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Review: PUMA King Diego Finale Soccer Trainer

Football Boots

Review: PUMA King Diego Finale Soccer Trainer

Dedicated soccer trainers are hard to come by. PUMA is one of the few sportswear firms that launches them on a regular basis. When PUMA trainers come out, they tend to be hot items among soccer purists because of the aforementioned rarity and the fact that they’ve built a solid reputation over the years.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

The latest PUMA trainer is to hit the streets is the King Diego Finale. As the shoe’s name indicates, it is part of the brand new PUMA King Diego line inspired by the legendary Diego Maradona. Over the last week, Football Fashion has been trying out the PUMA King Diego Finale trainer.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

Here’s a description of the shoe from PUMA:

Football great Diego Maradona played nearly his entire career in PUMA. The PUMA King Diego Finale commemorates our relationship with the man and the legend, and salutes him on his 50th birthday on October 30, 2010. It hails his epic 1986 tournament, taking its design inspiration from the PUMA Mexico Finale boot and bringing it to new life with Maradona branding and Argentina’s colors of sky blue and white. The boot features a soft full grain leather, combined with a football inspired outsole that can be used for training and everyday street use.

Now here is a review of them from a former NCAA Division 1 player currently plying his trade in our local league system.

Aesthetics
The PUMA King Diego Finale trainer is designed very similarly to one of the best-looking boots out right now — the PUMA King Diego Finale i. Below are some pictures that I took of my pair before wearing them. As you can tell, they look quite good! They carry a classic style and cleverly incorporate the Argentine national colors and Diego Maradona’s number and signature. Upon wearing them to a training session and to the gym, I received a number of questions about where they can be bought along with compliments. They also work well with a pair of jeans. Throw in an Argentine national team jersey or baby blue or white shirt into the mix and you’ve got a good-looking outfit to hang out with.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

Fit and Ride
I got a pair of size 10 PUMA King Diego Finale trainers for my size 10 feet. I found them to fit true to size and to be immediately comfortable for walking around in from the first time I put them on. However, they did fit the top of my foot below the tongue a little tightly. Therefore, I made sure that I wore them around the house and office for a couple of days before using them in training. However, given that these shoes are soccer trainers and not running shoes, do not expect them to have the cushioning of a pair of high-end sneakers or running shoes. They feel more like classic soccer shoes (e.g. the PUMA King boots of recent years and the adidas Copa Mundial).

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

At the Gym
My first training experience with the PUMA King Diego Finale trainers was at the gym for a weightlifting session in which I worked arms (biceps and triceps for you lifters out there). Over half of the exercises in my repertoire involved standing moves and therefore required footwear that provided a sound base and support. I found the PUMA King Diego Finale trainers to work quite well for these exercises. I felt comfortable and on a sound foundation throughout my workout. Thus even if you’re not a soccer player but a fitness enthusiast who likes the look of these shoes, the PUMA King Diego Finale trainers can be a good pair of gym shoes for you.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

In Training
With our league season winding down and many tired legs on our team, our coach has eased up on the intensity in our training sessions. Our sessions now consist of a warm up jog, stretching, agility drills, some light ball work, set play practice and a twenty minute scrimmage.

I used the PUMA King Finale I trainers for our last session. I found them to be excellent for our off the ball drills and ball work (such as passing drills and keep away). I liken them to some mid-grade cross trainers in terms of feel for drills involving running. They also worked wonderfully for juggling because of the classic-style padding at the front of the boots. Given that I am not a brilliant juggler, I felt like I was something of a freestyler when I was readily able to knock out 30 kick ups with them on the first try.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

I did use the PUMA King Diego Finale trainers for the first 10 minutes of our scrimmage but switched into some cleats for the second 10 minutes because I lost my footing on the wet fields that we were playing on. However, I do see these shoes as being ideal for the Dogs Days of summer when high temperatures, no rain and overuse result in soccer fields becoming grassless patches of rock hard dirt that cleats do not do so well on. Also, they would be great for a casual pickup match on a dry field.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

The Morning After
I’ve been wearing the PUMA King Diego Finale trainer so much in going about my daily business that I don’t have anything to complain about after using them in soccer training. I felt no soreness and had no blisters or corns from wearing them. However, I do recommend wearing them around a bit to break them in because of the aforementioned tightness at the top of the foot.

Longevity
One fantastic thing about classic-styled soccer shoes in this age of the ultralight boot is that they seem much sturdier than the latter. The PUMA King Diego Finale trainers are built like and remind me of the PUMA King and adidas Copa Mundial boots of the past 20 years. If you’ve ever had one of them, you will know that they can last for at least 5 years if you take care of them. I expect the same of the PUMA King Diego Finale trainer.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

Conclusion
Impeccable design, a good ride, lovely ball touch, great for training and stylish everywhere else. That’s the PUMA King Diego Finale trainer in a nutshell. Also, given that it is inspired by one of the greatest players of all time and carries an increasingly rare style reminiscent of the soccer boots of Maradona’s prime, the PUMA King Diego Finale trainer is a must have this Christmas for the soccer lovers among us. Add it to your letter to Santa.

Thanks to Heather B. for making this review possible and to Alicia C. for the photography!

The PUMA King Diego Finale trainer is now available at World Soccer Shop.

Check out more brand new soccer footwear in our Football Boots section.

Puma King Diego Soccer Trainer

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