Locke Cole Wrote:
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> For God's sake, stop worrying about what's on your
> feet and work harder at improving your game. :|
Well as to not leave you waiting, I'll take my personal stab at this one!
If it depended on me, I'd always play barefoot and without shinguards. To me, shoes and anything else get in the way. There are hundreds of different shoes that suit different style preferences or just personal preference on the feel and comfort.
I prefer a shoe that will make me feel the least amount of difference between having nothing to be wearing something. To me that was the Nike Mercurial Vapor, but they don't make larger sizes often. I did find one but it was in a bright orange with green that I refused to even look at. I settled for some Nike Tiempos I bought back in 2006 (upgrading from some old Copa Mundial shoes from who knows when!) as they fit comfortably, had a nice classic look and so far from my shoes, except for the Vapor, has given me the best feel for the ball and allows me to kick it at about 95% of the level I could if playing barefoot.
However that has been through a quite a few games and has taken a beating thanks to others' shoes violently attacking mine, and with newer stuff out and my personal preference for Adidas I tried finding something new and stylish that would suit. The AdiCORE TRX served part of that purpose, as it is drop-dead gorgeous and not the heaviest of shoes, but it is a slightly different frame to the classic boots as it has a longer area for the toes (even though it thins out) and my heels don't have that much space so there's constant friction with the socks as my feet basically aren't moving but my socks are.
A shoe won't make you a better player but it is a tool to help you feel comfortable when playing and something that can make a difference when translating the feel for the ball to your foot in indirect contact. I grew up playing barefoot and still in 60-70% of the cases I play outside I go barefoot against people wearing shoes with threatening studs, and finding something that will allow me a greater feel of the ball would make me feel comfortable instead of making me change my contact point on the ball or motion. There!
Now the shoes:
Mine is the 2006 version of this Tiempo, far simpler (and cost 60 Euros)
Recent purchase, AdiCORE TRX (if you can afford, AdiPURE)