Design Your Own Nike Boots

Most football boots come in the colours Nike decides on. Nike By You is how you change that.

The service (previously called NikeID) lets you build your own colourway across six boot options: the Phantom 6, the Mercurial Vapor 17, and the Mercurial Superfly 11, with Elite and Academy versions of each. You choose the base colour, the Swoosh, the soleplate finish, the lace colour, and where to add text. Then you wait roughly three to five weeks for a pair of boots that no one else at your club has.

Before you start the configurator, there are two decisions worth getting right first: which boot, and which tier. Both choices affect what you can customise, how the boot plays, and whether you can return it if something goes wrong.

Nike By You Football Boots

What Is Nike By You?

Nike By You is Nike’s custom boot service, previously called NikeID. The name changed; the concept stayed the same. You access it through Nike’s website, build your design using preset colour and finish options, and Nike makes the boots to your specification.

Right now, customisation is available for three boots: the Phantom 6, the Mercurial Vapor 17, and the Mercurial Superfly 11. Each is available in Elite (Nike’s top-tier match boot) and Academy (the entry-level version using different materials). That gives six total options.

The colour palette and available finishes change periodically as Nike updates the By You range. What stays consistent is the structure: base colour, Swoosh colour, soleplate option, lace colour, and up to five characters of personalised text.

Phantom or Mercurial? Choosing the Right Boot

This is the decision most people skip over, which is why they sometimes end up with the wrong boot in the wrong colours.

The Phantom 6 and the Mercurial family solve different football problems.

The Phantom 6 is a control boot. It’s built for players who need to receive the ball cleanly and do something with it quickly. The Gripknit and Flyknit upper gives the ball a soft, predictable contact point. The off-centre lacing system creates a clean striking surface across the forefoot. If you play in positions where you get the ball to feet under pressure, where you’re turning quickly in tight areas, or where your first touch is what everything else depends on, the Phantom is the boot for that.

The Mercurial family is a speed boot. It’s built around attacking before defenders can react. The contact feel is more direct and aggressive than the Phantom. Where the Phantom asks you to compose, the Mercurial asks you to commit. If your game is about creating separation, getting in behind, or being the player who stretches the defensive line repeatedly, the Mercurial is built for how you play.

Within the Mercurial, the decision between Vapor and Superfly comes down to your interpretation of speed.

The Vapor 17 is about minimalism. The combination of the Atomknit upper and Flylite soleplate makes up for a truly lightweight boot. It gives you that needed nimbleness for that explosive first step, especially when you like taking on defenders (where you need that bursting change of direction). On the other hand, the Superfly 11 employs proprietary Nike technologies, namely the Air Zoom bag and Zoom X insole, to give you a unique underfoot responsiveness. This is best utilised in open space and high-tempo team play, where continuous sprinting is the name of the game.

If you play wide and make repeated attacking runs throughout a match, the Superfly suits the relentless nature of that role. If you play in tighter attacking areas and prioritise sharp, immediate separation, the Vapor is built for that first-step burst.

---

Elite or Academy? The Honest Difference

The price difference between Elite and Academy is significant. The performance difference is also real, but it depends on what you’re using the boots for.

The Elite versions use Flyweave Ultra (Superfly), AtomKnit (Vapor), and Gripknit and Flyknit (Phantom). These are proper match-day materials. The Gripknit in particular gives you a sticky contact point that you notice when receiving firm passes or striking diagonals. The Air Zoom cushioning in the Superfly adds underfoot responsiveness in a way the Academy version doesn’t replicate.

The Academy versions use NikeSkin, which is a standard synthetic upper. It’s durable and it’s adequate, but you feel the difference immediately when you put them on. The structure is simpler. The contact feel is less refined. The soleplate is a cheaper plastic construction without the Air Zoom unit.

Choose Elite if these are your main match boots and you want to actually feel the difference the materials make on the pitch.

Choose Academy if you’re buying custom boots for a child who will outgrow them, if you want custom training boots at a lower price, or if you play on artificial pitches that would chew through Elite-tier uppers quickly.

One more thing: some customisation options differ between Elite and Academy. The Elite versions offer chrome and iridescent soleplate finishes that aren’t available on Academy. The Academy sometimes has a slightly wider base colour selection. Both let you add personalised text.

