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England soccer fans can at least look forward to more of their stars making it out on to the pitch, provided the revolutionary visions of football boot manufacturers come true. Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Ashley Cole have all suffered the dreaded ‘broken metatarsal’ in recent years. It’s an injury often caused by players’ studs sticking in the turf. But snap-off studs are just one innovation likely to feature in the footie footwear of the future.

Expert Greg Lever O’Keefe reckons that, within the next decade, boots will be individually designed with fully customisable out soles that mirror the contours of each unique foot. He predicts that by the 2018 World Cup, sportswear shops will have running machines manned by experts able to assess factors like the exact load each part of the foot takes. Rapid manufacturing techniques will then deliver the fully bespoke footwear in minutes. Studs that can be tuned to help prevent metatarsal injury or designed to snap off under extreme rotational forces to alleviate knee injuries, would be just two cutting-edge options.

Meanwhile, Nike have been named top brand in this year’s International Football Boot Awards which recognise excellence in design, comfort, innovation and style. Nike’s Mercurial Vapor IV scored the honour for ‘Football Boot of the Year’, and Adidas’s Predator Power Swerve won the gong for ‘Most Comfortable Boot of the Year’.

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