When I first laid eyes on the Elite collection of boots from Nike Football prior to World Cup 2010, I couldn’t help but be immediately drawn. The colorway was probably the defining factor. We’ve all seen super flashy colorways which are created half for flash and half for assumed function, but Nike actually went the further step to take a scientific approach. I was never one to buy into the notion that boots make the player and ever less so for “colorways” having an effect on you being a better player, but I’m never turning a blind eye to science haha. Ideally if you can get the ball played into you more often, that is nothing but a good thing unless you have cinder blocks for feet… but it begs the question, what use happens if 50%* of the people are wearing the same colorway as was seen during the World Cup. *50% is a number I made up but I remember seeing a grip of them on the field. Overall, the Elite series as the name would suggest is a step-up from Nike Football’s previous top-of-the-line offerings. All of a sudden expensive boots are even MORE expensive now with each of the four models earning weight reductions and carbon fiber soleplates respectively.

I’ve worn the CTR360 Maestri extensively in the past through two pairs, so I was pretty sure of what to expect going in. However, price aside, the Elite series CTR360 Maestri IS a better boot than the regular version hands down. If you want to see more pics, they can be seen in my First Thoughts post.

Constructions & Materials
No big changes here, the upper is roughly the same. The “control pods” feel the same as the original CTR360 Maestri, however the Kanga-Lite, while not thinner, it feels softer. The heel counter has been removed to shave some grams off but I didn’t notice the difference meaning they got the heel fit bang on. The carbon fiber outsole is a huge selling point for the boot in my eyes. Carbon fiber has reached this mystical status in popular culture where they’re throwing it on everything. Aesthetically it’s pretty slick you have to admit.

But back to the performance aspect… initially it’s pretty stiff, which makes them a bit uncomfortable. I can’t say whether it’s the leading factor for why I experienced some foot cramping in the initial wear stages but when I had them off, I would manually flex and bend around the forefoot area to loosen them up some more. Basically mimicking the foot’s natural flexion points. The general build quality is good, the outsole and upper never came detached.

Now for the bad part. I did have studs fall off the boot. Initially I caught the breakage early and tried some crazy glue but after the next session the stud was completely gone. I don’t have an explanation but they’re on the middle row of the forefoot. I am right footed so maybe it has something to do with that, but not too sure. While one stud has completely fallen off, the neighboring studs have separated as well and you can see in the one picture, there’s a blade of FieldTurf grass stuck in between. Some people have also mentioned problems with the lace loops, none to report here. I do lace my boots fairly tight as well.

Fit
I went up half a size and it made a difference than my previous experience with US 9 Maestris. Initial break-in was still a bit of a chore but eventually it was cool. The boots do get pretty hot, almost to the point of discomfort, but I assume not many boots including older generation Climacool’d F50is will help when it’s 33 degrees Celsius and 90% humidity.

Traction
Nothing miraculous to report. The stud configuration is the same as the original CTR360 Maestri and I can’t say that the missing stud had a huge impact on the ability to cut and change directions. I will probably still wear them.

Miscellaneous
The carbon fiber outsole really provides some amazing pop off your foot especially when shooting. You can feel it have an effect I’d liken to adidas’ PowerPulse but in a lighter package. I can’t say the colorway was something my teammates pointed. However, playing on the wing, you’re more likely to have balls played into space or under much less pressure than if you were in the middle of a congested park or up front in an odd-man situation against defenders. So I guess I wasn’t in the best position (literally) to see if they actually made a difference. The boot bag they come in is a nice touch. For those that spend a few hundred bucks on boots, it’s nice to see them have a suitable storage solution,

The Final Word
Removing the busted stud out of the equation as I feel it’s probably just a bum pair, the boots are pretty solid. I was never one to think lightweight boots make a difference, but I must say I’m a changed man. I still won’t hold it up on the same level as pure fit, but it definitely is something to consider more so than before. Yes the price is expensive but with boot colorways being updated at such a rapid rate, they’re worth it at discount. Unless your boots are subsidized/paid for/you have deep pockets, I think it would be harder to justify at full price. But… I haven’t found a post-World Cup colorway that I liked and I still see a lot of players wearing the WC colorway.

Once again thanks to Tim Yu for the hookup.