Tell me your football boots are of the highest quality without telling me that they are. Responding with the word ‘Mizuno’ would be one of the best answers you can give, and that is because just like anything Japanese the boot maker practises the Kaizen philosophy-that acceptance of continuous improvements, however incremental, over time, making the pursuit of giving the best possible service or product (in this case the best pair of football boots) more efficient. To that note, Mizuno has now given us the Morelia Neo Beta IV, espousing relatively minor but needed changes to the Beta III to continue cementing its status as one, if not the best leather speed boot in the market today.
But first things first. Yes, you are not mistaken. That predominantly white colourway. Those streaking lines comprising the Runbird logo. The pops of red accent here and there. Yes, they are exactly the looks that made up the outgoing Beta 3 when it first appeared three years ago in the Runbird DNA pack. Guess we could take it as a symbolic reintroduction of the Neo Beta, always packing in something new that makes it better than its last iteration.
Now, with regard to the changes themselves, we can start with the noticeably stiffer midfoot plate compared to the previous generation’s outsole. While the old one’s not necessarily bad, the stiffer, more rigid midfoot of the soleplate now helps improve your stability on the pitch and gives you a little bit of that sensation that you are stepping on a flat surface amidst the ruggedness of the pitch. This jives well with the traction and ease of rotation of the conicals.
The Beta Mesh, arguably the highlight of the silo, also exhibits some gradual change. The mesh is now more visible, perhaps due to the lessening of the overlay film. The end result is a Beta Mesh that is ever so slightly pliable and more adaptive to the shape of your foot. On top of this added pliability, Mizuno also increased the amount of K-leather on the forefoot! It’s a welcome addition considering the state of K-leather now in football boots and even better for the comfort and fit of the Beta football boots.
In conjunction with the change on the Beta Mesh, Mizuno also slightly revamped the knit on the tongue and collar. The latter was heightened just a little bit to improve the ankle fit and hold, while the tongue now features a new weave (or material). It’s not so much with the weave or material, but rather more on the improvements on the three dimensional stretch properties that helps the wearer get better fit and comfort across the arch of the foot. Internally, the sockliner material offers more grip to lock your foot in place, and give you bonus padding to that luxurious first touch in the first place.
So there you go-many changes but still minor tweakings at best, all in the name of delivering the best Morelia Neo Beta experience possible…
