WM 2018: These football shoes are worn by the German national team

11:11 ended the duel of Nike against Adidas in the fight for the feet of the German football stars. After the 2006 World Cup, German national team players were forced to choose their shoes freely even though Adidas has had an exclusive equipment contract with the DFB for decades. Some even warned against boycotting if their desire for free choice of shoes was not met.

In the meantime Nike has caught up with arch-rival Adidas - who supplies the German national team with the World Cup jerseys, trousers, socks and the World Cup ball (all shoes in a table at the end of the text). The strategy was first of all to engage the younger star kickers. Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, for example, were wearing Nike shoes until the elimination in the group stage at the World Cup in Russia.

However, experienced players such as Jerome Boateng, Sami Khedira or Mario Gomez. Everything has become mixed up in the meantime: Adidas, of course, has long recognized how important the DFB stars are for the younger generation, especially when it comes to brand building. That's why, in addition to seasoned players such as Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Thomas Müller, Mesut Özil and Toni Kroos, young stars such as Julian Draxler and Timo Werner also appear in the brand with the three stripes.

There is also an outsider in the German World Championship team who does not come from the world of Adidas or Nike. Marco Reus promotes Puma - with the Future 18.1 Netfit model, which costs 300 euros. Toni Kroos shoes, on the other hand, only cost slightly more than half. Real Madrid's midfield strategist relies on the Adidas 11pro. The model with which he already became world champion in Brazil. Otherwise the motto is: Ever faster model changes, ever crazier colours. The Nemeziz 18.1 by Werner and Messi, for example, is to appear in orange-red.

Of course, all German stars have enough time to adapt to the latest models. "All Adidas contract players received their shoes at the beginning of the World Cup training camps and thus had enough time to settle in," says Adidas press spokesman Oliver Brüggen in an interview with ISPO.com. Depending on the shape of the foot and personal preferences, the new shoes are of course also tailor-made. In principle, however, every fan can buy the same shoe models as those of Thomas Müller and Co, explains Brüggen: "Consumers can not only purchase these series models, but also different, cheaper versions.

The latest shoe models from the major brands will be launched on time during the Champions League Final and the Football World Cup in order to attract as much attention as possible. Just like the sale of jerseys, the sale of shoes is a million-dollar business. After all, the shoes make a decisive contribution to who becomes champion. Brüggen reveals the innovations on the Adidas shoes that will help Germany defend their title: "The silhouette of the X-Silos has been redesigned, and the shoe has a new cleat configuration and an adapted heel cap".

Another trend can be seen when looking at the choice of shoes by German national players: The sock shoe has prevailed with most players. In 2014, Nike launched the "Magista Obra", a sensational product innovation. The sock shoe is designed to stabilize the upper ankle joint and, thanks to the smooth transition from the foot to the lower leg, provides a better ball feeling. Since Mario Götze's winning goal at the World Cup in Brazil at the latest, Nike's "Magista Obra" football shoe has become world-famous.

World Cup shoe by Mario Götze brought two million euros "The left shoe", with which the world champion scored 1-0 for the German national team against Argentina, was auctioned by an anonymous bidder for two million euros and is now a gem of the German Football Museum in Dortmund.

(shoe brand information from fußballschuhdb.com, prices partly taken over from the predecessor model)