---

Nike By You Phantom 6

The Phantom 6 is the only boot in the Nike By You range specifically designed around control. The Gripknit forefoot gives you a consistent contact point when receiving; you notice it most when a firm pass arrives at pace and you need to kill it quickly. The Flyknit base wraps the midfoot and heel cleanly, and the off-centre lacing means you have a wider clean surface to strike across.

In the By You range, only the low-cut Phantom 6 is available. There is no high-cut version. Soleplate options are FG (firm ground) and AG (artificial ground) only. Soft ground is not currently available on the Phantom By You.

Custom Phantom 6 Elite

The Phantom Elite configurator gives you seven elements to adjust:

1. Gripknit: The textured forefoot panel. Limited colour options here; the palette is intentionally restrained so the Gripknit texture reads clearly.

2. Flyknit Base: The main body colour that extends across the quarter and tongue. This is usually your dominant colour.

3. Soleplate: FG or AG, with tonal, chrome, or iridescent finish options.

4. Text : Up to two alphanumeric characters per boot (uppercase only), placed on the medial side of the quarter. You also choose the text colour separately.

5. Swoosh (lateral): The large Swoosh on the outside of the boot. This is where the metallic and gold/silver finish options are available.

6. Small Swoosh and Accents: The smaller branding elements on the medial side and midfoot. Selecting this colour also affects the small PHANTOM and NIKE GRIPKNIT labels.

7. Laces: Match them or contrast them; both work depending on whether you want the laces to disappear or pop.

Customisation: Phantom 6 Academy

The Academy configurator follows a similar structure but with some differences. The seam can be coloured independently from the quarter, which gives you a colour split option not available on the Elite. The soleplate options are more limited (no chrome or iridescent finish). The text placement and two-character limit remain the same.

---

Nike Mercurial Vapor 17 By You

The Vapor 17 is a low-cut speed boot. The boot is built around attacking space the moment it opens. The AtomKnit upper sits close to the foot and the Flylite soleplate gives a close feel to the ground, giving you a more stable sensation when you push off to accelerate. This is not a boot that asks you to think; it reacts when you do.

In the By You range, both FG and AG soleplates are available. The Vapor By You is available in Elite and Academy.

Customisation: Vapor 17 Elite

1. Base:  The main upper colour. Regardless of the choice, the colour dynamic remains the same: a blocked gradient where the colour around the top changes gradually toward the bottom.

2. Swoosh: Wide colour range in solid fill application.

3. Swoosh Outline: Adds a border to the Swoosh.

4. Laces: No reflective lace option currently available on the Vapor By You.

5. Small Logos: Colour choice for brandings on the heel, ‘Mercurial’ for the left boot and ‘Vapor’ for the right boot.

6. Soleplate: FG has the full range: either single tone or multitone. AG is limited to the transparent option with black or white board.

7. Plate Swoosh: Adds colour to the Swoosh right in the middle of the cutout of the Flylite outsole.

8. Lateral Text: Option for a custom text comprised of up to (7) alpha-numeric characters, positioned at the lateral side of the quarter (around the bottom edge toward the outsole).

9. Medial Number: Option of up to two-digit number to appear right in the middle of the quarter’s medial side.

Customisation: Vapor 17 Academy

Most Elite options carry over, with some exceptions. The Plate Swoosh is not available. The multitone finish is also taken out. But what you get is the ability to separate the upper base colour from the colour around the top part of the boot via the ‘Screen Print’ customisation.

---

Nike Mercurial Superfly 11 By You

The Superfly is particularly suited to players who make repeated attacking runs throughout a game. The bouncy Air Zoom and cushioned Zoom X insole also provides some energy return to enable you to keep going and running throughout the match.

FG and AG options are available. Elite and Academy both available.

Customisation: Superfly 11 Elite

1. Upper: Heavily applies to the forefoot lip, passing through the horizontal yarns and culminating on the triangle pattern on the midfoot. Can contrast significantly to the white inner yarns.

2. Tongue: Can be utilised as an accent colour or as an extension of the chosen upper theme.

3. Lace: Full colour range.

4. Swoosh: Applies to the large lateral forefoot Swoosh.

5. Swoosh Outline: Border treatment for the Swooshes. Choose the same colour as the Swoosh for a solid-fill effect.

6. Collar/Heel Screen: Applies to the quarter. Can maximise contrasting effect if colour differs from the upper and tongue option.

