Football can be one of the best sports to play, regardless of what season you play in.
However, it is essential to be equipped and ready for the conditions when the winter comes around.
As while making a long sliding tackle and just generally getting mucky is fun.
What isn’t as fun is going around the pitch as if you are on roller skates.
As if you have played on a wet slippery surface or even a rock hard one.
You will know that keeping upright to play your usual game isn’t that easy.
Its for that reason that I think its reasonably key to have the proper footwear on.
So in today’s post, I will be highlighting the best football boots to wear in the winter.
Along with one or two hacks to help you get the most out of your game during this tricky season.
Table of Contents
What Are The Best Football Boots In The Winter?
Before we get into the list, I think its worth going over what exactly makes boots better for the winter.
The goal for anyone who is looking for boots is basically a consistent experience every time they put their footwear on.
However, with the winter season being very up and down with the weather.
It is hard to find the boots that will feel the same each game.
Now from my time playing football, with some boots, I have struggled with the following:
Boots not having the best traction
If you have played football in the winter, you will know what I am talking about here.
Some boots I have worn have offered more traction to the surface than others.
Typically the more you spend, the better the soleplate it.
Which plays a significant role and how well you are able to twist and turn on a winter pitch.
Clogging of mud on the bottom
One annoying aspect of playing on muddy pitches is the clogging of mud.
After playing for a few minutes, you will already have a build-up of mud.
Sometimes it covers the whole area of the soleplate.
To the point where your studs are no longer effective.
Some of the boots I will talk about have an efficient system in place.
That stops this from happening to such a bad degree.
Struggling to control the ball due to lack of grip
This is more for the heavy rain conditions if it is chucking it down.
Then for some boots, it can make it hard to control.
As soon as you try and get your foot on the ball, it just rolls away.
Now the boots I will talk about, and yes you may have to pay a little bit more.
Have technology that keeps touches and control of the ball consistently in all weather.
Wearing boots with the wrong soleplate
Lastly, you have the factor of wearing the wrong soleplate for that surface.
Now I can understand why this happens since you have so many different types.
In fact when I first started buying boots I wouldn’t even look at the surface of it.
As I didn’t realise that they were specifically designed for certain ones.
However and especially in the winter, if you wear the wrong boots you will really notice the effect.
For instance, wearing soft ground boots on a hard and cold surface.
It will make the pitch feel like more of an ice rink than a grass pitch.
Another example would be wearing firm ground boots on a soft and wet surface.
The end result would be slipping everywhere and struggling to keep your footing.
Therefore its very important to have the right soleplate at the very least when playing on any pitch.
Now with that said, in the next section, I will take you through football boots which from my experience perform the best in the winter.
1. Nike Mercurial Vapor Anti-Clog
The Nike Mercurial Vapor’s is a great football boot to wear in the winter.
Its soft synthetic material wraps around your feet keeping them warm.
Overall these are a great fast pair of boots to wear any time of the year.
However, its one feature that makes these ideal for the winter, and is the soleplate.
It has an Aerotrak zone which has been improved from the last model, and delivers more traction than before.
The addition of Anti-Clog, which was a feature of one of the first expensive football boots I wore.
Does exactly what it says by stopping mud from clogging up on the soleplate.
As you play the mud will just shake off, which is really handy for those really muddy pitches.
When you combine all the features of the boot together, it really makes these a smart purchase.
2. Mizuno Morelia Neo 3
The Mizuno Morelia Neo 3 has become a favourite of mine for the complete experience that it gives you.
Excelling in every area makes these a good choice not just for playing in the winter, but any season.
However, when we’re talking about winter, these certainly do the job.
An outsole that is dual-density, offers next-level traction and stability to a sloppy pitch.
The leather is fantastic, being made of some of the best kangaroo leather.
As a whole, from how sturdy to how well built these boots are, makes them great for wet weather and use in the winter periods.
If you haven’t tried Mizuno at least once, then I must say its worth giving a go,
3. Puma King Platinum
Puma King Platinum is a boot with a classic look and an updated design that performs great in the winter.
The model that has been really popular over the years among ‘King’ fans offers great touches and is comfortable due to its lovely K-Leather.
Which you feel when you have them on, due to way the brand has put it together thanks to the KingFORM technology.
This not only gives a wearer a better and more adaptive fit but the ridges that have been carefully put on the side of the boot, as you can see in the image above, give you greater control.
The last key area to mention with these boots is the traction, this has been revamped in what is called a MoveControl soleplate.
Simply put, this helps you to twist and turn quicker, which is excellent considering how notoriously difficult it can be to turn on a wet winter pitch.
4. Nike Phantom GT II SG-Pro
I wanted to include another pair of Nike boots into this list, as the Nike Phantom GT II is another boot that simply performs well in any condition.
The elite version of this boot, as some brilliant features and I also recommend going with the Anti-Clog version if you know you will be playing in the rain a lot.
Now, these main features consist of a generative texture along with an ACC technology.
A combination that allows for basically excellent control in any weather.
The generative texture offers a perfect grip of the ball alone, which has even been improved from the first generation, to be more grippy.
ACC puts the icing on the cake by keeping that grip and friction between the ball and the phantom boot the same whether you are playing in dry or wet conditions.
The boots are also comfortable, and the hyperquick soleplate helps you to play your unpredictable football in the final third.
5. New Balance Tekela 3+
To give you one last option for this list of best football boots for winter, we have the New Balance Tekela.
A bit like the Mizuno, it is underrated.
However, from my experiences with them, they offer an equally good experience as some of the more prominent brands.
First of the design really catches on.
You can see the Kinetic Stitch patterns that are on the boot to improve control of the ball further.
The boots are also great for turning and offer supreme stability, all thanks too.
Conclusion
Having played several football seasons in the winter, I know first-hand how hard it can be to play in it.
Especially when the conditions are not in your favour.
However, those in this list are ones that, from my experience, are the best football boots for winter that you can pick up.
What do you think of them? Have you worn any of the pairs yourself?
Share your experiences and thoughts down below in the comments below 🙂