Whilst gloves are important, so are boots for a goalkeeper on the football pitch. If you’re looking for the best football boots for goalkeepers and become the number 1 of all no. 1s, I intend to use this page to help you make that decision. I’ve tried and tested a variety so you can read more about them here.
What You’ll Find On This Page:
The goalkeeper is the player directly responsible for preventing the opposition from scoring by defending the goal. He is the only player in the side who may use hands and arms (within the penalty area) to play the ball.
Top 7 Boots for Goalies
| Rank | Why? | Boot | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Tiempo Legend 10 | Nike’s best attempt to replicate leather in a synthetic setting sees the Tiempo Legend 10 provide almost the same dampening effect to ball touch |  >> Get Elite Tiempo Legend 10 at Nike | |
2. Puma Future Ultimate | Rest easy with its comfortable FUZIONFIT 3 upper, assisting you to be on your toes and ready to spring into save anytime |  | |
3. adidas Predator Elite | Ball-playing goalkeepers can use the grippy Strikeskin to convert defence into attack with a well-placed long pass |  | |
4. Nike Mercurial Vapor | Zoom Air technology brings a unique underfoot sensation; arguably cushions the goalkeeper’s jump |  >> Get Elite Mercurial Vapor 16 at Nike | |
5. adidas F50 Elite | Lightweight boots that helps the goalkeeper move side-to-side and protect his goal with ease |  | |
6. Puma Ultra 5 Carbon | Trampoline is to the Nike Vapor’s Zoom Air what springboard is to the Puma Ultra’s carbon fibre outsole; snapback can definitely be used to boost one’s vertical |  >> Get Ultra 5 Carbon from Puma | |
7. New Balance Tekela v4+ | Great knitted option for a goalkeeper’s boot; rim studs can help get traction when planting the foot and angling up for a save |  | |
Some goalkeepers, like outfield players, strictly stick to leather-like constructed football boots, and the likes of Belgium’s No.1 Thibaut Courtois and Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League winner Alisson opt for the Nike Tiempo. With GKs being utilised more in initiating play from the back, I understand how the Tiempo’s dampening ball touch can only do good for this type of keepers.
One of Puma’s big shot-stopper is Manchester City’s Ederson and he wears the Future 8, which has a very functional FUZIONFIT 3 upper that has a flexible inner LYCRA layer and a more structured mesh outer material to maintain the boot’s responsiveness. Like Ederson, goalkeepers who can put the ball on their feet is exactly the type of shot stopper I can envision wearing this Puma silo.
adidas provide top-level goalkeepers with premium football boots in the form of their Predator range, with some like Emiliano Martinez preferring the laced option. You can convert defence into offence in an instant with a well-placed long pass using the Strikeskin rubber grip elements. And I join a chorus of boot enthusiasts in saying that Strikeskin really grips! Just be careful though on your first few wear. If you are expected to play like an outfield player, Strikeskin might be too grippy and cause you to trip while dribbling. So you might need some time to get used to the sensation and grip levels.
Only a perfectly timed jump and an outstretch an arm can reach and block a screamer. Increased your chances in doing with the added bounce of the Mercurial Vapor’s Air Zoom technology . The Vapor is one of the most popular boots on the market with professional footballers and that means they suit a lot of players feet, so they could well suit you too. I definitely enjoyed the unique sole sensation provided by that proprietary strobel bag.
5. adidas F50
When I get to work as a goalkeeper, the way that I use the F50 is this: I prepare myself to plant my toes and use the snappy Sprintframe to add a bit of a boost when diving for that save. Ask me which F50 Elite option I prefer and I would say the regular laced Elite. That is because the tongue tunnel with laces helps me in making the upper wrap closely around my narrow feet better than the laceless one-piece Sprintweb.
6. Puma Ultra 5
Usually worn up front, the Ultra 5 can also be a suitable option to the last person of the backline. The goalkeeper needs explosive verticals to block well-placed shots, and the lightweight nature of the Ultra surely does not serve as a burden to that cause. In fact, Puma’s speed boot now has an aggressive snapback for that springy sensation. Besides the lightweightedness and the snapback of the outsole, I sense that the Ultra has a very tight grasp on my foot and that, in conjunction with the snap of the outsole, is very responsive to my movements.
With additional rim blades bordering the soleplate itself, the Tekela helps you dig in when you are on the edge and preparing to make the angular dive for that immaculate save. I am all for New Balance providing high-cut, laceless and low-cut, laced options.
How I Reviewed the Goalkeeper Boots
For any of our boot testing, including the ones conducted to determine this list, check out the process here. Essentially, I looked for boots that will allow me to instinctively react and jump for the save. And another consideration while I was testing is that the boots should allow me some sense of playmaking and dribbling ability, as the modern game requires goalkeepers who can be that extra man to initiate play from the back.
Expectations from a Goalkeeper
Some of the popular goalkeepers in today’s age are Manchester City and Brazil’s Ederson with his extraordinary feet, Liverpool & Brazil’s other number 1 Alisson with his excellent distribution, and Aston Villa and Argentina’s Emiliano Martinez with his World Cup-winning shot blocking.
While there can be multiple defenders, midfielders, and/or forwards in a football team’s starting 11, there is only one player who can and is required to be assigned to the most specialised role, the No. 1, more commonly known as the goalkeeper.
Primarily stationed inside the the 18-yard box, the goalkeeper’s main purpose is to prevent the opposing team from putting the ball past the goal line they are defending. These are placed right at the end of the pitch and are equidistant to the corner flags. They are marked by goal posts placed 24 feet apart and are joined together by a horizontal crossbar at a height of 8 feet, with nets attached to this frame primarily to catch goals scored.
To perform this role of preventing goals, the goalkeeper has the privilege of blocking strikes (most especially during free kicks and penalties), handling, and passing the balls using his hands and arms as long as he is within the 18-yard box. However, as indicated in the back-pass rule, the goalkeeper cannot use this privilege during the following sequence: a) the ball is kicked back to him by a teammate b) that the said action is deliberate and not a result of a deflection or miskick, and c) there is no intervening touch of the ball by anyone else. Because of the novelty of his role, the No. 1 normally has a different uniform from the rest and has gloves for protection.
It is also this role that makes the goalkeeping position inherently a defensive position. He usually organizes the backline in front of him as well as the ‘wall’ during freekicks. He is expected to have exceptional reflexes to block the incoming goal attempts aided by intelligent defensive positioning and proper diving techniques, which are what one can expect in a goalkeeper’s highlight reel.
The role does not prevent the goalkeeper from going outside the box and joining the other outfield players. Aside from those balls that were not cleared by the opposition and went straight past the demarcated goal line, some goalkeepers were able to score goals and earn a place in history.
In the same way, that big men in the NBA are being asked to do more in terms of shooting and passing other than blocking and rebounding, the modern goalkeepers are being asked to handle the ball well with their feet and be able passers either to build play from the back or to pick out long passes and jumpstart the attack. Goalkeepers who have a great sense of anticipating dangers are encouraged to step in and intercept in any way possible. As such, from simply being shot-stoppers goalkeepers are now expected to be good distributors and sweepers from the back.
