Laced Up: adidas Messi 16+ PUREAGILITY Review : Football Boots : Soccer Bible

There’s only one active player in the world with his own silo. Millions of fans want to admire him. Millions of players want to be him. Millions of managers want to manage him. With a legendary career still still years away from lowering the final curtain, there’s still much to be seen from the world’s greatest. Countless imitators, but only one Messi.

The Messi 15.1 was the weakest boot in the initial revolution. Has 2016 seen a different story?

The initial MESSI 15.1 was a bit of an enigma. An odd, narrow fit combined with an upper that couldn’t quite find a blend between being padded or providing a close touch on the ball saw a boot meet with quite a mountain of difficulties upon its introduction. Combine that with the fact that only about a dozen players worldwide showcased the boot on major pitches, a boot that got a lot less press in comparison to the other new boots of the revolution, a boot that we all have been begging to be leather for years, and the 15.1 was quickly overshadowed by the chaos of the X and the adidas ACE. Luckily, for the boot and adidas, Messi was still as dominant as ever, ensuring that the boot still got plenty of time at the apex of the game. It didn’t hurt that the German giants released an incredible MESSI10 limited edition boot that was desired the world over, but the stage has certainly been set for improvement.

Now, with the introduction of the adida PURE series, the newest MESSI boot hits the ground with a totally new look, new material, and new lace cover. Once again, the on-field support will be fairly small, so the boot needs to try and make up the space in order to stay totally relevant with the average player. It’s still the only boot from one of the major production brands tied to a single player, and, while we know the player himself will deliver on the pitch, it’s time for this boot to try and hit some similar heights.

Can the new MESSI bring even more ammunition to the revolution or is it still going to be the weak link in the chain? Can it differentiate itself enough from the PURECHAOS? We laced it up, covered it up, and put the boot to the test.

Is it possible to have a conservative boot that’s dripping in Chrome?

While the other boots in the Mercury pack blend the bright silver with a really bright accent color, the MESSI 16+ takes a slightly different route. Combining the silver with a darker blue almost darkens the actual silver itself. Understand, this boot still has a chrome soleplate and isn’t going to allow you to hide when placed anywhere on the pitch, but, in comparison to the boot’s compatriots in the Mercury pack, this boot is fairly reserved. Perhaps it’s the slight blue hue of the AgilityKnit that runs underneath the silver synthetic coating, but this boot isn’t quite as bright in person as the other PURE boots. This boot certainly isn’t going to be for everybody, but we think it will have better appeal to the masses in terms of the colors used.

One of the odd things about the boot is how the AgilityKnit combines with the synthetic coat on the top of the material to look slightly like fish scales. It also takes a slightly odd route with the Messi branding as the Messi logo is lightly emblazoned on the instep and on the central forefoot studs. You do see the three stripes near the heel on the outside of the boot, but the adidas logos are very small on the heel and the back portion of the soleplate. The TechFit definitely helps finish off the unique silhouette, but you’ll notice that the heel doesn’t quite stick up as far as the PURECHAOS. Once again, it’s not going to be for everyone, but it’s definitely a unique look for the Argentine’s boot.

Messi looks like he’s playing on a cloud. Can his boot’s comfort make us feel like that?

The original MESSI boot was an odd, narrow last that didn’t really sit too well with a lot of different foot types. Add in a soleplate that combined with the last to create quite a few hot spots, and the original boot’s comfort voided a lot of positives for a new creation. However, adidas has given impressive comfort from nearly every other item in their revolution, so we’re hoping that the PUREAGILITY can follow that lineage.

The first item in terms of comfort with the PUREAGILITY is how the boot slips on with the lace cover and laces. If you get the wrong size on anything associated with the adidas PURE range, then you’re not going to have the boot perform the way that it is intended. While we were able to stay true to size on this boot, we strongly (strongly) suggest trying the boot on before you make the plunge on PUREAGILITY in order to ensure perfect sizing. If you can’t find your way into a pair of these boots, then true to size is going to be your best bet. The PUREAGILITY does have a slightly narrower fit than that other PURE options, but they seem to have moved away from how narrow the original was. Be prepared for there to be some tightness in the midfoot when you first try the boots on, but this will soften up a little bit. As far as the upper goes, don’t expect it to stretch much...so if the material softening isn’t going to be enough to make the boot comfortable, then this won’t be for you.

While the PURECONTROL had us laughing at ourselves the first few times we tried to put the boots on, the PUREAGILITY involves a much easier process. There is some slight stretch around where you slip your foot in, and the elongated heel lets you slip your foot in after a little bit of movement. Once you find yourself within the confines of the MESSI 16+, then your journey begins.

If you’ve gotten the fit right, then you’ll feel an immediate squeeze all over your foot. The upper is a little stiff at first, combined with a fairly stiff soleplate, so it’s going to take a bit of breaking in before these boots start to shine. For us, it took a few sessions before we starting feeling like the MESSI16+ was fully broken-in and we were able to really start enjoying the boot.

