Puma King Top Review – Are the King Tops Puma’s Best Football Boots?

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Do we really need to do a Puma King Top football boots review? I mean, they were good enough for Pele and Maradona, so I’m sure they’re going to be good enough for you…Steve. But nonetheless, here is our comprehensive and honest review of one of the most iconic boots ever made. We’re asking, in 2024, are the King Top boots the best Puma boots ever made?

Name of Boots	King Top
Brand	Puma
FBG Rating	8.4⭐
Boots Best for…	Defensive Midfielders Full-backs Centre-backs
Pros	Great for wide feet Extremely comfortable Durable with sufficient foot protection
Cons	More sustainable leather alternative doesn't quite match the real thing
Price Range	From £70+
Buy Now	Cheapest Price Here
Most Similar Alternatives	Nike Tiempo Legends Adidas Copa Gloro

Quick Preview of the Puma King Top Football Boots

Here’s how we rated each aspect of the Puma King Top boots, from appearance to the features of the boots themselves.

Aspect	FBG Rating
Appearance	8.5 ⭐
Value for Money	8 ⭐
Comfort	9.5 ⭐
Features	7 ⭐
Durability	9 ⭐

What we Most Liked About the Puma King Top Boots

In general, there were several aspects of the Puma King Tops that we loved, but the one aspect we liked the most was the highly comfortable fit.

It’s crazy, looking at these boots from the outside, they look really rugged and tough. And yet, when you put them on your feet, the first thing you notice is just how comfortable they are. This is thanks to the synthetic inner material, which really gives a cushioned, soft effect from the inside of the boots. It’s not just our thoughts, though. We will mention later on the reviews left by real customers, and spoiler alert, they echo our admiration for the comfort of these boots.

So, if you’ve had a bad day and feel like your feet could do with a hug, these Puma Kings could be the way to go.

The Best Parts of the Puma King Top Football Boots – What Makes the Puma Kings Worth Buying?

Like we said, comfort isn’t the only good aspect of these high-quality boots. Here’s what else we loved about the Puma Kings, including all the best aspects of the boot.

Unique ‘K-BETTER’ Synthetic Suede Upper

When we say unique, we’re not talking one person with blonde hair in a room full of brunettes. We’re talking one person with a multi-coloured mohican, face tattoos and an eyebrow missing in a room full of brunettes – that kind of unique. This synthetic suede upper does everything you’d want it to do in a football boots. It enhances comfort, durability and yet still allows for a delicate touch and control of the ball.

It’s unique on two parts though. Firstly, it’s made from 20% recycled materials. This is great in a time where we need to take as much care of our planet as possible – and the fact that this transcends into the football boot industry is a positive. We like the fact that companies are taking more responsibility on this. Anyway, enough David Attenborough, the upper is also made from non-animal materials. Basically, while other boots use leather, the Puma King Tops don’t use real leather, and instead have created an effective hybrid upper that still does the job.

While we could tell it wasn’t leather, the upper still really made a difference to our touch and to the durability of the boots.

Lightweight TPU Outsole

The TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane Outsole) is the foundation for this boot, but does a great job at enhancing stability and providing a great base for your feet.

We found sprinting surprisingly easy in the Puma Kings, and that’s no small part down to the TPU sole. It’s optimised to be lightweight, so running on the pitch felt more effortless. What’s more, when balancing on your standing foot to shoot or pass the ball, you could feel the sturdiness from underneath. Sure, I may have smashed my shots 10 inches over the bar, but I did so while having complete control over my strike – we felt no slippage.

Iconic Fold-over Tongue

It’s truly one of the most iconic aspects of any football boot. The fold-over tongue does absolute wonders for the classy look of this boot.

In terms of the effect it has on the pitch, it’s small enough to not be a distraction, yet large enough to do its job effectively. What’s its job (apart from making you look like a badass while wearing them)? To cover the knot of the laces so that the negative impact when striking the ball with them is nullified.

