Adidas Predator, Puma King, Nike SuperFly: 10 great football boots – in pictures

Some legendary boots which have revolutionised the game

Puma King: Released in 1970, the King was the choice of footwear for icons such as Pele. Puma pioneered the concept of lightweight materials for boots, were one of the first to introduce all-white boots, and began the era of big sponsorship deals with players. Getty Images

Adidas Copa Mundial: The iconic black and white colours were developed mainly for the 1982 World Cup. At the time, it was lightest boot on the market. And you can never forget those simple and timeless lines. Reuters

Nike Air Zoom Total 90 III: Fernando Torres, Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo with another 'great'. The Air Zoom Total 90 III was introduced at Euro 2004. The concept was to provide power and comfort for the entire match. The 'off-centre lacing' of Total 90 II, released in 2002, was seen as revolutionary. Getty

Adidas F50: These are the newer versions of the 2004 edition that brought about a major change - leather upper to cover laces and allow for a larger strike zone for the forwards. Shutterstock

Hi-Tec: Remember these? Dennis Wise wore them. Roy Keane was advertised as making it to every major competition in 1999/2000 in Hi-Tech boots. Getty

Mizuno Wave Cup: A little know Japanese brand called Mizuno snagged a superstar like Rivaldo at the beginning of the century. The Brazilian, seen here wearing the Wave Cup, had a stellar 2002 World Cup in Japan. It proved to be perfect timing as their new stud configuration was later adopted by other brands. Getty

Puma V1.06: Debuted at the 2006 World Cup as the lightest boots in the market. Peter Crouch of England was among those who wore these beauties. Getty

Adidas F50 Adizero: That's Lionel Messi's work boots. Launched in 2010, the boots weighed just 165 grams, which were the lightest in the world and took over from Nike SuperFly. Reuters

Nike Mercurial SuperFly II: The boot that changed the game this century. Carbon fibre soleplate and 'flywire' knitting made SuperFly I super light - around 185 grams. The SuperFly II, pictured here, was introduced one year later in 2010 and came with a high-tech stud that adjusted according to conditions. Reuters

Adidas Predator: The undisputed king of high performance football shoes. The Predator, launched in 1994, defined the modern era of football, increasing the power and spin imparted on the ball through rubber patches at the top of the shoe. Getty

Football boots. Probably the most important piece of sports equipment by scale, reach and impact.

Football relies on limited amount of technology and equipment, compared to say, Formula One. But it does depend heavily on whatever equipment it needs – football boots being one of them.

Fans across the world have their favourites. And you can guess the age of the fan by the vintage of the football boots they like.

So which one is on top of your list? Is it the Adidas Predator or the Nike Mercurial SuperFly? Or are you a Puma King?

If you haven't thought of a 10 great football boots list, worry no more. Above is a picture gallery showing the best boots in history. To view the next image, click on the arrows or if on a mobile, just swipe.