Top 10 | Limited Edition Football Boots - Football News

Limited edition releases create some of the most memorable football boots, brands go all out to create a one off spectacle to celebrate a landmark, a player achievement, a collaboration or to simply showcase their creativity and the results are always impressively unique.

We've dug through our archives and selected our top 10 limited edition football boots. Due to the very few numbers of each pair launched and the price tag that accompanies them, limited edition releases are the ultimate collectors items that belong on show rather than on pitch. Counting down from ten to one...



10 | PUMA evoSPEED 1.2 Hublot - PUMA are in a league of their own when it comes to collaborations and creeping into our top 10 are the evoSPEED Hublot editions. Only 60 pairs were released although they came with a bit of a catch... you had to buy a $40,000 Hublot watch first.

Signed by Falcao, who endorses both brands and topped off with a premium metallic finish, the boots were released to coincide with the 1 year countdown to the start of the 2014 World Cup, with Hublot the official timekeeper and watch supplier of the tournament.

9 | Nike Tiempo 94 - The Special Edition Nike Tiempo 94 drops in as our number 9. Inspired by the original Tiempo worn during the 1994 World Cup in the USA, Nike released just 1994 pairs with each boot featuring a stitched panel underneath the folded down tongue revealing it's identity number.

The 1994 World Cup in Nike's own back yard was a special one for the brand as they supplied the boots for no less than ten of the players on the pitch in the World Cup Final as well as legends Paolo Maldini and Romario. The limited edition versions, which landed 15 years later were snapped up instantly by collectors. 



8 | Nike Mercurial Vapor III Italy - These rare Italy Gold/Blue Nike Vapor III boots were made in celebration of Italy becoming world champions in 2006. Nike only produced 250 pairs of the ‘4 star Gold collectors editions’ so if you managed to get your hands on these, then count yourself lucky. 

On one side of the tongue was the Italian flag, flip it over and there were 4 stars, one to represent each of Italy's World Cup successes. Gold boots don't come around too often so when they do land they're always cherished and the fact that only 250 produced means we hold them in high regard in our limited edition table.



7 | adidas Predator Pulse DB - The limited edition David Beckham adidas Predator Pulse dropped in 2004. The golden boy of adidas was presented with an exclusive Pred just before the 2004 Euro Championships that featured his trademark logo on the heel and the tongue of the right boot. 



Only 723 pairs of the boots were released. Why? Beckham's squad number for Man United and his squad number for Real Madrid. Adidas even went to the extent of only producing pairs that were the exact size specifications of Beckham’s feet so if you weren't a UK size 9 then you were out of luck, not that anyone would have worn them anyway.



6 | adidas World Cup 78 - To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 78 World Cup in Argentina adidas released a limited number of World Cup re-releases, 1978 pairs to be precise. At £200 a pop the 1978 World Cup boots are more likely to be kept in the box than in the changing rooms but for players who did buy them to wear they came presented in a premium leather holdall with leather food, adidas brush and cloth. 

The World Cup 78 is hands down our favourite limited edition adidas release. Each pair stitched with it's own identity number on the inside of the leather tongue and the words "World Cup 78" stitched in gold on the side of the boot. But it's the red studs that do it for us, another beauty of a limited edition.



5 | PUMA v1.815 Ferrari - The Puma v1.815 Ferrari was released in early 2009 and is still the ultimate collaboration. Only 815 pairs of the ultra-limited, highly desirable v1.815 Ferrari Editions were released in classic Ferrari red and featured the famous logo of both parties. Weighing just 165g PUMA's v1 speed boot series and Ferrari's reputation for speed were the perfect combination and together created one of the most visually impressive limited edition football boots.

Each of the 815 pairs were sold at £250 and would have featured further up our limited edition table if fewer numbers had been released. We've seen a few knocking around in the English football league but the v1.815 is a boot that belongs in a presentation box.



4 | Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR SE - Only 100 pairs of the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX CR boots were released worldwide to celebrate Cristiano Ronaldo's goals and achievements during the 11/12 season. Each pair featured a bold 'CR7' graphic on the instep of the boot and seven numbers on the lateral side. 



Each number represented a milestone in Ronaldo's 11/12 season; 1 (first Spanish championship), 9 (goals for Portugal), 14 (games for Portugal), 19 (first player to score against all 19 La-Liga teams), 27 (age), 55 (games played for Real Madrid) and 60 (goals scored for Real Madrid). Not a bad season then. Despite the man himself only wearing them three times, anyone who did snap a pair up would have had to part with £300.



3 | Nike GS - Last year Nike launched their lightest and greenest boot ever - Only 2012 pairs of the Nike Green Speed hit the shelves, each weighing a mere 160g. The solvent-free Kanga-lite synthetic upper was manufactured with 35% less carbon emissions compared to traditional materials therefore better for the environment. 



Nike redefined the boundaries of boot design by building the GS with recycled and renewable engineering to create a unique boot with an equally impressive story to match an awesome design. Each pair set you back around £250 and sold out within minutes largely thanks to Neymar's player support at the London 2012 Olympics, who in turn became the brand's youngest ever player to be given exclusivity on a single boot.



2 | Nike Mercurial SL - Our limited edition runner up comes in the form of the Nike Mercurial SL. The design process for the Mercurial SL began in 2004, four years before Cristiano Ronaldo wore them for the first time. The complete carbon-fibre boot weighed 190g and was limited to only 550 pairs in the UK and 2008 worldwide. Each SL was supplied in a premium boot box with a certificate of authentication which featured an individual identification number.

Every SL had a unique number also inscribed on the tongue, so you knew you were getting a piece of football history. Again, a limited edition this rare came with a big fat price tag - £240 to be exact, although anyone that did split with their cash now owns a boot worth significantly more than that.



1 | Nike Mercurial Vapor IX R9 Chrome - Our number one limited edition football boot has to be the Nike Mercurial Vapor IX R9 Chrome simply due to the fact that only 15 exist worldwide. A seriously limited release, football boots don't come much rarer than these. Rather than shifting them on to the highest bidder Nike dished out one pair to El Fenomeno himself, 3 pairs to recognised Mercurial collectors and the rest to Nike's select partners, hence our pair. 

The special edition R9 Chrome’s were released to celebrate 15 years since Ronaldo wore the original versions at the 1998 World Cup. Each pair were made of synthetics with a chrome finish and fibre-glass soleplate topped off with lasered identification numbers.

Which boots would feature in your top 10 limited edition releases? Let us know. Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.