Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Hi again Sinterklaas,
(I’ve chosen your Dutch holiday name because I like the spelling and sound of it)
I should start my letter to you by apologizing because I believe it’s been quite sometime since we corresponded last. I know you didn’t write me back, but you did bring me that Sega Genesis I asked for, so I think it’s fair to say we both corresponded with one another in our own ways.
With that, I’m writing you today in hopes that possibly we can rekindle the correspondence we once shared, the one where I write to you, and things just happen to turn up under my tree. I should point out that I’ve been a particularly good lad this year (I know that’s important to you), so please don’t listen to the rumours you may hear from others about my conduct, as those people are all liars and thieves, the lot of them. What I’m getting to is the fact I’ve been an exemplary member of the litany of soccer clubs I’ve played with over the last 12 months, and I even started writing articles for the best soccer boot website in the business! It’s pretty easy to see that I’ve been a good lad and perhaps deserve your favour.
So, I suppose I should let you know what I’m wishing for this Christmas. I’m going to try to limit it to just a few things, especially because there are lots of other boys and girls out there who’ve been good, and while they haven’t been AS good as me, they deserve some nice things too!
Item Number One
I’ve always wanted a pair of handmade football boots! There’s just something special about owning something made by a true craftsman; and I can’t think of a pair that look better than the Retro Star “Classic” (available at http://retro-star.com/) in the Cognac colourway, that Mr. Markus Stolla has created. Without a doubt the classiest looking pair of boots I’ve ever laid eyes on (look at them, they’re simply OOZING class), they give me the startling urge to pull out my finest knickerbockers and a 1950’s Sheffield United shirt, pose for a sepia coloured photograph, before commencing to kick the seven bells out of an opposing halfback.
Now, I know you might not be able to get me a pair of those exquisite football looking boots Sinterklaas, so I’d also be open to a pair of equally exquisite Cinquestelle or Ryal boots because they’re also handmade and I love what they’re offering players in our game!
Item Number Two
As I’m sure you know (I mean you can see us when we’re sleeping), SC101 led the good fight to bring top quality Mizuno boots to North America. So on that vein I’d like to ask you to please leave me a pair of the Mizuno Morelia II MIJ (Made in Japan) boots under my tree this year. I know that you and the elves are craftsmen so will definitely appreciate my fantastic taste in all things well made, and nothing says well made like a Made in Japan pair of Mizuno’s!
I can only imagine your North Pole HQ has been inundated by letters from fellow soccer playing North American boys and girls begging you to bring a pair of Mizuno’s to them this Christmas so they can see what they’ve been missing! So if you could spare a pair, I’d be much obliged to you, as they definitely combine the craftsmanship of a bygone era, with the present!
Item Number Three
Speaking of a bygone era, Sinterklaas, perhaps you would be able to find it in your heart to swing by the Gateshead HQ of The Old Fashioned Football Shirt Company (TOFFS) (http://www.toffs.com/) and pick me something from the George Best collection (not the Man Utd stuff however, please and thank you!). Every fan should have at least one Toffs throwback kit in their wardrobe, I happen to have a 1960-70’s Sheffield United one featuring the Number 10 of the legendary Tony Currie, but I’d definitely love to add to my collection with either an NASL kit or national team kit of arguably the most talented individual footballer to ever play the game!
Also I’m sticking with a bit of a theme here, the crew over at Toffs are craftsmen, everything they do is all handmade at their Gateshead HQ, so the quality is there!
Bonus Item If You Would Be So Kind
On the off chance that you don’t find my wishlist feasible, and I do understand that you let lots of wishlists from girls and boys the world over, so it is entirely possible. Perhaps you could procure for me something smaller and located in Dundee, Scotland. I’ve noticed that our SC101 writer Kevin Wightman has an extensive Rolodex of contacts when it comes to craftsmen boot makers (he has a monopoly you might say, and as we all know monopolies are bad!), and if you’d be able to possibly purloin it from his home on your rounds, I’d be forever grateful if it somehow turned up in my Canadian home on Christmas morning! So Sinterklaas, I am hopeful that you will be able to pull a Captain Picard and, “Make it so!” for me this Christmas season.
Thanking you in advance,
Postscript: One final wish for the wishlist if you could Sinterklaas, hopefully you’ll be able to make it so that all the readers of SC101 get what they want for the Christmas season this year, as I’m sure you know they’ve all been good lads and lasses and deserve some great gear for their 2014 seasons!
I like the idea of a Santa list. Nice idea and nice list. I have a pair of Ryal Europa and I feel that every player should at least try a pair of handmade boots at least once. It's a great experience. I'll admit that I prefer the traction on some modern boots, but even then they would be the best heritage boots I have ever owned. I liked you highlighting the TOFFS jerseys as well.
I thought just for fun, I might offer my own to Santa as well. You know, since I can only assume he's a fan of Soccercleats101 too.
1) Mizuno Wave Ignitus 3: As a person who fancies himself as a set piece specialist (among other things), I have wanted a pair of Ignitus' ever since seeing Kosuke Honda's goal in 2010. However, as you know Santa, I have always found the idea of ordering from Europe to be a little bit intimidating. There is always the wait, and more importantly, I wouldn't know if I'd end up with a customs bill shortly after. Now that Mizuno has made its way to the United States, it means you wouldn't have to carry the Ignitus all that far on your sleigh. Richard noted there might be a lot of people asking for them, but hopefully with all the other people going for the Morelias, you can spare a pair of Ignitus for me.
2) Munich Gresca. It's winter Santa. I suppose asking for good weather would be a little too much, but the least you could do would be to bring me a pair of nice indoor boots. Munich are another brand that have recently come to the United States, and I like the idea of having a futsal specialist boot instead of the shoes that come from a company that specializes in its outdoor shoes. I've heard good things about the Joma Top Flex, so if your elves have trouble making the Gresca, that's another option for them to consider.
3) Adidas Speedkick Tiro Pants: Santa, you know that even the snow isn't going to stop me from trying to play out doors when I can. I'm going to need a good pair of pants, the Tiro line has a elastic at the bottom to keep the pants at ankle length. You know how much I don't like it when winter pants get in the way of getting a proper touch, so you'll know how much the Tiro excite me.
Greca's love it! I need to get my hands of a pair of Munich's either the Gresca or the G3, it'd be nice to get my hands on another pair of futsal specific shoes!
Morelia MIJ are outstanding….so are Ryal and Cinquestelle, Retro Star are also excellent and do look great! Nice list.
You are lucky they let you review all the good stuff…
Nothing lucky about it my man, it’s all my own hard work building relationships and sourcing my own contacts. I’m lucky that I’m based in Europe and that soccercleats101 give me a platform to do these reviews.
Yeah, the only luck for Kevin is geographical location. Small independents are going to be less likely to ship globally as there's little money in it for them sadly, the shipping raises the price so high it's unsustainable. However, the amount of work that Kevin has put in finding these companies and talking to them has been nothing short of exceptional!
Add trusox to the list 😛
wow I loved this piece. i just discovered Toffs for the first time. what a beautiful and extensive collection of throwback kits. kevin- i love your articles. your work on sc101 is the best source of information on handmade heritage boots anywhere. thank you!