We think the tongue represents the overall simplicity and style of the Puma Kings. It’s not an elaborate, particularly large nor distracting tongue. It simply does the job it’s supposed to do, and does so looking damn good as well. That’s the Puma King Tops to a T. Nothing flamboyant or over the top. Just an all-round effective, top range football boot.

What Position are the Puma King Top Football Boots For?

The position that the Puma King Top Football Boots are best suited for are centre-backs, full-backs and defensive midfielders.

However, due to the high quality of the boots, they’re still suited for positions in all areas of the pitch. If you’re a striker, for instance, and you’re thinking about buying these boots, don’t be swayed. We believe the Puma Kings are best for defensive players due to their durability and comfort. They really do offer good protection of the foot, meaning you can fly into challenges at will with the confidence that your boots will protect you as well as they can.

Despite their defensive qualities, these boots also have some good attributes to enhance more offensive play. For instance, the upper is composed of soft, synthetic suede material, which not only supports comfort but also allows for a more precise, delicate touch. The stability provided by the TPU outsole also makes sure that you have complete control when balancing on your standing foot when striking the ball.

Are the Puma King Football Boots for Goalkeepers?

While we believe these boots are best suited for defensive players, goalkeepers will benefit from wearing the Puma King boots. The stability given through a rigid, TPU outsole is key. This combined with the curated, fixed studs ensures you won’t be slipping when clearing the ball. As a keeper, it’s vital to have this stability from your foot in order to avoid potentially goal-costly mistakes.

Are the Puma King Football Boots for Defenders?

Yes, we believe the Puma King Football Boots are ideal for defenders. Whether you’re an old-school, hardened centre-back, or a dynamic attacking full back, these boots are the ones for you. Not only do you have the stability for clearances (as referenced in the previous sections), you also have a solid, robust boot that won’t deteriorate if you’re constantly battling for the ball.

Are the Puma King Football Boots for Midfielders?

Yes, we think the Puma Kings are well-suited for midfielders. Due to the qualities mentioned above, we think these are ideal for defensive midfielders. However, if you’re more attacking or play on the wing, these could also be good fits. In the middle of the park, you’ll typically have more touches, more of the ball and run a lot more. Therefore, you need a highly comfortable boot that helps you feel calm on the ball. These do both very well, and you’ll even be able to have a very close touch thanks to the soft upper.

Are the Puma King Football Boots for Strikers?

While we’ve summised that these boots are better for players further back on the pitch, the Puma Kings are still a great fit for strikers as well. The close control they provide are great for Ivan Toney-type strikers, who look to hold the ball up and get passes fired into their feet. What’s more, when striking on goal you’ll be able to place the ball with absolute accuracy. This is down to the soft upper that allows for closer, more precise contact between the upper and your foot. So, when you’re striking the ball, the shape of your foot and the angle of the strike will have even more impact on your shot.

Are the Puma King Football Boots Suitable for Wide Feet?

Yes, the Puma King Top Football Boots are one of the best boots for players with wide feet. 

Naturally, Puma boots tend to be a little wider compared to other brands – Nike in particular. A boot like the Puma One 5.1s is visibly a lot wider than some others on the market. It can be difficult to find suitable boots for wide-feet players, but the comfort, width and flexibility of the Puma Kings make them a very good fir (quite literally).

Amazon Customer Reviews for the Puma King Top Football Boots

While reviews on the manufacturer site can tell us a lot, we found Amazon reviews to be a much truer, non-biased reflection of the boots’ performance. What’s more, there are a tonne of Amazon reviews to decipher, dissect and delve through. So, don’t just take our word for how good these Puma King Boots are – here’s what the public said about them (including the worst reviews).

The Best Amazon Reviews for the Puma King Top Football Boots

At 71% 1-star ratings, the positive reviews were not hard to come by for these Puma Kings.

Many customers echoed our opinion that these are one of the best football boots for players with wide feet. Another aspect frequently mentioned was the comfort that these provide. Phrases like ‘timeless classic’ were also thrown in their, in reference to how the Puma Kings mirror the style of the older models released over half a century ago.

