In football, we see new boot silos coming and going all the time, with Nike and Adidas switching up their styles frequently.

As technology develops, we see revolutionary updates included into new boots all the time.

Today, FTBL takes a look at the best of Nike and Adidas' retired boots.

Nike CTR360

The Nike CTR360 was discontinued for the release of the Magista, the brand's major release ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 

Launched in 2009, the CTR was headlined by Cesc Fabregas during his time at Arsenal. Alongside Fabregas, the boot was worn by fellow Spaniard Andres Iniesta, Italian Mario Balotelli, Florent Malouda and Alex Song.

Created for midfield players, the creative players who receive and distribute the football quickly, Nike included specific features to assist with the process. A pass pad helped for a softer touch and smoother pass matched with extra cushioning.

Nike developed a brand new synthetic leather for the silo, known as KANGA-LITE, whcih was water resistant and gave the player a better touch on the ball.

In 2010, Nike launched the second edition of the CTR, the CTR360 Maestri II. Once again, the boot was headlined by Cesc Fabregas and featured overall enhancements, including improved comfort and an even better touch. 

At the time when the CTR was replaced by the Magista, Nike received mixed reactions from people around the world.

Nike T90

The Nike T90, or Total 90, made way for the first Hypervenom in 2013, much to the anger and disappointment of its fans. 

The T90 was loved globally for so many reasons, including its incredible build quality and durability, the inclusion of technology, it was something different and it was simply, the ultimate shooting machine.

 

 

A big up for the T90 was its wide fit, which offered total comfort with added space while still having a locked in feel. The wide fit gave the boot the opportunity to suit a wide variety of different players, something that is hard to find in modern day football.

Nike chose a wide range of goal scorers to show off the boot with Wayne Rooney and Spaniard Fernando Torres leading the way.

Looking back, the initial designs of the T90 Laser 1 could be regarded as fairly ugly, compared to the Laster IV, which looked far more slick.

In 2013, the Hypervenom swooped down and completely replaced the T90, as Nike aimed for an 'agility' boot in time for the FIFA Confederations Cup and then the 2014 FIFA World Cup the next year.

See Adidas on the next page.

Adidas Predator

The Adidas Predator could even have a whole page to itself, it was and still is one of the world's most loved releases. 

As one of the most iconic boots of all time, the Predator was first released in 1994 before being discontinued in 2015, ending over 20 years of tradition on the Adidas line.

Worn by some of the best midfielders, Steven Gerrard wore the three striped Predators during his time at Liverpool.

The Predator was constantly evolving from the get-go, 1994 held the first Predator with fins, 1998 had the Predator Accelerator with a transparent outer sole, into the 2000's, 2002 had the Predator Mania with K-Leather and velcro, the Predator Powerswerve was released in 2007 before the all new adiPower technology was introduced to the 2011 Predator adiPower.

The final Predator was released for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Adidas Predator Instinct. The focus for the boot was simple, to include as many areas for maximum ball contact as possible, so the Lethal Zones (LZ) were carried over from the 2012 and 2013 releases. 

The eventual discontinuation of the Adidas Predator was to make way for the new and updated boot, the ACE 15.1, which quickly burst onto the scene as one of the best boots on the market and has since been updated by the German football powerhouse many times.

Adidas adiZero f50

Adidas ended 11 years worth of speed, when it cut the Adidas adiZero from its production line in 2015.

The adiZero was the mean-speed-machine, and were regularly dominating other boots in the speed category, often leading the Nike Mercurial.

Gareth Bale and Arjen Robben were two of the faces behind the Adidas adiZero, with the light weight and structure of the boot suiting their style of play.

 

In 2015, Adidas announced the end of the adiZero, and it was replaced by the X 15.1, a mixture of speed and control, for the attacking players.

As Adidas confirmed the exit, it left fans once again, feeling dissapointed.