern materials, it’s PUMA’s apparent reluctance to deviate too far from the classic King of yesteryear means that it simply isn’t that fashionable anymore.

By the ’80s, the boot was having an equally profound impact off the pitch, too. Lothar Matthäus, the talismanic German midfielder with 150 caps to his name and whose father had worked at the nearby Puma factory when Lothar was a child, was initially hesitant to sign to Bayern Munich (whose technical supplier was Adidas) from Borussia Mönchengladbach if it meant he was no longer permitted to wear his beloved PUMA brand. It’s a question that seems at once entirely trivial and greatly intriguing when one considers the kind of glittering legacy such a boot has behind it. Maybe its ostensible ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ model has grown somewhat stale in a market much more crowded than it ever was in the 1970s and ’80s. Today, King has been re-imagined. With state-of-the-art materials and upgrades to maximise performance and comfort, King meets the demands of the modern game while staying true to the iconic design. In 1981 a young Diego Maradona burst onto the scene. He was magic. Breathtaking. He did things with a football nobody had ever witnessed. And like they’d done so many times before Puma wasted no time in making the game’s new golden child one of their athletes. Once again, it was a master-stroke.

But where the likes of the Adidas Predator and the Nike Mercurial Vapor have flourished, the PUMA King has failed to follow suit. In December of 2019, a listicle published by popular online football publication SoccerBible ranked what were they believed to be the greatest 30 boots of the last decade. Naturally, subjectivity plays its part, but there was a notable omission: despite new models, the famed PUMA King failed to make the cut. With its dark leather, workman-like aesthetic, wrap-around laces, and large white tongue flapping rather unceremoniously mid-sprint, the PUMA King is a boot that, in the modern era at least, has come to represent a certain type of player. From day one Puma have always looked to innovate their products. It started with the Super Atom and continued with the KING. Earlier models of the silhouette featured Puma’s vulcanization process. Introduced in 1960, the process was a revolutionary way of joining the soles to the uppers. Ten years later, Puma introduced another key feature, their very own S.P.A. technology. This consisted of a higher heel to reduce stress on the Achilles tendon. Much like the boot itself, the wearer of a pair of PUMA Kings is unobtrusive, yet undeniably strong, sturdy, and invariably reliable. Meanwhile, for firm natural ground or artificial grass such as 4G, our FG/AG boots feature strategically placed conical studs on the outsole to provide exceptional traction on both firm natural and synthetic surfaces. Seamlessly adapting to various terrains, you'll always stay ahead of the game.

On feet, the boot felt quite… ordinary. It could have done with some synthetic suede lining to up the comfort level but all we get is a pale imitation of that around the heel. The 1986 World Cup was, arguably, the most memorable of all time. Argentina won it and Maradona was player of the tournament. He bagged five goals, two of which came against England. You remember them. The ‘Hand of God’ and that mazy run from the halfway line. Outrageous. The greatest World Cup goal of all time. No questions. He single-handedly – no pun intended – tore England apart whilst wearing the legendary Puma King. It was another massive success for the German sports brand. Probably their biggest yet. One such way has been the Puma King Platinum, which shares the “King” moniker but seems more like an experiment to gauge customers’ sentiments about a thin, speedy leather boot. As of writing, Puma has also launched a new version of the Puma King Platinum, the Platinum 21, which positions it more as a simple leather boot for comfort. We’ve yet to review the boot nor ascertain whether this is another experiment or a fully dedicated new line in the Puma lineup.Ahead of the King’s launch in 1968 Puma had already enjoyed great success with the Super Atom boot launched some 16 years prior. The boot’s revolutionary design was the first to feature screw-in studs. It was the start of a long-lasting relationship between Puma and football, and that relationship was taken to new heights with the KING. Pele and the KING (1970)

Of the ubiquitous ingredients constituting any quintessential Sunday morning scrap, there is one brand of football boot that, for many, encapsulates the endearing madness better than any other: the PUMA King. Features of today's boot include a lightweight outsole with an external heel counter for stability and agility, an integrated stability spine for midfoot support and our sustainable, non-animal K-BETTER™ leather. And perhaps it is this perception of the PUMA King, borne out of a seemingly romantic sense of nostalgia — during today’s era of constant change and ever-increasing flamboyance — that lends itself perfectly to being the natural accompaniment to the type of player it is now associated with. Loyal, dependable, unglamorous. For astro turf surfaces, our King top TT boots are the options for you. With all of these classic features you'd expect from the King boot, but with a rubber outsole designed for superior traction on more slippery astro turf surfaces. For a classic look on astro-turf pitches, look no further than our King TT trainers. One need only watch Pelé and Brazil’s mesmeric World Cup triumph of 1970, or Asif Kapadia’s recent Diego Maradona documentary to be reminded, not merely of the undeniable genius possessed by both men on the pitch and the very different personal lives that distinguish them off it, but, more simply, of what tangibly links them: what they wore on their feet.

In 1984 Bayern Munich wanted to sign one of Germany’s hottest talents, Lothar Matthaeus. The midfielder, who went on to make 150 appearances for his national side, was keen to sign for the National Cup winners providing he could wear his beloved Puma KINGS rather than boots provided by the club’s technical supplier, Adidas. This was supposed to challenge the likes of the popular Nike Premier 2.0, a budget leather boot inspired by a prestigious older model. The “heritage” line, as some would call it. I’m surprised they didn’t reuse the soleplate from previous Puma Future or Puma One models which, while not spectacular, did a solid job in providing manoeuvrability and a natural, comfortable flex. A King that needs to change with the times The latest version of the Puma King is lighter than ever and features 3D Touch texture for improved control. Premium K-Leather and a RAPIDSOLE help increase speed and acceleration. The excellent Puma King Classic Di, meant to be their premium leather boot was discontinued and in its place, the Puma King Top was released as budget option for the weekend warrior.