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FOOTBALL players and fans alike are obsessed with the boots worn on the field.From Jack Grealish’s record-breaking boot sponsorship deal with Puma to the arms race between Nike and Adidas that has spanned decades, football boots are no laughing matter.
The global football boot industry is estimated to be worth nearly £20billion by 2028Credit: Getty – Contributor
Jack Grealish signed a record breaking boot deal with Puma earlier this yearCredit: Puma
Juan Mata poked fun at a former Man Utd team-mates gargantuan bootsCredit: Instagram
In fact, it is estimated the global industry for football boots will be worth almost £20billion by 2028, with each year seeing an average market growth of 5.4 per cent from 2022.
There are all type of boots from hard ground to artificial turf as well as no end to variations in style.
Weight is also a huge factor for many elite athletes who try to maximise marginal gains. So what about the size of the boot itself?
Some of the world’s best players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are famous cases of using small boots, with Ronaldo going for a fit SMALLER than his actual foot size.
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Liverpool star Dominik Szoboszlai revealed how his dad made him wear smaller boots to stop his feet from growing in an effort to mould them into the perfect shape.
However, what about the top end of the scale?
You may expect a behemoth such as Erling Haaland to feature on a list of footballers with the largest size feet, but you will be shocked to learn he only uses a 9.5 size boot.
Fear not though, for we have compiled a list of football stars with some of the largest boot sizes in the world.
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Paul Pogba – size 10.5
Paul Pogba often used his size 10.5 boots as a reflection of his playstyleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba stands at 6ft 3″ tall and wears a size 10.5 Adidas boot. He was always something of a showman when it came to his boots.
In 2017 he was seen wearing a boot with his face stitched on, while his 2022/23 boots after returning to Juventus featured a stunning blue and pink design.
Thibaut Courtois – size 11
Thibaut Courtois is often seen making stunning saves with his size 11 bootsCredit: The Times
It should be no surprise to see a goalkeeper on this list and ex-Chelsea Thibaut Courtois is a prime example.
On more than occasion his size 11 boots have saved Real Madrid from conceding, with a notable performance in the 2022 Champions League final against Liverpool coming to mind.
Sol Campbell is another star who possibly wore size 11 boots after donating a pair of his size 11 Puma boots to the Small Steps Project.
However, according to The Independent Campbell was brought a size 14 pair of trainers by a senior conservative aide while he was visiting a constituency for the party in 2015.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Peter Crouch, Virgil van Dijk and Fraser Forster – size 12
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was always a star who used acrobatic flicks to his advantageCredit: AFP or licensors
Peter Crouch’s long frame managed to get him a number of goalsCredit: —
There are a number of high profile footballers past and present who have worn size 12.
It is not that surprising either considering each of these stars would not look out of place in the NBA.
Standing between 6ft 4″ and 6ft 7″, these stars have all used height as a deadly weapon for their teams.
Martial arts expert Zlatan Ibrahimovic was never one to shy away from an acrobatic goal, while Peter Crouch had a knack for getting his toe to the ball.
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Virgil van Dijk established himself as one of the Premier League’s best defenders with a cultured ball-playing ability and defensive prowess boosted by his physicality.
Messi praised Fraser Forster as having “the best goalkeeping performance I have seen” against him when Barcelona lost to Celtic in 2012, with the Tottenham reserve making 13 saves in that game.
Manuel Neuer – size 12.5
Manuel Neuer pioneered the modern style of goalkeepingCredit: AFP
A player who pioneered the position of goalkeeper as we know it today, Bayern Munich star Manuel Neuer is the first name that comes for mind when saying the term sweeper-keeper.
Cool as a cucumber playing out from the back and equally adept at shot-stopping, the German was helped in his acts by his huge frame underpinned by size 12.5 boots.
Harry Maguire – size 13
Harry Maguire wears size 13 bootsCredit: Getty
Harry Maguire will be hoping to book a spot at Euro 2024 amid his struggles in the last couple of seasons at Man Utd.
To do that he will need to ensure his size 13 boots are getting action on the pitch.
Romelu Lukaku – size 13.5
Romelu Lukaku was mocked by Man Utd team-mates for his size 13.5 bootsCredit: Rex
Romelu Lukaku came in to replace Ibrahimovic at Man Utd and had no problem filling the Swede’s boots in his first season, considering his feet are a full size-and-a-half larger.
While the size 13.5 boots have helped the Belgian’s keen eye for goal, it was also the butt of a few jokes with team-mates, with Juan Mata sharing a picture with the boots comically misplaced on his own feet.
Nwankwo Kanu – size 15
Arsenal Invincible Nwankwo Kanu wore size 15 bootsCredit: Getty
But it did not stop him getting a reputation for having excellent ball controlCredit: PA
But none of the previous names come close to the king of the football boot world – Arsenal Invincible Nwankwo Kanu – who wore a stunning size 15.
The Nigerian forward starred for Arsenal in both their 2002 and 2004 title winning sides, scoring 44 goals across five and a half seasons with the Gunners.
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And the size of his feet did not stop him from possessing silky ball control.
Former team-mate Lee Dixon told The Athletic on Kanu: “He’d just control the whole training session. You literally couldn’t get the ball off him.” More