Will Adidas' 'Lightest Ever' Boots Cause More World Cup Injuries?

With Adidas’ new Jabulani ball making waves, it was only a matter of time before their new boots made the headlines.

Half Volley checked out Nike’s latest offering , complete with Adaptive Traction, earlier in the year and it appears that Adidas haven’t tried to match them like-for-like.

Instead, they’ve managed to produce what they call the ‘lightest boot ever’.

Costing £124.99 and weighing in at just 165 grams, about the same as a roll of toilet paper, the F50 AdiZero boots are definitely that.

But will they be sturdy enough to give the world’s top players like Lionel Messi, who will be wearing them at the World Cup, protection from injury?

The answer to this lies in where the weight has been taken from and how.

The ultra-light design has been made possible through a number of different advances. Whilst most boots have an insole board for structure, the AdiZero uses a moulded outsole they call the “sprint frame”. This has plastic fins running lengthwise on it to keep the boot’s shape and stability.

The sole’s strength lies in its ‘organic’ shape, with variations in size and thickness across the boot to allow flexibility on the toe and rigidity in the heel, whilst the upper of the boot is made from synthetic microfibre. This has been intertwined to allow for maximum control over rigidity and flexibility in key areas.

Adidas claim that the boot has been rigorously tested to ensure that it won’t break down during use, but the only real test can be in the highest pressure situation, with the maximum force on the shoe.

Some medical experts are also claiming that the trend towards lighter boots is actively contributing to foot injuries.

Speaking to the Scotsman newspaper, Professor David Barrett, a knee and sports injury specialist at Southampton General Hospital, claimed that the trend for the high-technology footwear could cause metatarsal injuries.

He said: “Orthopaedic surgeons are seeing a lot more metatarsal injuries in patients, and that is because of lightweight boots. The players have no protection at all.”

With the emphasis in football boot technology almost exclusively on minimising weight, it seems that this risk might be set to continue.

To see how the F50 AdiZeros are made, watch the video below:

This article was written by Jon Naylor for Half Volley , the half sport, half science website.