Back in around 2008, I was writing a post for an unnamed website on Toni Kroos as his potential to become one of the top players in Europe. Since that time, he has continued to prosper, although he has had a few injury setbacks along the way. With the recent speculation surrounding his contract at Bayern Munich and potential big money transfer this summer, he again entered my eye-line. Then, while researching a piece for Sneaker Report this weekend, I discovered something about his choice of boots and it has seriously elevated my personal opinion of him!
While top players around the globe are finding any excuse to fit themselves in new boots and wild colorways, Kroos has been wearing the same range since 2010. Yes, I typed that correctly. Not only that, he has been wearing the exact colorway of the Adidas adiPure IV for the past 28 months. The adiPure IV was released back in December 2010 and Kroos was one of the very first players to slip his feet into a pair. It was September 2011 when he found the Zero Metallic/Black/Matte Gold colorway and it seems like it was love at first site, with Kroos choosing to wear them ever since.
In a world where players and brands seem to change their looks each week, it is extremely refreshing (and encouraging) to see a player find a boot he likes and stick with it. Ultimately, money talks and that is primary reason we see top players switch so often. I consider Kroos to be among the best, so he is most definitely choosing his own personal boot choice over money. By sticking with an older model boot that is not available anymore, he is not really useful to Adidas other than the fact he is wearing their logo. Players that change with the times are the ones that get the big money and it takes a true professional who respects his own game to stick with what works for him. And there have been plenty of occasions where players have “upgraded” to the newer version of a boot, only to struggle to adjust.
One prime example was Wayne Rooney and his switch over from the T90 Laser III to the Laser IV. Again, money talks and he ultimately made the transition. Robin van Persie is another example, as he stuck it out with the Predator adiPower for an extended period. In the time since, Adidas has started to personally modify his shoes to replicate the visuals of newer releases.
The best part of all this is the fact that the adiPure IV is a version of the adiPure that I have most respect and time for. In fact, it is the release in the range that we rate most highly thanks to its comfort and great fit. It actually received 5-stars on the SC101 Rating scale and is a boot I have in storage, ready for a fresh run out. For those interested in catching up on what they offered, you can check our review here.
Yes, there have been a few occasions where Kroos has worn other boots, but he continually returns to the adiPure IV. For example, just this past October he was spotted testing a blackout version of the now released adiPure 11Pro. This seemed to be a random occurrence during training sessions and it was probably more to do with player feedback to Adidas than anything else. And then in January 2013, he actually wore a pair of adiPure 11Pro for one game before again switching back his trusted pair of adiPure IV.
Kudos to you Mr. Kroos – we respect and salute your decision to be one of the few players currently in the game to break the trend and stick with what works for you rather than companies and their marketing. In a sense, you are the professional that represents the everyday player who finds a boot they like and sticks with that silo for an extended period (primarily because we can’t all afford to buy the latest releases).
For those interested in a pair of adiPure IV, you can still find them on eBay!
Him and Schweinsteiger were devout Adipure 3 wearers for a while, and while Schweinsteiger moved on, Kroos has stuck with his favored boots. Makes me want to buy a pair of old Adipures!
I'm with you, whoever has them listed on eBay might notice an increase in bids this week!
ditto!
i wanted his exact boots, but then i went for the adipure SL's lol!
I still think i remember his first assist was to Luca toni during a home game.
yeah actually these boots last very long time. my friend still wear it. still solid
I start keeping my eye on Kroos since the WC 2010. I like him not only for his shooting but his vision and composure as well. He reminds me of Paul Scholes but with a bit more speed and strength.
Neat that you posted about this. My 11 year old son has a pair of these, I found them at an Adidas outlet for $25 last spring, I bought two pair (5 1/2's as these went down to small sizes like the Copa's do), his teammate wears the other pair. He loves them, he did not mind one bit how "old" the were. He had a new pair of the youth Predator LZ's that cost 3 x's as much, but only got used in wet weather, after I found the adipure's. He is a bit of a throwback kid anyway. When I saw the game, I noticed Kroos was still wearing them, I showed my son the still pics of Kroos, and we were talking why it was sort of rare for a pro player to be wearing a boot this old. The one good thing about the rush for new colorways, and styles, is I can keep finding great shoes for a kid with growing feet.
I have a pair sad thing they're not as comfortable as they used to be