This season, we tracked every Premier League player to see which cleats dominate across positions. Predators for control, Vapors for speed, Tiempos for calm. The results say as much about the modern game as they do about footwear design. They reveal how players think, how they move, and what they truly trust beneath their feet.

What Players Actually Wear

Numbers tell part of the story. The rest comes down to feeling.

Professionals choose cleats for comfort and confidence more than sponsorships or slogans. Contracts matter, but performance matters more. When you break down the choices, patterns emerge that reflect the evolution of soccer itself.

The data shows that cleats follow the game's trends, not the other way around. The roles have changed. The cleats have followed.

The Myth of Position-Based Cleats

It is easy to believe each position has its own cleat. Vapors for wingers, Predators for midfielders, Tiempos for defenders. It sounds logical, but the game refuses to fit that neatly.

Centre backs like Micky van de Ven and Konstantinos Mavropanos wear Mercurial Vapors, models built for speed. Strikers such as Matheus Cunha and Saša Kalajdzic wear Tiempos, often marketed for defenders. soccerers choose what gives them control and trust, not what a label tells them to wear.

The Premier League has quietly dismantled the myth. The best players do not buy into categories. They buy into confidence.

Goalkeepers: Calm in the Chaos

Goalkeepers live by balance. Their cleats need to be stable enough for planting and quick enough for reaction.

Around 38 percent of Premier League goalkeepers wear the Nike Tiempo Legend 10. Another 35 percent prefer the adidas Predator FT or LL. These models provide traction for take-offs and support during dives and long passes.

Alisson, Nick Pope, and Matz Sels favour the Tiempo for its steady feel. Jordan Pickford and Marco Bizot lean toward lighter pairs such as the PUMA Ultra or Future 8 for quicker footwork. Modern keepers are not just shot-stoppers. They are passers, sweepers, and initiators. Their cleats have adapted to match that evolution.

Defenders: Built on Trust

Defenders play in permanent tension between control and chaos. They need traction for duels, balance for passes, and comfort for the long minutes between battles.

Many wear adidas Predators, including Cristian Romero, Ezri Konsa, and Nayef Aguerd. The cleat's structure gives them confidence when timing challenges or distributing the ball. Others, such as Virgil van Dijk and Tyrone Mings, choose the Nike Tiempo Legend 10 for its calm touch and familiar leather feel.

Fullbacks like Reece James and Kyle Walker, who double as attackers, often wear Mercurial Vapors or PUMA Ultras to support overlapping runs. In every case, defenders want one thing above all: trust.

Midfielders: Control and Creativity

The heart of the pitch belongs to players who connect everything. Midfielders need a cleat that balances control and flexibility.

Many Premier League midfielders wear Nike Phantom GX or adidas Predator FT models for precision in tight spaces. Others, like those who prefer a softer feel, turn to the adidas Copa Pure 3. The key theme is not technology but consistency.

Midfielders want a cleat that lets them express rhythm. Whether it is knit control or classic leather, they search for balance between security and freedom.

Forwards: Light Feet, Fast Minds

Forwards are still drawn to speed, but not at any cost. Nearly half of Premier League attackers wear lightweight cleats such as the Nike Mercurial Vapor 16 or adidas F50 LL. These cleats support quick acceleration and sharp cuts.

Others, including Kai Havertz, Anthony Gordon, and Jean-Philippe Mateta, prefer control models like the Phantom or Predator for precision inside the box. Modern attacking demands both speed and subtlety. A fraction of a second in either direction can change a result.

Fit, Choice, and the Bigger Picture

When I was younger, I thought being a winger meant wearing Vapors or F50s. Anything else felt wrong. Years later, after cycling through Predators, Tiempos, and everything in between, I realised it was never about position. It was about fit.

The best cleat disappears the moment you start to play. It becomes an extension of your foot.

Thinking by position can help beginners. Defenders often want security, midfielders focus on control, and forwards chase movement. But modern soccer blurs those lines. Fullbacks attack, strikers defend, and goalkeepers pass like midfielders. The game has evolved beyond those old rules.

Start with your position if it helps. Then experiment. Try different uppers, shapes, and weights until you find the pair that feels right. Comfort and confidence matter more than any tag on the heel.

The Business Behind the Cleats

At the top level, choice is not always free. Sponsorship contracts shape what players wear. Some, like Lionel Messi with adidas or Cristiano Ronaldo with Nike, have lifetime deals. Others sign shorter agreements that offer equipment, exposure, and support.

Still, players find ways to make their cleats their own. Many wear older models repainted to match current releases. Some use custom insoles or modified uppers. What appears on television often differs from what reaches stores.

For everyone else, the freedom is greater. You can pick what fits, not what a contract requires.

The Patterns

Across the Premier League, clear patterns appear. Control silos such as the Predator and Phantom dominate among midfielders and hybrid forwards. Heritage models like the Tiempo, Copa, and King remain popular with defenders and goalkeepers. Speed lines like the Mercurial, F50, and Ultra rule among wingers.

Nike leads with about 44 percent of players wearing its cleats. adidas follows at around 40 percent. PUMA continues to grow with roughly 12 percent, while New Balance and Skechers each hold about 2 percent, lifted by names such as Bukayo Saka and Mohammed Kudus.

The numbers show trends, not rules. Each player chooses what provides balance between traction, control, and belief.

The Takeaway

soccer no longer fits into its old boxes. Players are too adaptable, too creative, and too specific in what they need.

Choose by feel, not by label. Pick control if you want precision. Pick heritage if you value touch. Pick speed if you live for movement.

The right cleat helps, but it does not make the player. Erling Haaland could wear Nike Premiers and still find the net every weekend. The cleats matter, but they matter most when they help you forget you are wearing them.

To see what players trust and find your own fit, explore Pro:Direct Soccer. From Premier League favourites to grassroots essentials, it is where the modern game meets the right pair of cleats.