In 2017, we saw the rise of the laceless boot, many complex colours that sometimes didn't quite work, personalised boots for the biggest names and some fairly cringy celebrations after goals, pinpoint Jesse Lingard.

Now that 2017 is coming to an end, what can we expect to see in 2018? Stick around as we predict the trends for football in 2018.

Laceless revolution (...to continue)

Simplicity, cleanliness and a powerful and sweet strike, supposedly. Adidas lead the way with the ACE, X, NEMEZIZ and newly released Predator, which are all sold with laceless variations. Let's face it, the three stripes own the laceless game, having set the bar for other brands to catch up. 

Heading into 2018, there is a true feeling of expectation for a fellow big brand to drop their own laceless boots. Surprisingly, Nike haven't made a push, and if any brand is looking likely, it's PUMA. With the late 2017 addition of the Future, PUMA could slowly be heading to a boot, where laces are no more.

Lightweight leather

First, it was Nike to change the game with their release of the Tiempo Legend VII, their first ever Tiempo to feature FlyKnit. The other hair-raising aspect of the boot was its extreme lightweight build. As technology continues to advance and boots continue to become lighter and lighter, brands are looking for optimal quality as well as performance in their leather boots.

 
What will be next? Brands may try, but it could all come crashing down, simply due to how hard it is to produce a lightweight leather boot, that actually lasts.  

Collars are calling

The collars are well and truly calling, and have now hit an all-time high. Three out of the four Nike boots have 'high-cut' variations in the Magista, Hypervenom and Mercurial. Adidas also follow this pattern, with three of their main five offerings featuring a collar, PUMA as well with their ONE and FUTURE. Smaller brands are following suit too, companies such as Umbro and even Joma seeing the apparent benefits.

Heading into the year of the FIFA World Cup in Russia for 2018, these brands who have already produced boots with collars could simply attempt to enhance these features of their footwear, in a bid to try an catch the eye. Futher to this, we are likely to see many small brands pick up on the trend, adding collars to their range.

Simple and bold colours are back

This one is sure to please many of us, and it's true that it is coming back. Bold and simple colours have always been loved by the fans, but now, we are seeing them introduced into most packs. From blackouts to whiteouts, slick colours that compliment each other or even using a base colour across the pack, simplicity is winning.

Get prepared. In January, we'll get our first glance of what we could be in for throughout 2018, and early whispers tell us that we're in for a treat when it comes to the colours of our future boots. For now, it's wait and see, but if 2017 tells us anything, it's that 2018 will be a year of bold, simple and fresh colours.

More personalised boot collaborations 

Neymar, Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Aaron Ramsey and David Beckham all received their very own footwear throughout 2017. It worked, with the trend shining the spotlight on the players and the brands respectively. We can only expect this trend to grow even bigger in 2018.

With the trend set to become even more popular in 2018, the question we are left with is; who deserves their very own boot now? With some of the biggest names having already received theirs'. Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Paul Pogba and Luis Suarez all loom as worthy candidates.

With a World Cup to look forward to, 2018 will throw some fresh trends into the works, that is said without any doubt.