ESPNsoccernet - Reviews - Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elite

ESPNsoccernet: Reviews

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elite

Simon McGrath

Rating:

After a two-year break from playing competitive 11-a-side football, I dived boots-first into a new season last weekend, with a brand spanking pair of Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elites shimmering through the Saturday afternoon gloom.

Gerard Pique discusses the new Nike Tiempo boots
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is among a host of starts who wear the Nike Tiempo Elite Legend IV (Nike football/Other)

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• Nike Total 90 Laser III Deciding on my choice of footwear was no easy task, as I discovered the market to be more saturated than it has ever been when I took a casual glance around the web over the summer. There were plenty of boots that caught my eye - mainly because of the array of neon colours on offer - but I felt most of them would look more at home at a nightclub than a football club. I'm usually fairly conservative when it comes to boot selection but I don't consider myself a prude, so after much debate about the pros and cons of brightly-coloured boots I decided to go for a compromise with the Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elites. They came in a sleek black, but with fluorescent orange laces and studs - certainly a progressive step from the all-black offerings that had previously dominated my football career. The colour is generally what immediately attracts you to a pair of boots and the danger of purchasing online is not being able to try before you buy. But to my delight the Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elite are hugely comfortable, with the Flywire - which ensures there is never a need to tie your laces so tightly your foot begins to asphyxiate - providing excellent support and helping with turning and accelerating. The cushioned insole with Poron material under the heel and fore area also greatly aids comfort. The leather is soft and responsive and, though it might not be everyone's cup of tea, I am a big fan of the new thin tongue in place of the fold-over style. It just feels neater and simpler and means that there is a very clean contact area, which really came to the fore for me when picking out the 60-yard cross-field passes I am often partial to playing (more accurately, the 60-yard hoofs out of defence). Barcelona star Gerard Pique has been the public face of theNike Tiempo Legend IV Elite and as a centre back myself - albeit not quite as cultured and without a Colombian songstress on my arm - it is pleasing that a defender and not a flair player has given his backing to my new footwear, which acts to assure me that the boots' attributes will benefit my position. It has to be said that the boots don't come cheap and if I had a girlfriend I might well have been tempted to spend the money on a romantic getaway to the country rather than a pair of shoes. But we all deserve a pre-season treat every now and again and the durability that comes with the leather upper suggests that the Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elites will probably last significantly longer than most of my relationships. View them as a long-term investment. I've always thought that boots possess either style or substance, but have been delighted to discover that, with the Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elite, I appear to have found a model that perfectly fuses the two! Nike Tiempo Legend IV Elite boots are available to buy at the ESPNsoccernet store