Whether it's a kid playing junior football or an old, beer-bellied dad still hanging onto his Sunday League dreams, boys will forever be excited about new football boots. Whether you like a flashy orange pair, or a more traditional and understated black, there's nothing like slipping on fresh-smelling leather before trying to re-enact your Premier League heroes on a battered old park green covered in used needles and dog muck.
Given that my trusty Adidas Questras (a thrifty £19 purchase deep into my student overdraft) have finally given up on me after four years' service, it's time for a new pair - which got me thinking about my favourite ever boots. Here are the candidates:
Nike R9

Now, I'm not talking about the sock-like R9's on offer these days. I mean the original R9s worn by 'fat Ronaldo' in his prime. These are probably the design origin of most of the flimsier boots worn in the Premier League these days and looked super slick with their 'wave' pattern. While Ronaldo was busy bagging for Brazil and Inter Milan in these, I was attempting to do the same in the Cub Scout football leagues.
Mizuno Wave Cup

Rivaldo's Mizuno Wave Cups are a really strong contender for my favourite boots ever. Though I've never owned a pair, they were the boots I always wanted as a young kid. Unfortunately, I only ever saw them for sale by postal order in the back of Match magazine (alongside the Harchester United shirt from Dream Team) and convincing your dad to buy boots out of a magazine is pretty difficult when your 10.
Nike Air Zoom Total 90
Adidas Supernova
My last pair of grass boots, Adidas Supernovas were a great alternative to the mainstream dominance of the Predator. I can remember my teenage teammates turning up for the first game of each season with the newly-released Predator updates but these withstood the test of time and still look now.
Puma King Pro
Adidas World Cup
Another boot out of the traditionalist's handbook, the Adidas World Cup/Copa Mundial has withstood the test of time since the 1982 World Cup to prove that you don't need all singing, all dancing boots to look good on the pitch. Classic and sophisticated, this is the 'gentleman' of football boots.
And The Winner Is...
None of the above. The Supernovas and Mizunos ran it close, but my all-time favourite boot is actually, unsurprisingly, my very first pair of boots (at least that I can remember). They were a very traditionally-designed pair of Umbros with the twist of being entirely gold. I owned my golden wonders long before I was even old enough to play competitive sport and used to run around on the sidelines in them while my dad watched my brothers play junior football. It's a shame nothing gold can stay.
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