PUMA Mens King Cup FG Adults Football Boots Lace Up

Product Information

On the surface, such blatant pigeonholing might seem unfair. But the PUMA King’s contemporary synonymity with a no-thrills approach to the beautiful game signifies a slow shift in the culture of football. Features of today's boot include a lightweight outsole with an external heel counter for stability and agility, an integrated stability spine for midfoot support and our sustainable, non-animal K-BETTER™ leather. From day one Puma have always looked to innovate their products. It started with the Super Atom and continued with the KING. Earlier models of the silhouette featured Puma’s vulcanization process. Introduced in 1960, the process was a revolutionary way of joining the soles to the uppers. Ten years later, Puma introduced another key feature, their very own S.P.A. technology. This consisted of a higher heel to reduce stress on the Achilles tendon.

Perhaps it comes down to an issue of quality, whereby PUMA Kings have simply failed to evolve as well as other brands. Or perhaps, with the rapid advances in technology, and the ever-expanding scope for meticulous designs and modern materials, it’s PUMA’s apparent reluctance to deviate too far from the classic King of yesteryear means that it simply isn’t that fashionable anymore. One need only watch Pelé and Brazil’s mesmeric World Cup triumph of 1970, or Asif Kapadia’s recent Diego Maradona documentary to be reminded, not merely of the undeniable genius possessed by both men on the pitch and the very different personal lives that distinguish them off it, but, more simply, of what tangibly links them: what they wore on their feet.In today’s climate of knit and synthetics, Puma is figuring out the best way to pay tribute to the name. The Puma King is one of most legendary football boots to have ever been made. Worn by luminaries such as Eusebio, Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff (just to name a few), it was a no frills boot that was popular in the 60s right into the 90s for its performance and soft leather upper.

In 1981 a young Diego Maradona burst onto the scene. He was magic. Breathtaking. He did things with a football nobody had ever witnessed. And like they’d done so many times before Puma wasted no time in making the game’s new golden child one of their athletes. Once again, it was a master-stroke. I expected a boot like this to fit large so I went half size down. To my surprise, it fit very tight and I think going true to size would have been just right for most people with moderate width feet. Despite how tight it was, the boot stretched slightly over the course of 2-3 sessions to accommodate every curve of my foot.This was supposed to challenge the likes of the popular Nike Premier 2.0, a budget leather boot inspired by a prestigious older model. The “heritage” line, as some would call it. The excellent Puma King Classic Di, meant to be their premium leather boot was discontinued and in its place, the Puma King Top was released as budget option for the weekend warrior. So, how is it that, in just a few decades, the PUMA King has gone from halting contract negotiations and housing the twinkle toes of some of the most technically gifted footballers the planet has ever seen, to become almost entirely synonymous with the inelegant centre-half? Step onto the field with the confidence of a true leader. Conquer every match, control every play, and leave your mark with the PUMA King Football Boots. Your reign starts here, now, and on every ground you play.

In 1984 Bayern Munich wanted to sign one of Germany’s hottest talents, Lothar Matthaeus. The midfielder, who went on to make 150 appearances for his national side, was keen to sign for the National Cup winners providing he could wear his beloved Puma KINGS rather than boots provided by the club’s technical supplier, Adidas.Similarly, a 2019 article in the Evening Standard headlined ‘Best football boots: Nike, Adidas and top UK brands for men’ mused at length over a number of boots by the titular big-hitters, and also those by Umbro and relative new boys on the soccer scene New Balance. Nowhere did it even mention PUMA. It’s a question that seems at once entirely trivial and greatly intriguing when one considers the kind of glittering legacy such a boot has behind it. Of the ubiquitous ingredients constituting any quintessential Sunday morning scrap, there is one brand of football boot that, for many, encapsulates the endearing madness better than any other: the PUMA King. By the ’80s, the boot was having an equally profound impact off the pitch, too. Lothar Matthäus, the talismanic German midfielder with 150 caps to his name and whose father had worked at the nearby Puma factory when Lothar was a child, was initially hesitant to sign to Bayern Munich (whose technical supplier was Adidas) from Borussia Mönchengladbach if it meant he was no longer permitted to wear his beloved PUMA brand.