Wednesday , March 27 2024

Diadora Brasil Classic – Boot Review

Diadora Brasil Classic Review

Finally readily available in North America, the Diadora Brasil Classic is designed to be a top competitor to the Adidas Copa Mundial.  Just by looking at them, you can tell that they are a heritage boot. They have the good old conical stud pattern and the long tongue. And considering they have four Italian flags on them, they are designed to brag about Diadora’s roots.

As with all competitors to the Adidas’ flagship heritage boot, there are high standards that need to be met if they want to be taken seriously.

You can find the Diadora Brasil Classic at SoccerSavings.

Initial Reaction

I really feel the leather will be the selling point of these. It’s thick and you can tell it is quality. I find the colorway to be quite appealing, a simple black and brown mix lets the Italian color stand out. A few things that I am skeptical about are the heel liner and tacky synthetic instep. The liner seems to be a low quality mesh and the synthetic might take away from the calf leather touch. On a side note, I have no idea where the Brasil part in the name came from and would definitely want to find out.

Diadora Brasil Classic Detailing

Diadora Brasil Classic Leather Upper

Comfort and Fit

In terms of comfort straight out of the box, these were nice and soft. They feel like they have already been broken in because the sole is super flexible and the leather is padded. Unfortunately, there are some sizing issues that come with these. I went with my original size 12 on these and definitely did not get the fit I was hoping for. I would definitely recommend trying these on in a local store before purchasing, because they fit around a whole size too big! In other words, to get a proper fit, I would recommend ordering a whole size down (ex: if you wear a size 10, order a size 9). If you order the right size, these will give a fit that once fully broken in, they should hug your foot. The stitching on these runs across the boot, with no stitching running from the toe towards the laces. This allows them to stretch to the length of your foot while not over stretching width wise. In the end, you get the same comfort that is expected from the kangaroo leather mundial.  The flexible sole and padded lining come together to make for a very comfortable boot.

Similar to the Copa Mundial and the Diadora Maracana, the laces are quite long.  You can wrap them around your midfoot and tie them normally while still having a bit extra left. One technique I found useful is wrapping the laces around the back stud and back up the same side. It allowed me to tie them a bit tighter and higher up, which locked in my foot slightly better.

Diadora Brasil Classic FG

Diadora Brasil Classic Tongue

Diadora Brasil Classic Stud Configuration

Performance

Although the comfort level of these were above par, the performance was not as pleasing. Simply put, I felt that these were a bit too bulky for my taste. Although I know that they are “heritage boots”, there was just too much stuff on there that should have been left off/replaced. On the instep, it seems as if the outer layer is a shell, it is very stiff but the liner is a bulky mesh. It is very padded but you just aren’t close to the ball. If you like having that extra cushion then they are a good option but I just felt like the extra padding was unnecessary and just got in the way. The leather towards the front of the boot was quite enjoyable, it was thick (in a good way) and the extra padding gave me a better feel on the ball.

The Brasil Classic also is different from a lot of other boots when running at high speeds. For me, my heel slipped the whole time I was running because there was so much extra space in that area. Although I found the mesh lining to be comfortable, they are quite ineffective in terms of performance. They don’t offer any abrasiveness and my foot would often slide around in them. They also take in a lot of water in rainy situations. Also, the sole plate is quite flexible and although it makes it more comfortable, I didn’t get the same bouncy responsive feel that I like. Protection wise, there is nothing to worry about- you will hardly feel the hard tackles through the thick leather and padding.

WARNING: Do not wear these on turf! On natural grass, I thought the 12 conical studs performed well. There isn’t anything that special that stands out until you wear them on turf. These will catch on the turf whenever you try to pass the ball because the studs are just a bit too long. Unfortunately, the studs simply don’t dig in well when you need them to.

Durability:  Here is where the extra bulkiness really comes into play. The added features make for a solid boot that won’t falter under any condition. I wore them in wet conditions, turf, and even in frosted grass and they held up very well.

Diadora Brasil Classic Heel

You can find the Diadora Brasil Classic at SoccerSavings.

Would I buy these?

Although this may sound harsh, I feel that Diadora have some things they can improve on this boot. They are trying to stick to the heritage fit and feel but they need to address issues such as the sizing and bulky feel. With that said, I did enjoy the thick leather and how durable they were. They were definitely comfortable and are a decent all around boot. However, the category these are in has some stiff competition. The adidas Copa Mundial and newcomer Nike Premier are both options that many would look to first. Even Diadora’s own Maracana is stiff competition. I personally would look to those three boots before considering the Brasil Classic and that is why I am leaning towards the No side.

Would you consider buying the Diadora Brassil Classic? Let us know in the comments below!

About Ethan Edwards

Ethan is our guy who is going to take things to the next level as a SoccerCleats101 pro player. He is set to play on one of the best high school soccer teams this Spring (Blacksburg HS, VA) and will be providing us with news and reviews from a competitive standpoint. Find him on Twitter if you want to talk High School soccer!

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8 comments

  1. I don't think this is a fair comparison. In order to make a fair comparison you should wear the right size in first place. I've been using Diadora's boots lately (Evoluzione K and Italica K-Pro) and I'm loving them more than any Adidas, Nike, Puma boot I've ever worn (Maestri, F50, Powerswerves, Adipure, Superfly's, Adipower, Tiempo, Kings, etc). I buy them half a size smaller than what I would normally wear and the fit is perfect.

    Diadora somehow got the "lockdown" effect on their boots perfectly, I usually have a bit of ankle slippage in ALL Nike, Adidas and Puma boots; but this is not the case with my Diadora.

    I recommend trying out other Diadora boots, for a classic feel go with the Italica K-Pro. I just got them for the equivalent of $65 USD from a local store. Great comfort and top notch K leather.

    • Hey Julian,

      I do agee with you that Diadora is a company that that have their good boots. However, in this review I was focusing on the Diadora Brasil Classic which I felt wasn't up to their standards. I just feel that other boots like the Maracana would be better options.

      -Ethan

      • I can respect that. I currently own the Diadora DD-Eleven K. The quality on the boot is sublime. With that said I do think that maybe a review with the correct size might be a little bit more insightful and accurate. All in all though this seems like it would be an excellent back up boot at the least, simply because the price is so mouth-watering along with the leather quality. Also I can see this being an effective training boot. I am a firm believer in having a good training boot to use.

  2. This Diadora Brasil is not the true original. This version is Made in China now. The old Diadora Brasil was Made in Italy. A much better boot. It is in the same category as : Mizuno Morelia (Japan), Adidas Copa Mundial (Germany), Lotto Stadio (Italy)…a few other brilliant boots forgot their names.

  3. This boot looked promising for the price. I've always had a soft spot for Diadora, growing up at a time when they held a pretty good sized chunk of the market. It's a shame that this one ended up being somewhat of a flop. Their other boots look nice, for only a couple extra bucks and more modern features/technology while retaining some classic elements, so I don't see this Brasil replica (which seems to be what it is) doing too well.

  4. Back in the 90s i really did love diadora brasil. Back then good football boots were made in europe and japan. The one i wore back then were made in italy. Mizuno morelia, lotto futura/stadio, adidas copa mundials were stapples among footballers on firm ground fields. They were expensive of course but stillp affordable for teenagers like me. Are they better compared to todays football boots that are made in china nowadays? If you talk about durability, older boots are better. Performance wise todays boot are better since they are light weight and have more ball feel. If injury is your concern, older boots will protect your feet like a tank. Anyways its lovely to see diadora finally made a comeback. Love the brand. Dont know what happened the past decade they seem to make only cheap boots. Nice review.

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