The "Nike Football Boots" Book by Phaidon Press Explores 55 Years of History

NIKE, Inc. and Phaidon Press have chronicled 55 years of innovation, performance, and style within the football boots space in the 240-page hardcover volume titled Nike Football Boots.

The volume has been put together ahead of the 2026 World Cup™, which has inspired several on-pitch and off-pitch collections and initiatives. Award-winning author Caleb Azumah Nelson weaves personal nostalgia as a football fan from southeast London into four captivating essays discussing the importance of Nike’s iconic football boots. Historian and lecturer at the London College of Fashion Thomas Turner also delves deep into the materials, form, fit, design, and technology that've made these footwear styles special. Curator Eleanor Watson provides an accessible introduction to Nike Football Boots, while ELLE México editor-in-chief Claudia Cándano de la Peza discusses athletes as style icons.

The Phaidon Press-backed hardcover title is structured in chronological order, beginning in 1971. Four major boot franchises—Tiempo, Mercurial, Total 90, Phantom—help organize Nike Football Boots, with tidbits about some of the game's most-iconic players helping drive home the importance and transcendence of each design—including Brazilian striker Ronaldo, Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, and French icon Kylian Mbappé.

Nike Football Boots releases on Friday, April 10, via Phaidon.com and select retail locations.

For more news related to "the beautiful game," check out the 3D-printed adidas football boots.