Nike Air Legend
One of the best cleats on the market

Nike Air Legend is the only model of soccer cleats made by Nike that are manufactured with Kangaroo Leather. No wonder why it's been one of the Nike's bestseller.

I wouldn't give all the credit to Ronaldinho's endorsement, which certainly helps, but Nike Air Legends are simply one of the best and most comfortable soccer cleats on the market.

UPDATE ! Now we have two more Nike's kangaroo leather cleats: Nike Total90 Laser and Nike Tiempo Ronaldinho.

Description

UPPER:

• Kangaroo leather (obviously) - the best type of leather there is; very soft, strong and easily molds to your feet.
• External Heel Counter - all shoes have a heel counter or counter reinforcement. The good, hard ones use a plastic, TR (thermoplastic resin), TPU or nylon material remolded to fit the heel of last. The purpose of the heel counter is to provide support and ensure a good fit. An external heel counter does the same thing, but it is on the outside of the heel.
• Symmetrical lacing system

MIDSOLE:

• High-Tech molded sock liner (the layer of rigid and flexible materials, which comes into direct contact with your foot) for added comfort and cushioning.
• Heel Air Zoom Unit - lightweight, incredibly thin cushioning brings the foot closer to the ground for optimum feel and aggressive maneuverability without sacrificing comfort.

OUTSOLE:

• Innovative new outsole with Fiberglass shank.
• Stud configuration offers comfort and good traction.

Available for these types of surfaces:
FG-Firm Ground and SG-Soft Ground (replaceable studs).

List price: $120

Various colors of Nike Air Legend

Review

Yes, I really think the Nike Air Legends are one of the best cleats on the market. Here is why…

1. Very comfortable
2. Great feel of the ball
3. Superb traction

• Softness of kangaroo leather upper provides awesome feel of the ball and… comfort
• Very sophisticated midsole material with Air Zoom Unit makes it very…comfortable.
• Glass fiber outsole makes the shoe very light and along with External Heel Counter very stable and…comfortable.
• Configuration of studs, placed on the special support bars, split the outsole into three sections providing great traction, stability and…comfort.

This is all you need in soccer cleats to consider them great soccer shoes.

Nothing else.

No Power Pulse, Predator Technology, Asymmetrical or Covered lacing, Touch Control etc. will make a soccer cleats better and more comfortable. Definitely none of these special features will make you a better player. That's for sure.

I've been asked the following question very often:

Why many professional players, including Ronaldinho, prefer Nike Air Legends, even though they have seemingly nothing hi-tech?

• First, it's more about value of the endorsement contract than about brand or model preference by pros.
• Second, Air Legends are manufactured with top technologies. Everything is hi-tech, even though they don't appear as such. It's probably because of their simple, traditional look and lack of those extra features, which actually don't make too much difference in overall performance anyway.

Well, actually it does make a difference (very significant)…in price.
Air Legends are much cheaper without all those unnecessary gadgets.

Summary

Nike Air Legends, in my opinion, are one of the top soccer cleats on the market. Even with their classic, traditional look (which by the way, I like). They are made with the finest materials and top technologies, yet managed to be very simple and the most important…comfortable.

They have everything the good soccer cleats need to have.

• Soft upper that provides excellent comfort, feel and touch of the ball
• Hi-tech midsole materials with heel cushioning for great comfort
• External Heel Counter that provides stability
• Sophisticated outsole plate with special studs configuration brings superb traction

You don't need anything else. Of course some additional features like, power pulse, predator vamps etc, do not make cleats worse. They just don't bring too much of a benefit, if any at all.

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