NIKE MAGISTA ID

Sticklers for old fashioned values, that's us.  Terraces?  We'd have them back tomorrow.  Football boots?  While we love to see the new releases, and we vigorously applaud a lot of the designs that are released, when it comes to actually lacing up, boots, well, they should be black and as unfussy as possible.

When Nike first announced the Magista in early March, we held back from featuring on IBWM.  Despite our keenness to see boundaries pushed, this looked a step too far.  The colourway and the materials used we could appreciate, but the design?  No, sorry, you've gone.  New Mercurials; yes, they look great, but the Magista?  Nope.  Passing fad.  Box with Sinclair C5's, Freddy Adu and Betamax videos.  

When Nike called to ask what we thought, we were, as always, honest.  They won't work because they can't work.  Look at them.  How can they?

"Ok", suggested Nike, "why not try them?" 

"We'll get a coach to put you through some drills, you can give them a good going over".

So we did.

Now there are a few moments in your life when something hits you that makes you challenge a few basic principles.  That point when everything you know is suddenly invalid.  It can be a member of the opposite sex that stops you in your tracks; perhaps a member of the same sex.  Olives.  Olives are a good example.  We hated olives as a kid, but now? Little green and black spheres of wonderfulness.  As it goes, the boots that look like socks.  Yes, them too.

Feet in, laces done up, comfortable; but then, most top end boots are.  Stand up and it suddenly hits.  Nike's push here has been to design something that connects the whole body to the foot, not just the ankle, and they've spent a lot of time and money trying to identify where the optimum point for this is.  A quick few drills and a bit of 'headers and volleys' later and everything had changed. Those basic principles?  Wow.

Now before we get accused of pandering here, no money has changed hands, we didn't even get a pair to take home, although we did try (oh, Nike, you might be a couple of footballs short by the way).  This wasn't a boot we were even going to feature, but with the Magista now under the Nike ID umbrella, you can pick and choose your colours so it seems a good time to mention.  In short, the Magista might not look to your taste, but until you've tried a pair you wont know what the future feels like.  For football boots, it's day one.  Also available in black.

The Nike Magista iD will be available to customise at nike.com/NIKEiD beginning April 29.