How Important Is It to Have Expensive Soccer Cleats?

These days, shoes are getting more and more expensive. Each brand is constantly trying to out-do each other with exciting new styles and designs. Soccer cleats tend to be one of the more expensive sports shoes to buy, with top of the line cleats at around $200 or higher. Does shelling out the extra dollars for these expensive soccer cleats actually help you play better?

Soccer cleats are increasing in price mainly because they are on the cutting edge of style and design. Overall, today’s cleats are made lighter and with better materials. But is an ounce or two difference really going make or break your speed? I do not think so.

Is better material really going to help you receive and strike the ball better? It may make some difference, but you still need to strike the ball fundamentally and no cleat can teach you how to do that.

So are the cheapest soccer cleats the answer? Not necessarily.

The cheapest cleats are made poorly and feel more cumbersome. They often look like the expensive soccer cleats, but are not made with the same material and quality. They often do not have a quality feel to them and might even fall apart on you before very long. Choosing the absolute cheapest cleats won’t save you money in the long run if you need to pick up another pair later in the same season.

Mid-level soccer cleats, then, give you higher quality material with a more reasonable price tag. They are more similar the high end soccer cleats than the cheapest ones. The soles seem to be slightly different at times, but the material used is of high quality.

There are also a variety of mid-level cleats so you can select one that is suited to your preferences. If your budget allows, I would recommend going with the mid-level cleats that are in the price range of $100-$150. If you are still growing and buying youth cleats, then you may have to get new shoes every year, so factor that in to your price calculations. Same if you need to get shoes for multiple environments, like turf shoes or indoor shoes.

You can browse some popular soccer shoes at different price points here.

Overall, fancy expensive shoes aren’t going to magically change your level of play all by themselves. No matter what you have on your feet, you still need to be able to perform the fundamental skills of soccer. The best soccer player in the world could wear the cheapest soccer cleats and still be the best. It does not matter what you wear, but rather how you perform.

Also, instead of obsessing over the materials or price tag, focus your energy on ensuring that your soccer shoes correctly fit your foot, a factor that does make a big difference.