Adidas Copa Sense review: Are these the best football boots for passers?

For our Adidas Copa Sense review, we tested the firm ground studs.

The best football boots for passing are black, leather and fairly traditional. Right? That's what everyone imagines.

But despite their minimal looks, the Adidas Copa Sense is so much more than that. The Copa Sense is a re-write of a classic. The Copa Mundials were Adidas's comfy, padded, black leather boots – and this is an update for the 2020s.

They're purely about how they feel, rather than how they look. And it turns out that they're blooming brilliant for passing footballs. 

Adidas Copa Sense review: How do these boots look?

Looks are subjective. You can't be everyone's cup of tea, as a wise man once said (Wallace, from Wallace & Gromit).

But it's hard not to be won over immediately by the Adidas Copa Sense. These are the perfect midpoint between flash and traditional, showy and simplistic. The upper is pure leather, moulded with ridges in a pretty wave pattern, while the bottom is brighter and shinier. There's no Adidas logo on there, with the trademark three stripes on the back of the heel, instead. 

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The colourways that they've brought out since the black and gold effort are spectacular, too. There's a crimson and white version – which look surprisingly classy and have since been worn by as many ordinary blokes as flash Harry's. 

There's a black and grey version, which is just in case the black and gold is too bright, while Adidas have also released a charcoal and purple variation. There's a clean onix/white/solar yellow version too, which is a hell of a lot jazzier, too – and a white/pink one, just in case you fancy yourself as cool enough to pull off a loud style… but you still can't bring yourself to utter the word "baller".

Browse the full spectrum of colourways on ProDirect, here…

Adidas Copa Sense review: How do these boots feel on the pitch?

The first thing you'll notice about the Adidas Copa Sense is quite how tight they are. FFT definitely got the correct size, too – but you soon get used to the snugness.

The Copa Sense is surprisingly light, too. No one expects this boot to be as weightless as the Adidas X, for example, but looking at that thick soleplate on the Sense, there's perhaps an expectation that these things are going to be clunky. That's not the case at all. Soon, you feel as if you're not actually wearing boots at all.

Really, that's always been the selling point not just of the Copa name but of Adidas. The German manufacturer made their name for the soft kangaroo leather and the touch of the Predator panels: comfort has always been key and the Sense is no different. But where these boots really excel is when you're passing. 

It's a surprise, too, that they're quite so good for that. The Predator is most associated with raking balls, yet the Copa Sense is extremely adept at taking the sting out of a heavy pass and returning it deftly. 

Perhaps it's the moulded leather that makes it great for that or maybe it's the tight, comfortable fit that makes the ball more in tune with the different areas of your foot. We're no scientists but the shape of the boot – streamlined without feeling like a running shoe – is just perfect for passing.

The Predator might be marketed as the "passing boot" by Adidas – and maybe there's an unconscious bias in there associated with the likes of Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane. But it's a horses for courses thing as far as we're concerned. The Copa Sense is perfect for drilled passes, controlling with the outside of the boot and even crossing. As midfielders evolve, it feels like the boot of choice for their ever-dynamic role. 

Adidas Copa Sense review: What's the verdict?

The Adidas Copa Sense is a juxtaposition of a boot. It feels both steeped in nostalgia and very modern.

And though the comfort is king with the Copa, these ones suit your average creator right down to the ground. It's no surprise to see footballers with the highest levels of technical ability in the world donning these ones – oh, and did we mention they look unbelievable?

Buy the Adidas Copa Sense from Adidas.co.uk