On Saturday, Mesut Özil will become the first player in Premier League history to take to the pitch in laceless boots.
The new and innovative boots were developed for the midfielder by his official sponsors, the German sportswear and equipment supplier Adidas.
Known as the ACE 16+ PureControl boots, Adidas also gifted pairs to Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitić and Real Madrid’s James Rodríguez, but Özil will be the first player to wear the revolutionary footwear in an official match, and not just a training situation.
Rakitić has reportedly branded the Ace 16+ boots the ‘best he’s ever worn’, whilst Özil – after posting an enthusiastic selfie of him and the PureControl concept on Instagram last November – revealed that he never liked laces anyway.
A photo posted by Mesut Özil (@m10_official) on
See them in 2016 
#BeTheDifference“My whole career I have tried to minimise the impact of laces on my strike and ball control,” says Özil. “I revealed to Adidas in 2014 that in the changing room I knot the laces over and over again and then tuck in the ends – that way they do not interfere with my touch.
“So when they came to me last year with the laceless boots, it was like they have created my dream product. I cannot wait to wear them on the pitch.”
Adidas maintain that the boots are just as comfortable and secure as previous PureControl designs. The laces, although gone, have been replaced with three key points of stability to lock the foot into the boot. A thermoplastic cage locks over the iconic three stripes to secure the mid foot, and is further anchored by a knitted upper and an internal knitted techfit locking system.
The upper combines tight and loose premium knits across the boot and, Adidas assure, the result is a glove-like fit, allowing for the cleanest possible strike – as a larger surface area generates more power and accuracy.
In a striking Solar Green, the boots are available to buy in a select number of Adidas flagship stores – namely Paris, Marseilles, London, Barcelona and Manchester.
But will these futuristic footwear sell out before Özil’s Arsenal take on Chelsea this Saturday? Or will people want to ensure that the boots don’t fly off your feet before they start flying off the shelves?
