Adidas Ace and X Leather, Primeknit and Synthetic - Which Players Wear Which Version?
Oct 5, 2015, by Chris
It's quite chaotic. After Adidas released the all-new Adidas Ace and Adidas X Primeknit Football Boots in late September 2015, various players switched their boots. And as all versions of each silo feature the same colors and a similar design, it's quite complicated to keep track of which players wear which cleats.
In cooperation with Football Boots DB, we take a detailed look at a bunch of players wearing the different versions of the Adidas Ace and Adidas X Soccer Boots. And while we tried to make as few mistakes as possible, it's still way too early to create a list without errors.
Adidas X 15 Football Boots
Gareth Bale (Adidas X 15.1 Synthetic), Luis Suarez (Adidas X 15+ Primeknit), Thomas Müller (Adidas X 15.1 Leather).
Various high-profile players such as Luis Suarez, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Juan Bernat opted for the knitted version of the Adidas X Football Boots, while Adidas cover athletes such as Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema sticked to their previous boots.
What was the biggest surprise? Even though Thomas Müller revealed the all-new Adidas X 15+ Primeknit Boots in Adidas' Gamedayplus, the FC Bayern München striker laced up in the Adidas X 15.1 Leather Cleats in the Bundesliga clash against Dortmund.
Synthetic: Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Marcelo, Ángel Di Maria, Ander Herrera, Álvaro Morata, Claudio Bravo, Lucas
Leather: Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller, Luke Shaw, İlkay Gündogan, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres, Rafinha, César Azpilicueta, Mathieu Debuchy, Shinji Kagawa
Primeknit: Luis Suarez, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Juan Bernat, Changaloghuo, Gibbs, Gabriel, Munir, Juan Mata, David Alaba, Theo Walcott, David Silva, Sergio Romero, Sandro
Adidas Ace 15 Football Boots
David De Gea (Adidas Ace 15+Primeknit), Xabi Alonso (adidas Ace 15.1 Leather), Mats Hummels (Adidas Ace 15.1 Synthetic).
Although the Adidas X Primeknit Boots already proofed popular amongst players, it was the Adidas Ace 15+ Primeknit version that hit the pitches like a bomb. Almost endless players including Mesut Özil, Oscar, Petr Čech, David De Gea, Manuel Neuer, Ivan Rakitić, Philipp Lahm, Jérémy Mathieu made the move to the knitted version.
What was the biggest surprise? Several athletes like Petr Cech, David De Gea, Manuel Neuer and Daniele de Rossi switched from the leather version of the Adidas Ace Boots to the all-new knitted version of the cleats.
Synthetic: Mats Hummels, Nacho Fernández, Nemanja Matić, Douglas, Hernanes, Álvaro Arbeloa, Thomas Vermaelen
Leather: Morgan Schneiderlin, Daley Blind, Xabi Alonso, Sven Bender, Mattia De Sciglio, Miranda, Mattia De Sciglio
Primeknit: Mesut Özil, Oscar, Petr Čech, David De Gea, Manuel Neuer, Ivan Rakitić, Philipp Lahm, Jérémy Mathieu, Phil Jones, Per Mertesacker, David Ospina, Christoph Kramer, Daniel Parejo, Javi Fuego, João Moutinho, Christophe Jallet, Daniele De Rossi
It's quite incomprehensible for us why Adidas didn't released their revolutionary Adidas Ace and Adidas X Boots with a more distinctive design and colors to make a bolder statement on the pitch. The only reason can be that the German brand want to hide that players have difference preferences for their boots.
Have you lost the overview? Let us know in the comments section below, and check out all players and their football boots on Football Boots DB (feel free to report errors).
David Beckham Teases New Adidas Predator 26 Signature Boots
David Beckham has taken to Instagram to tease his upcoming Adidas Predator 26 signature football boots. Sharing close-up preview shots to his story alongside a "48 hours to go..." countdown tagging Adidas Football, the England legend provided the first official glimpse of the boots ahead of their imminent release on Tuesday, October 6.
Following previous signature editions in 2024 and 2025, this 26-27 release marks the third consecutive year that Adidas has honored Beckham with a bespoke Predator model. The cleat features a clean white and vibrant red palette inspired by England. Prominently displayed in the teaser images are Beckham's iconic free-kick silhouette on the heel, custom "BECKHAM" lettering across the elastic tongue strap, and a bold red Adidas Originals Trefoil visible through the translucent soleplate beneath an all-over Trefoil pattern.
Built on the standard Predator 26 silhouette with a classic fold-over tongue, the boot balances modern performance technology with nostalgic heritage styling. The timing of the launch also aligns with the 25th anniversary of Beckham's famous stoppage-time free-kick against Greece on October 6, 2001, capping off a major commemorative week for the brand and its long-time ambassador.
Amiens SC Add Pink Details to 26-27 Home Kit for Pink October
French side Amiens SC have introduced a special update to their 26-27 Puma home kit in support of the annual Octobre Rose (Pink October) breast cancer awareness and screening campaign. Debuted during their 3-0 victory against FC Villefranche at the Stade Crédit Agricole de la Licorne, the club's traditional black-and-white halved home strip was revamped with vibrant pink details.
The customized kit features eye-catching pink names and squad numbers on the back, along with pink-tinted sponsor graphics, including Intersport and Igol. Completing the tribute is a small pink ribbon placed prominently on the right chest just above the Puma cat branding.
Amiens SC confirmed that the special pink printing is not a one-match appearance; the team will also wear the modified kit during their upcoming away match against Valenciennes FC later this month.
Alianza Universidad 2026 Special Kit Released
Peruvian club Alianza Universidad de Huánuco and local manufacturer Real Sport have officially unveiled a special commemorative kit for the 2026 season. Launched under the slogan "Vestimos nuestra fe" (We wear our faith), the release embraces Peru's deep-rooted October tradition of donning purple to pay homage to religious heritage, specifically honoring the Señor de Burgos, the patron saint of Huánuco.
The Real Sport Alianza Universidad 2026 special shirt swaps the team's customary red and blue palette for a striking purple and white striped look. It features bold purple vertical stripes across the front, complemented by a purple crew neck and matching sleeve trim on white sleeves. On the upper back sits an intricate graphic badge depicting the Señor de Burgos, accompanied by the inscription "Rey y Patrón de Huánuco", while squad numbers are rendered in gold with purple outlines.
The special edition kit is set to make its on-pitch debut during October Liga 2 action and is currently available via pre-order through the club's official channels.
Adidas Reuses Spain’s 2026 Training Kits
During recent UEFA Nations League training sessions, Spain was spotted using old training jerseys with one star removed and two additional stars printed above the logo. The imprint of the old star remains visible on the shirts.
This case is reminiscent of another interesting situation involving the Argentina futsal team at the 2021 Futsal World Cup. Despite being the defending champions, Argentina was not provided bespoke kits by Adidas and had to use standard jerseys, from which two stars were removed and replaced with one, as they had only won the Futsal World Cup once.
Big thanks to @whatthekit_x for the collages.
Chelsea 26-27 Home Kit Leaked
Based on leaked details from myach_lab, our partner @whatthekit_x have created a mockup of the Chelsea 2026-27 shirt. The design combines a blue base with yellow details and a distinctive checkered sleeve pattern, while the Nike and Chelsea logos are placed centrally. The simplified lion crest from this season is also retained.
