Germany Adidas-Only Boot Rule Is Ultimately History
In 2017, we took a closer look at the boots worn by Germany's youth players, revealing that they are all wearing Adidas boots. This was because the German Football Federation had a deal with Adidas that forces all of Germany's youth national teams to wear Adidas boots. Now this old-fashioned boot rule seems to be history.
The boot rule of the German Football Federation for first team players was eliminated in 2005, while the rule had been still active for all teams below the U21.
Germany Quietly Ends Adidas Boots Only Rule Also For Youth Players
In contrast to 2017, Germany's U19, U17 and other youth teams are not anymore wearing Adidas boots now, as the images reveal. Instead, players are wearing cleats from different brands, just as it is the case for more or less all teams worldwide.
November 14 2018: All Germany U17 players are wearing Adidas' pastel pack
Match 20 2019: Germany U17 players wear boots from different brands - mostly Nike
There is no official news that the DFB Boot Rule has ended. The last time that a Germany youth national team was only wearing Adidas cleats was in the end of 2018. Since early 2019, players seem to be free in their choice of boots, as images reveal.
Interestingly, just a few weeks, Austrian club Rapid Wien announced a deal with Puma as well as their end of the Adidas-only boot rule that had been in place for around 40 years.
Are you surprised that it took as long for the DFB to ditch the rule? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
