Soccer Cleats 101 Soccer Cleats News and Reviews
Given the role he has played in getting Wales to the knockout stages of Euro 2016, you won’t be surprised to hear there has been an upsurge in interest surrounding everything Gareth Bale does. His performance has been solid and his return of 3 goals in 3 games leaves him top of the goalscorers chart right now.
Included in that interest is info on what boots he is currently wearing. Answer: the adidas X15.1 in Black/Shock Mint/White is his boot of choice. In a world where “First Never Follows”, it might be unusual to see Bale wearing an older model boot and not something in the highly advertised PURE series (Purecontrol, Purechaos, Pureagility). That is where things get slightly more interesting as adidas just did a big feature promoting Bale’s intention to wear the X16+ PURECHAOS during Euro 2016. They have even dropped some celebratory tweets after his goals highlighting the Purechaos boots, so I’m actually not sure they actually know what he is wearing.
Don’t believe me – well, here is the video proof and you can find the tweet here.
What is going on here? To be honest, I really couldn’t care. This is simply another perfect example of a player being extremely comfortable in a boot and sticking with it as they play on the biggest stage. Bale obviously doesn’t need (or probably enjoy) the latest boot, he seems perfectly happy wearing his own version of the chaos inspired X15 boot. This is his personal choice, and one that goes against big brand marketing dollars.
Players out there should take note that the latest release is not always the best option – don’t downplay the performance of X15.1 just because they are no longer in the spotlight! And the brand should quit wasting time highlighting a boot he isn’t wearing just so more people will buy the $300 boots. (especially when you consider the deal below)
While Bale has some custom modifications on his SG version of the boot to make them his own, the bare bones match the retail version. If you look at Bale’s boots, there is a white heel cup employed providing him with a more personalized fit.
Best of all for those interested in securing a pair, the FG/AG version is currently available at a very nice price. Not sure how long the sale price will last, but they are available in a wide variety of sizes with 2-day shipping. Should you want a pair, with an original price of $200, Goal Club members can secure a pair for $126 right now at soccer.com.
Hey Brian, I am a huge fan of Gareth Bale. I have been ever since he was a left back at Tottenham. As long as he has been a big player for adidas he almost never switches to the new boot straight away. Especially during the season, I would expect him to be wearing the new boots at the start of la liga later this year.
I think you are right, and I like the way he does it…….move into the new boots when you are ready to, not when the brand tells you.
He isn't even really wearing the adidas x, pretty much wearing an F50 disguised as a x 15.1.
Loved this post! It’s always interesting to see how brands like Adidas keep up with top players’ preferences. I wonder if Bale has a specific model in mind or if he’s going for something new. Would be great to see some behind-the-scenes insights on his choice!