Reviewing the brand new Puma Future 2.1, Liam Boland has had quite the surprising experience. Taking over the previous and first generation of the boot, Puma fine-tuned the Future to create a more streamlined and responsive experience. Needing to know what was the go with them, we sent our official boot tester, Liam Boland to find out for us.
After a week and a bit of testing them, we hit him up with our questions to get the low-down:
First things firsts mate – before you put them on, what were the thoughts?
I was honestly really interested in them because of the NetFit structure around the boot. I think it was really different and stood out from every other boot. Looks wise, I think they could have put some better colours on them but I love how different and interesting they look. Thankfully, they felt and performed far better than how they looked.
So when they went on feet and you tied them up, what did you think?
I could instantly notice how comfortable they were. They felt quite thin on top (the upper), and very light on feet. Underneath it felt nice and cushioned, which was cool to feel how it was still so lightweight and really cosy for my feet to be in.
We've had questions asking how hey fit, size wise. Do they run true-to-size?
I wore my usual size 11 US and they felt perfect length-wise. I have a wide foot and they felt fine.
We took them to the grounds and you trained in them. How did you feel right away with the Future 2.1’s on feet?
I was genuinely really impressed, because of the way the upper conforms to your foot. It was different to the other boots on the market, the Future really sticks close to your foot and provides a second skin feel. Overall it took about 15 minutes for them to feel broken in, which is really important for me as I play a lot and don’t want to bother with break in periods, especially blisters.
Now we’ll get into specifics. The NetFit system which allows you to customise the fit of the boot – did you use it, and if so, how’d you go?
Yes – and it was brilliant. I have a wide foot, and although the Future’s fit me alright how they were, I experimented with the laces. I put the laces more to the outside, so they were closer to the bottom sides of the boot – where the sole meets the upper. I could instantly feel how it loosened up the upper and allowed for the boot to become wider and accommodate my wide foot better. I found the NetFit structure, along with the shape of the boot, provided me with a quality fit on feet.
Ball feel on the upper – you said to us that you were worried how it’d feel with the NetFit upper. You’ve tested it now – how was it?
The touch on the ball was as good as anything really, nothing standout but there wasn’t anything I could say I’d like to change – which is super important in my opinion. It made me concentrate on just me, the ball, and what I was going to do with it. At the end of the day, your boots are supposed to make your job on the ball easier, and the Future did just that. It felt really second-skin like, and gave me a great ‘ping’ feel when hitting the ball around.
Dribbling was also great, since I had enough grip on the ball to manipulate the ball how I wanted. Everyone hates it when the ball slides off your boot, thankfully that was no issue with these.
Now we’ll go into the soleplate and stud pattern – you said you really liked the conical (round) studs on the Future when you picked them up from us. How did it fair out on the track?
Perfect. It’s definitely one of the simpler soleplates I’ve seen and worn in recent times, and I loved it. You could really feel the longer length of the studs penetrate the ground and dig in to keep you locked-in and on your feet. Sprinting in them was awesome since the soleplate gave you really good amount of kick-back and reflex, and the bladed studs in the heel gave me good stabilisation when I planted my foot to strike the ball. I also think the roundness of the studs really let me move and turn easily, something I found important and helpful.
We know you had the chance to hit a few towards goal – how did it feel shooting in them, and doing your thing in the final third?
Because of the thin upper and barefoot feel I felt I could really get something off the boot – like it was just coming off my foot and pinging. Striking off the laces was solid because it’s just that knit material, so it feels slightly padded but since it’s still thin, it comes off with some proper force. Finishing with the side of your foot, and even the outstep was neat and tidy, since you get that same responsive and instant feel on the ball. There was also still enough grip to be able to get some swerve onto the ball – again, nothing I’d say I’d want to change here.
Your overall opinion? Any more final thoughts?
Overall I feel I’m really surprised - and really want to give credit to where it’s due. Puma have made some great leaps with this Future 2.1, and it makes sense to me. It performs incredibly well, and if the likes of Suarez can wear it then it sure must be. Many pro-players in fact wear it now, so it must mean something. They’re built well, the quality of them is brilliant, and they perform excellent. Just maybe could do with a better colourway, but that’s probably just me. I really believe what Puma have done here is something more people need to get around, as it only takes one try-on to really feel and see what these are all about.
Lastly - rate the following out of 10 to round up the review.
Comfort - 8/10
Touch - 8/10
Weight - 7/10
Build Quality - 9/10
Aesthetics - 6/10
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