Nike and Adidas launch knitted football boots for World Cup

THE worlds of knitting and football rarely collide, but that is about to change thanks to sportswear giants Nike and Adidas.

Both brands are set to unveil boots that look as though they might have been knocked up by your grandmother – but they’re being tipped to revolutionise the world of football footwear before the World Cup this summer. Nike, which has been using its Flyknit technology in running shoes for two years, will unveil its new Magista boot next week and has already lined up a host of stars to express their incredulity at the shoe's lightness. So far no images of the boot have been officially released, although a video showing players including Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta wearing the boots and singing their praises has been released. It proclaims that football will never be the same again, and the boots have been pixelated out in order to heighten expectations. "The design will look more like a sock - and if Iniesta's views are anything to go by they will feel like it too," reports the Daily Mail.

Although the Magista will be launched next week the boots "will not be seen until May when the bootmakers plan to unleash them on the grand stage of the Champions League Final in Lisbon and later at the World Cup in Brazil". Before then Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will have donned a new pair of Adidas boots which are being hailed as "the world's first knitted football boot". "It is the first boot to be knitted from heel to toe and Adidas also claim that the one-piece upper of the boot is made without wasting any material – meaning that the boot is the brand's most sustainable football boot," reports the Liverpool Echo.

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Like Nike's effort, the Primeknit Samba boot applies existing lightweight running shoe technology to a pair of studs for the first time. Neither pair of boots comes cheap, and the Adidas version is only available as a limited edition. But the sudden arrival of knitted footwear could make Christmas more interesting. "Next time your grandmother presents you with a scarf or jumper, why not ask her for a football boot instead?" suggests the Echo.