Best Review

”I’ve recently got back into playing football again and, like a lot of older players, tried to find the boots I had when I was a kid. This is the new version of the King but I’m pleased to report that everything I loved about the old ones is still there.
Pros:
– The fit – the K leather is excellent and the last suits a bigger foot. You’ll notice this on the heel counter that it’s more generous for bigger feet. I’m 6:3 with size 11s so the big yet snug fit is ideal.
– Stud plate is a classic and provides lots of grip – you can’t really go wrong with 6 studs per boot.
– It’s personal, but I love the fold-over tongue. Still looks class.

I genuinely don’t have any cons. I’ve been playing on some pretty claggy pitches with these for a couple of months and the quality is excellent. If they were good enough for Pele and Maradonna…they’ll hold-up in the Sunday league mud circus week in week out.”

Richard S – 8th October 2020

The Worst Amazon Reviews for the Puma King Top Football Boots

With a total of just five 1 and 2-star ratings out of 142 total reviews, we were struggling to highlight too many negatives with these boots.

The one comment left out of those low ratings was regarding the studs, and how the player has lost a couple after wearing the boots a few times. While we don’t want to dismiss this person’s experience with these boots, no other comments spoke about any issues with the studs. It might just be a case that they needed tightening – something which is common for any new football boot. We’d recommend tightening your studs whenever you wear a new set of boots, and then checking them every few weeks thereafter.

Worst Review 

”I’ve not even worn these 10 times yet have now lost countless studs since purchase. I have even bought more to replace them but they fall out. I can’t wear these anymore as I can’t even get new studs in as the internal thread of the boot is all worn out.”

Jacob Thomas Hurst – 4th September 2022

The Funniest Amazon Review for the Puma King Top Football Boots

Not to forget how to have a laugh, we’ve also included a section for the funniest review of the Puma Kings. This wasn’t so much hilarious, but we did love this reviewer’s optimism and fact that he gave such a positive review without even wearing them on the pitch – presumably because of the lack of rainbow colours. A Brexit review if ever we’ve seen one! We have a hunch that ‘Seabs’ is a bald-headed centre-back who drinks Stellas and has a pre-match routine consisting of cigarettes and eating gravel. Nobody show ‘Seabs’ the recent rainbow-related England shirt saga!

Funniest Review 

”On a pitch littered with boots of all shades of the rainbow, these old school Kings rule supreme. A timeless classic.

Bought for the 2020/21 season which has unfortunately been cancelled due to Covid but they’re in the box ready to put fear into the opposition in 2021/22.”

Seabs – 9th February 2021

Final Verdict – Are the Puma King Tops Puma’s Greatest Ever Football Boot?

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With so much competition in the Puma boot room, it’s very difficult to say just which model takes the biscuit for the best ever Puma football boot. The Puma Future 18.3s and the Puma EvoSPEED Fresh are up there, but the Puma Kings are just too good all round.

However, not wanting to sit on the fence, we can go even further and say is that the Puma King Tops are truly one of the best football boots on the market right now.

Puma has managed to keep all the nostalgia, class and style of the classic Puma Kings, but meshed that with modern features that create a simple, down-to-earth yet utterly fantastic football boot. In particular, I loved just how comfortable these were. Nowadays, it seems like boots are focused on having all the latest bells and whistles, that something as simple yet vital as comfort gets throw to the side. These don’t do that. The wide-feet compatibility is also a big plus, and only adds to the comfort aspect regardless of if you have stick-thin feet or big fat flippers.

It was so refreshing to see a simplistic boot that wasn’t trying to be innovative or redesign the wheel. It’s a risk, though, developing a boot that doesn’t have some sort of modern tech or extravagant features. If you get it wrong, you just end up with a boring, non-advanced boot that no one wants. But Puma have smashed it here.

Forget one of the best Puma boots ever made, these are really one of the best football boots ever made!