This cleat made our “Best Soccer Cleats” list – we basically compiled the top 10 soccer cleats in 2023. Click to find out why we felt this cleat made the cut!
If you’ve always found the traditional cleat design to be somewhat limiting to your game, then you’re not alone. Traditional cleats offer balance and stability, but they sometimes struggle to provide lateral movement or strong foot placement support. The Nike Mercurial Vapor Platinum Soccer Cleats have solved that problem.
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Nike has updated the stud configuration on these boots through the use of computer modeling and player testing. You’ll notice immediate differences on the pitch in terms of comfort and torque with these boots on your feet. There is also a higher level of traction that you’ll notice on virtually all firm ground surfaces.
Why Choose the Nike Mercurial Vapor Platinum Soccer Cleats?
Most soccer cleats that are designated as FG tend to struggle on surfaces that are a little wet or soft. These boots from Nike are more of an all-conditions boot, giving you more value out of your cleats. Instead of needing to bring 3-4 pairs of cleats to adjust to changing pitch conditions, the Vapor Platinums can handle virtually any surface condition that a natural pitch provides.
We also appreciated the tongue-free construction of the boot, allowing it to wrap around the foot so that it feels snug without feeling tight. There isn’t any pinching along the side of the foot when wearing these boots.
Altogether, this combination is able to provide a superior level of ball control for players who are in virtually any weather or pitch conditions. When the anti-skid top-cloth is added to the mix, you’ll notice an increased level of traction inside the cleat. There is also a ridged upper that allows players to obtain more ball movement when striking the ball for a pass, cross, or shot.
What to Consider Before Finalizing Your Purchase
These are Nike cleats, so you’ll notice a couple of issues may come up during the long-term use of the Vapor Platinum boots.
The first issue tends to be a separation of the outsole to the upper. Like most Nike products, you’ll begin to see this separation in about 3-6 months of regular use. A little glue or epoxy can solve the problem if it begins to appear. Players who wear these boots for practice, matches, and home-based skill-building are the most likely to see this issue begin to crop up.
If you’re a player that has some matches on natural surfaces, but others on artificial surfaces, then this cleat will struggle to adapt. This is especially true for the artificial surfaces that have rubberized materials to offer conditioning. Footing on AG is somewhat slick and unstable, especially if there is dampness to the pitch at that point.
Although they don’t work so well on artificial surfaces, the Nike Mercurial Vapor Platinum Soccer Cleats do provide players on natural surfaces an almost unparalleled practice and play experience. If you’re looking for boots that can help you take your game to the next level, then this is the pair that you’ll want to wear starting today.
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