7. Mercurial Logos: Colour of ‘Mercurial’ branding on the heel of the left boot, ‘Superfly’ on the heel of the right boot.

8. Soleplate: FG has single and multitone options. AG has black or white only. No SG-Pro option.

9. Zoom Air Bag: Can opt for a tonal or accented relation to the soleplate colour.

10. Lateral Text: Enter a custom text; of up to (7) alpha-numeric characters, positioned at the lateral side of the quarter (around the bottom edge toward the outsole).

11. Medial Number: Option of up to two-digit number to appear right in the middle of the quarter’s medial side (right boot only).

Customisation: Superfly 11 Academy

The Academy uses NikeSkin rather than Flyweave Ultra. The base colour selection is wider than on the Elite, and that the upper colour applies fully to the Nikeskin material. Heel colour extends up to the collar. The Swoosh and outline options remain. Soleplate is solid-fill only (no multitone). Text personalisation stays in.

---

Before You Order

Delivery

Nike By You boots are made to your specification. They are not sitting in a warehouse waiting to be picked. Most Nike By You football boots take three to five weeks from order to delivery, though it can be a little faster or slower depending on the style and current production schedules. Nike gives you an estimated delivery date during checkout.

Do not order Nike By You boots if you need them for a specific match in the next three weeks. Leave enough time.

Returns

This is the most important thing on this page: Nike By You boots cannot be returned or exchanged. Once you place the order, the boots are made for you. If they arrive and the fit is wrong, you cannot send them back unless they are defective or faulty.

This means getting your sizing right before you order matters more than with a standard boot purchase.

As a general guide: the Phantom 6 fits true to size with a slightly wider forefoot than the Mercurial. The Mercurial Elite (Vapor and Superfly) runs narrow, particularly in the toe box. If you are between sizes or have a wider foot, consider sizing up half a size on the Mercurial. If you have worn the standard Phantom before and know your size, order the same.

If you have not worn either boot before, try the standard (non-custom) version first to confirm your size before committing to a custom order.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you return Nike By You football boots? No. Nike By You boots cannot be returned or exchanged because they are made to your specification. The only exception is if the boots arrive defective or faulty. Make sure your sizing is correct before you order.

How long does Nike By You take to deliver? Most Nike By You football boots take three to five weeks. Standard delivery timescales do not apply to custom orders. Nike gives you an estimated delivery date at checkout.

Can you make your own football boots? Yes, though “making your own” means customising an existing boot rather than building one from scratch. You take a current model and choose its colours, finishes, soleplate and personalised text. Nike offers this through Nike By You on the Phantom 6, Mercurial Vapor 17 and Superfly 11, each in Elite and Academy. You design the pair online, Nike makes it to your specification, and it arrives in roughly three to five weeks. The trade-off is that custom boots cannot be returned unless they are faulty, so confirm your size before you order.

What is the difference between Nike By You and NikeID? They are the same service. Nike rebranded NikeID as Nike By You. You may still see NikeID used on older pages and in search results; it refers to the same customisation platform.

Is Nike By You Academy worth it? The Academy boots are a significantly cheaper entry point into custom Nike football boots. The trade-off is the NikeSkin upper instead of Elite upper material, and a simpler MG soleplate. If the boots are for a child who will outgrow them quickly, or for training use on rough pitches, Academy makes sense. If these are your match boots and you want to feel the full boot performance alongside the custom colourway, the Elite version is worth the additional cost.

Should I get a Phantom or a Mercurial By You? The Phantom 6 is the right choice if your game is built around receiving the ball, controlling tight situations, and operating in central areas. The Mercurial is the right choice if pace and attacking space are the foundation of how you play. Neither is objectively better; they solve different football problems. If you play wide and make runs in behind, Mercurial. If you play as a technical midfielder or forward who holds the ball and turns quickly, Phantom.

Can kids get Nike By You boots? Yes. The Nike By You range is available in junior sizes. The Academy versions give younger players access to the custom service at a lower price, which makes sense given how quickly kids’ feet change size.

What are the soleplate options on Nike By You boots? FG (firm ground) and AG (artificial ground) are available across all three boots. Soft ground (SG) is not currently available on any Nike By You option. Soleplate finishes vary by boot and tier: Elite versions offer single tone and multitone options on FG; AG is typically more limited.