The best lightweight football boots are essential piece for any quick player to add to their arsenal, as they look to help both speed, agility and that barefoot sensation.
Having the right football boots can make a huge difference to a player's game, with certain ranges specifically designed to assist defenders, midfielders, strikers and wingers, while those with wide feet and player's whose feet are flat are also catered for, too.
FFT has been dedicating itself to categorising designs to make boot shopping easier for you. If you're simply looking for the best football boots out right now, be sure to check out our other reviews.
But here you'll find the best lightweight football boots on the market right now...
The quick list
A cleat that took four years for Puma to create, these are technologically advanced - especially underfoot. With a carbon fibre outsole and aggressive stud pattern, these provide great traction.
Adidas welcomed back the F50 with a bang - and it hasn't disappointed. They're still as light as ever, though additional texturing on the upper provides slightly more grip on the ball.
As well as being thin and lightweight, the upper is extremely soft, while the natural shape of the boot works with my foot rather than against it. The soleplate feels excellent, too.
An extremely thin upper, minimal construction on the soleplate and an Air Zoom unit implemented, the Nike Mercurial Superfly 9 Elites are barely noticeable while on feet.
Japanese brand Mizuno takes a lot of pride and effort in constructing high-quality football boots from high-quality materials - though that's unfortunately reflected in the price as well.
Predators often aren't associated with being lightweight, but the feel of the latest version is certainly a welcome surprise. The synthetic upper is thin, while the construction of the soleplate truly helps with weight.
Best for traction
It took four years for Puma to research and manufacture this boot, using academic research and traction studies to help find the most optimal design, soleplate and stud configuration for a lightweight speed boot. Fortunately, the Ultra 5 Carbon doesn't disappoint.
I'm a huge fan of the Speedsystm outsole, which is comprised entirely of carbon fibre. For some, this may prove too stiff, but I loved how responsive it felt when sprinting, twisting and turning. This is further helped by the FastTrax studs, which are super aggressive.
Carbon fibre is, of course, what helps make the Ultra 5s especially lightweight, but the thin upper also provides a barefoot feel on the ball that rivals the best football boots available right now on the market.
- Read our full Puma Ultra 5 Carbon review
Best for dribbling
Adidas brought back the fan-favourite F50 midway through 2024, and it's proven to be a masterstroke. More technologically advanced than it ever was, the F50 Elite is still extremely light even considering the brand's decision to create something slightly sturdier than before. That's not to say they've even remotely moved away from being lightweight. In fact, they're lighter than the Nike Mercurial Superfly 9 Elite - no mean feat considering that cleat is often regarded as the kings when it comes to weightlessness.
Adidas' decision to to remove the carbon insert from the plate has improved comfort in the boot, but they're not as responsive as other boots on this list, with the aggressive nature taken away from the F50 somewhat.
What truly stands out for me is Adidas' Fibretouch upper material coupled with Sprintweb 3D texturing to offer a rough, gritty grip on the ball - perfect for wingers and strikers looking to dribble at opponents during games. Don't mistake this for extra weight, either, they're still extremely thin and light.
- Read our full Adidas F50 Elite review
Best for comfort
Lightweight football boots aren't always comfortable, but trust me, that's not the case with the New Balance Furon V7+ Pro. The heel area is curved, which is more anatomical than what other cleats offer, while the Hypoknit material is great straight out of the box and gets even better - and more comfortable - with time.
Soft, flexible and completely faithful to all of the movements of your feet, touches on the ball also feel completely at one, making these a great lightweight option. Plus, the upper is still thin enough to be compared to the best football boots around. The off-centred lacing system is also excellent at leaving a clean striking zone for midfielders and strikers to hit long passes or take shots at goal, too.
Underfoot, I enjoyed the angled chevron studs, which provide a good level of traction that still feels safe when twisting and pivotting. There's a good response from the soleplate as well, but not as much as I noticed on other lightweight boots.
- Read our full New Balance Furon V7+ Pro review
Best barefoot feel
A boot that has long been the most popular in the speed category, the Mercurial Superfly 9 Elite is often at the very cutting edge of technology. In implementing an Air Zoom unit in the soleplate, Nike has once again pushed the boundaries to provide an even more responsive feeling during the acceleration phase.
A super-thin upper, formed of Nike's Vaporposite+ material, makes these super light - though that doesn't detract from the quality of touch on the ball when dribbling, passing and shooting.
I honestly forgot at times that I had anything on my feet while wearing these. Only when I pushed off from a standing start did I notice, with the aggressive soleplate helping me get up to top speed a lot quicker. The boots being lighter than virtually every other single pair on the market certainly helped with this, too.
- Read our full Nike Mercurial Superfly 9 review
Best quality
Providing a true one-to-one feeling between foot and ball, Mizuno has constructed the Alpha model with clear focus and intricacy. The quality of the materials means the upper is ultra-thin, making them incredibly lightweight.
In utilising the brand's Enerzy foam, seen on Mizuno's running shoes to aid energy return to add to the responsiveness of the Alpha outsole, they're also successful in combining the lightweight feel with an explosive boost on the pitch.
The thinness and lightness of the boot does not come at the expense of any structure or comfort as the quality of the materials used can be felt from the moment you put these on. The soleplate features triangular studs in a configuration that provides a good level of bite when pushing off.
Best of both worlds
Lightweight football boots can sometimes fail to focus on areas that actually improve performance, such as comfort, construction quality and enough protection to ensure even the slightest stud isn't met with agonising pain. Fortunately, the Adidas Predator Elite is great at focusing on those areas as well as, perhaps surprisingly, being super light.
Until you control the ball and notice those rubber fins synonymous with the Predator range, it genuinely feels like you don't have anything on your feet. Midfielders love the extra grip and control they offer when passing, while strikers gain an extra edge when shooting from these rubber fins.
A thin synthetic upper shaves off excess material, while the solepalte isn't too aggressive. This means that those want something lightweight but also more understated, then the Predators are a great option.
- Read our full Adidas Predator Elite review
How we test football boots
Our expert reviewers have vast levels of experience testing and wearing every boot available on the market, having worn and played in each of them over the course of multiple training sessions and games. This has helped them learn which boots work and which don't, plus everything else they need to learn.
When it comes to lightweight boots they didn't just pick them up and see how they felt in hand - they put them on their feet and truly learned as much as they could about the performance levels.
How to choose the best football boots
There are so many football boots available nowadays that it can be a minefield attempting to navigate all of the options. Each brand will always claim their latest technology is the game-changing difference you need, but that doesn't necessarily mean any of it will work as well as intended.
Therefore, it's best to consider what suits your game the best, though ultimately it's down to personal preference. There are a few key things to consider when looking to purchase your next boots, though...
Getting the right fit
Before worrying about anything else, whether that be aesthetics, models or stud configuration, the main thing to focus on and concern yourself with is finding a pair of cleats that fit your feet perfectly.
For that, we'd recommend heading into a shop that sells football boots and physically trying on as many models from as many different brands as possible,. This will help you learn which boots work best with your feet, and where your preferences are likely to lie.
Comfort is of paramount importance when choosing, because it's no use having the lightest boots available when they give you blisters and cause you agony for every 90 minutes you put them on.