The heel has some great padding to add with comfort and the synthetic used is great for making sure that there isn’t any heel slippage. Once everything in the upper has softened up a bit, you start to notice the padding in the forefoot as it helps aid how this boot feels on your foot. All this padding is meant to help the boot function with laces that have a small effect on the fit and functionality of the boot. Although it isn’t laceless, the boot fits nicely without that laces being laced. The laces really just add an extra level of squeeze once you tighten them, but the fit and comfort is not greatly changed by them. Considering how this boot is priced, we were a little disappointed in the level of initial comfort, but it breaks into quite a smooth experience. The only thing that might scare some away would the tightness around the edges of the lace cover, and it seems a bit odd how tightly the cover has been made when adidas hope to allow us to tuck the laces inside the cover. If you do end up tucking the laces in, it creates a big lump. While it didn’t greatly change how the boot feels, it seems like something that could have been addressed.

The soleplate, as we mentioned, is a little stiff. However, it breaks in nicely and allows for a nice level of responsiveness, but we’ll get to that a little bit later. We mentioned this with the Laced Up of the PURECHAOS, but we wanted to note that the TechFit (blue) material is not a neoprene style/smooth material and has some texture to it. This might feel odd under your fingers and have you worried about hotspots or there being some spots that rubs blisters, but we actually found that it wasn’t a factor once you’re laced up and playing.

We’ll never be Messi, but can these help bring me his level of confidence?

The MESSI16+ has already made a step up in terms of comfort from the disappointment involved. However, we’re not in need for a pair of slippers to wear around the office...we want to see how these boots stand up once you get a ball on your feet and your try and break through a few tackles. Messi is unlike any other player on the face of the planet, so there’s no magical pair of boots that can make us that amazing...but, we’re hoping to be able to settle for merely looking like the magician as we bumble through a Sunday league pitch.

Your first few moments on the ball with the PUREAGILITY is that the different sections of the boot offer slightly different touches on the ball. All the areas behind the area where the lace cover is stitched is fairly thin. The TechFit and the AgilityKnit are left alone in these areas and it gives a fairly close feel for the ball. The only negative area is on top of the foot where there can sometimes be a little more disconnect from the ball than we expected. One of the easiest ways to avoid that is to make sure that you don’t tuck the laces into the cover to make sure they can sit as close as possible to each other.

The forefoot, as soon as you pass the stitching for the lace cover, is padded with a very soft material that sits under the AgilityKnit. This area of the boot is really fun to be on the ball, and the padding isn’t too thick that it starts to dampen the feel for the ball. This is definitely the area of the boot that adidas would have been hoping to achieve, and we sort of wish that this feel extended all the way around the boot. It isn’t that the other section is poor, or really negative in any way, but we loved this portion of the boot enough to wish for a whole boot’s worth! When dribbling with the inside or outside of your foot, you get a nice level of grip and feel at any speed. Whether some of that can be attributed to the texture of the AgilityKnit might be up for debate, but something is certainly coming together to have us feeling like these are perfect tools to try and execute Messi-esque dribbles with the ball glued to our feet.

Whenever you can finally drag yourself away from being a bit of a ball hog, passing and shooting is what you’d expect from a thinner style material. Shots just ping off the upper and you feel the full impact of the ball as it zips its way off the boot. If you try and curl a shot with the instep of the forefoot, you’ll get a nice feel that the padding provides. Although some boots struggle to blend whenever there are two different feels in different boot sections, the PUREAGILITY actually makes it work rather well. Just be prepared for the feel to be different in different sections of the boot, but both feels are great on the ball. Adidas is advertising this boot as an elite option, and we’re inclined to agree.

The soleplate on the PUREAGILITY is standard in terms of the typical adidas layout, but the studs are fairly unique. The two studs furthest forward and furthest back are rounded, while all other other studs are small triangular shapes, it comes together nicely. The studs dig in very quickly while allowing you to still move and release quickly. The boot is still advertised as AG/FG, but it certainly seemed to shine more on a firm ground pitch than when we stepped on an artificial surface. The soleplate’s stiffness, while a bit tough during break-in, allows the boot to be responsive during play. We enjoy this variation of the SprintFrame, and enjoy how well it functions (be aware, the chrome look on the soleplate will fade after use...but this is merely cosmetic).

There will never be another Messi on the pitch, but is it time to finally declare his silo as a legend as well?

The original MESSI was a disappointment on a wealth of fronts. The new version has successfully brought the boot up to speed with the rest of the revolution. While we still feel that there are a few things that could be improved as we move forward (smoother transition of the boot’s build, lace cover issues, Messi actually using this version in-game, and tightness in odd areas), the new MESSI16+ is a great addition to the adidas roster and the boot world.

It finally feels like we get a quality boot with the MESSI moniker without it having to be leather, and there will be a large swath of players that find themselves rocking the AgilityKnit coming into the new season. While it might not be able to quite eclipse the other stars of the PURE line, this boot finally feels worthy of being considered part of the revolution.

There’s no bigger jewel in the adidas crown. We might not be able to say the same about the boot yet, but we’re exponentially closer now. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to continue making ridiculous 50 yard runs before chipping the keeper and feeling like it’s not out of the ordinary...