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The SoccerBible has gone all nostalgic again, and opened our Boot Vault to showcase classic football boots from seasons past. Continuing the retro Puma feel, we have a very special pair of 1970 Puma King-Pelé football boots...
Specially commissioned by Puma, these boots are a replica of the 1970 King-Pele. 1970 was the year Pelé won his third World Cup, and playing in Puma King football boots it was a momentous occasion in football history. Along the way to winning his record third World Cup, Pele was awarded ‘Player of the Tournament’ in Mexico.
It was at the 1970 World Cup finals in Mexico the Puma King football boots were brought to the world's attention. Pelé complied with a request from Puma representatives to increase the awareness and profile of the German sports shoe company after reportedly receiving $120,000 to wear the Formstripes. At the opening whistle of a 1970 World Cup finals match, Pelé stopped the referee with a last-second request to tie his shoelaces before kneeling down to give millions of television viewers a close-up of his Pumas. This is said to have further estranged the relationship between the respective companies of the Dassler brothers, Puma and adidas.
Since their inception in 1968, the Puma King has become synonymous with great moments in football, and it's no surprise when you boast the likes of Pelé, Eusebio, Maradona, Cruyff, Matthaus, Dalglish and Gascoigne as past wearers. This success has seen the Puma King star at a host of World Cups, including 1970 as these boots are a testament to. But also, 1974 through Johan Cruyff, 1978 courtesy of Mario Kempes, Diego Maradona's performances at the 1982 and 1986 finals, and Paul Gascoigne's emotionally charged display at the 1990 World Cup.
Pele's playing style was renowned due to his excellent dribbling, passing, pace and powerful shot. Playing at the top of his game ahead of the 1970 finals, Pele relied on the Puma King boots to deliver performance. As you can see, the Brazilian ace benefitted from a soft and responsive leather upper, combined with a central lacing system, featuring plenty of material around the toe area for ball touch and feel.
The black leather upper with a yellow Formstripe, is a colourway that Puma have made almost bespoke to the footballing legend. There have been subsequent King releases featuring the black/yellow colourway serving as a tribute, such as the recent King XL. And to be honest who can blame Puma, because not many brands can claim the greatest footballers of all time as previous wearers.
As an extra we've incorporated some original Puma artwork in our Boot Vault article, acknowledging the history and roots of the Puma brand. Formed in 1948 after the two Dassler brothers split their business, Rudolf's company changed its name to Puma Schuhfabrik Rudolf Dassler after originally being called Ruda – from "Ru" in Rudolf and "Da" in Dassler. Whilst brother Adolf started his own sportswear company with the name he formed using his nickname "Adi" and the first three letters of his last name "Das", to establish adidas.
We love delving into the SoccerBible Boot Vault to conjure up some great footballing memories, and recall football boots of the past. These Puma King-Pele football boots were one of the catalysts for a great range of boots that have stood the test of time, and you just have to love the foam tongue, classic boot shape, Formstripe and sole-plate on these historical football boots.
Stay tuned to the SoccerBible as we reveal even more soccer cleats from the Boot Vault, showcasing the best retro, classic and once forgotten boots and bringing them back to life! As always we'd love to hear your opinions by joining the conversations with the SoccerBible community online, on Twitter and on Facebook.
