The concept of laceless football boots was made into a reality when Lotto released the Zhero Gravity in 2006. However, ten years later, adidas started their current dominance with the launch of their Ace 16+ Purecontrol. Much has happened since then, and so here we look at our top options if you’re priority is to take away the laces once and for all.
What You’ll Find On This Page:
- Why Wear a Boot Without Laces?
- Best Laceless Boots
- Nike Jr. Mercurial Superfly Academy
- Cheap Laceless Takedown Options
Surprisingly, Nike to this date hasn’t answered back with their own laceless Elite boot, though they have ditched the laces in some of their Jr options. Other brands like New Balance have joined in the fun of producing plug-and-play football boots.
Why Wear a Boot Without Laces?
A laceless boot is made to provide a cleaner surface which gives off two primary benefits; one, this cleaner striking surface extends the striking area to the top space of the boot for a better contact with the ball for passing and shooting. Secondly, the removal of laces tends to reduce the distraction and allows the wearer to have a more connected feel to the ball. The idea of having less effort in wearing your boots by the removal of laces is especially attractive to younger players who are very immersed in a plug-and-play system.
Best Laceless Boots
| Rank | Why? | Boot | |
|---|---|---|---|
1. New Balance Tekela v4+ Pro | Makes the laceless setup sensible from an overall build perspective |  >> Get Tekela v4+ Pro Laceless from New Balance | |
2. adidas Predator Elite | Great all-around adidas laceless boot; seems to strike a balance between the laceless F50 and the laceless Copa Pure |  | |
3. adidas Copa Pure 3 Elite | Premium leather quality on a clean, laceless setup |  | |
4. adidas F50 Elite | Brings in the concept of speed to the laceless boot category |  | |
5. adidas F50+ | Adds more tech features to the regular F50 Elite Ll |  | |
1. New Balance Tekela v4+
Now I know I just said that adidas dominates the space. But there’s something with this boot that greatly helps it to be competitive in the laceless boot category. For one, I think the laceless setup makes sense for the knit-based upper of the Tekela in that it truly gives you a sock-like experience. The upper forms really well around your feet, as you would expect from this material, and yet the brand is able to do a good job of reinforcing the lockdown and responsiveness of the boot. For very wide feet players, you can choose for the Wide option.
2. adidas Predator Elite
To start off with the adidas laceless monopoly, we go with the Predator Elite. I find that it has good amount of comfort and lockdown, striking a balance between both. This makes it superior to its laceless siblings, which either lean heavily on one aspect or somehow still has that pronounced weaknesses of this kind of closure setup despite some progress in terms of fit. You can also take advantage of the cleaner surface to maximise the grip elements when striking the ball.
3. adidas Copa Pure 3 Elite
If you can’t let go of that premium feeling of natural leather and want to go laceless, you can’t go wrong with the Copa Pure 3. The Fusionskin technology combines a leather forefoot with a knitted midfoot that makes up its soft and pliable upper. This is certainly perfect for comfort, but do keep in mind that the give of the material makes the lockdown not as good as the laced variant.
4. adidas F50 Elite
When it comes to the F50, I think of those who like their boots to feel structured and secure and make them feel like their feet are being kept in place. That’s what you get with the sleek shape and synthetic setting of the adidas speed boot. It’s also relatively flat soleplate-wise, which gives you that close-to-the-ground sensation. The only thing with this option is that your feet should really match the shape of the boot in order for the F50 laceless to fit really well. Otherwise, you might end up getting some pockets of dead spaces here and there.
5. adidas F50+
This is like a turbo-charged version of the regular F50 Elite Ll. I say that because of the added features that are accentuate the speedy vibe of the silo. The most noticeable is the toe lift that keeps you ready to propel on your toes in an instant. The outsole also has more snap to it, and the Lightstrike Pro cushion adds some padded sensation when you are on your toes. Just keep in mind that there are obviously lots of things going on underfoot, so that might cause you to feel a bit disconnected from the ground. This is better suited for less dense or well-maintained natural pitches.
Nike Jr. Mercurial Superfly Academy
Whether this will progress to adult Elite boots is still a toss-up I guess for Nike. At least for starters the Nike Jr. Acacdemy Superfly provides kids that laceless option. Pull-tabs on the front and back of the knitted collar assist in putting on the boot, and the stretch mesh upper is adapted to the protective and growing needs of a child’s feet.
Cheap Laceless Takedown Options
Every now and then, adidas makes their laceless boots available in the cheap League takedown tier. Safe to say that we just have to tone down our expectations with regard to the build and material quality. Anticipate as well that key features are either significantly toned-down or removed altogehter (i.e. Predator grip elements downgraded to sticky prints). At the end of the day, what matters is that they fit you well and that they give you a way to affordably enjoy your football.
