The past decade has been a bystander of some of the most advanced innovations towards the betterment of sport. Right from the release of personalized boots to bringing on the much-needed VAR into the action in football, the spectators have been duly left jaw-dropping in that sense.

Be it on the field or even off it, novelty has been at the top of the game, setting up the bar higher for the time to come. So with the decade now coming to a close, it is high time we highlight the innovations which redefined football to a level it is at right now.

High knit collared boots

Football has come a long way as far as the boots are concerned. The good old-fashioned leather boots took a turn into synthetics in the past decade, and then came the era of lace less cleats. Those, in fact, were in transition much earlier than the time we – as layman – were exposed to. But what modernized the synthetic beauty were high knit collars.

It wasn’t until the 2014 FIFA World Cup that the style came into province. The design not only offered better fit, but it also worked upon the basic science of the game i.e; allowing the players to use their foot, ankle and lower leg together.

Brand collaborations

Paris Saint-Germain’s stocks beyond football has risen to a greater extent in recent years and much of the credit - apart from getting Neymar for a world-record fee – goes to their mastermind of collaborating with the fashion brands.

Back in 2018, the French champions indulged in a collaboration with a Japanese streetwear brand, BAPE to release a wide range of clothing collection. This was followed by a partnership with Hugo Boss early this year. But before all that, they teamed up with basketball legend Michael Jordan’s fashion line to release their PSG x Jordan range. The decision worked wonders as their shirt sales records reached massive heights.

Other European clubs soon got into the trend and expect it to be a big hit coming years.

And it’s not just that. High-end brands like Versace recently entered the sporting endeavors by releasing their Barocco Soccer Ball. Safe to say it will only get better from this.

Environmental-friendly products

With more people now aware of the mishap we’re causing to the environment, sports manufacturers like Nike and Adidas decided to take the matter in their own hands. In 2012, Nike unveiled their GreenSpeed range, which at that time was the lightest football boot there ever was. But there was much more than what met the eye; the boot was made from the recycled materials.

Adidas soon joined the fray and in 2015, they released the kits made completely from the ocean waste.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @PSG_inside

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