Things We Like is where the CaughtOffside team brings you their favourite football-related items from around the world. Gear, games, movies, books, erotic novels, it’ll all be here and we’ll tell you exactly why they’re worth your hard earned dosh.
Following on from our preview last month, our pals over at Nike Football were kind enough to send us a pair of the new Nike Tiempo Ronaldinho’s to give a run out like only we can – against the various unfit and somewhat obese members of our Sunday League.
As we drooled over mentioned previously, the Tiempo Ronaldinho’s are a return to the classic, black boot styling and moves pleasantly away from the increasingly ridiculous neon color schemes that plague the modern pitch. We were a little concerned that the “Ronaldinho10” signature may have a similar affect that white boots did a few years ago (broken legs), but it’s actually quite subtle. Plus, that bloke in the silver Beckham Predators will get cracked long before you do.
Up close, the boots look, feel and smell (don’t act like you don’t) well constructed. Although the fit was snug, slipping them on was easy enough and – to the joy of this reviewer – the shape of the toe allowed a comfortable, tight fit for those whose second toe is larger than the alleged “Big” one. You may laugh, but it’s a problem for more footballers than you’d expect and can have rather painful results.
Even the lacing system was well conceived, a narrower tongue made it easy to tighten and loosen the boot while Nike smartly kept the laces short and neat – no droopy sides or quadruple knots necessary. Another nice touch is the smaller flap that covers the laces, our last pair had a massive flap that had to weigh as much as the boot itself and was wholey unnecessary. The only downside is that it attaches by velcro – convenient, but kinda too away from the classiness of the whole affair.
After a nice two match run out on Sunday, there are really only have good things to say about Nike’s latest effort. They’re light but maintain a satisfyingly “real” boot feel, providing a nice touch on the ball and managing to dodge the “I’m wearing two bits of cheap plastic” moments we experienced with our last pair of high end boots. Plus, we got a few compliments on them and didn’t get any stick at all for the whole Ronaldinho business (and it’s definitely not because we play like him). Disaster averted.
All in all, a quality, well constructed pair of boots that will get you noticed for their classic simplicity amongst all the clown shoes out there right now. And, best of all, they smell really, really good.
The Nike 10R range, including the Tiempo Ronaldinho boot, is out now. For more information simply head over to www.nikefootball.com. CaughtOffside will also giving away a pair of the new boots in the coming days so keep an eye out.