To kick off 2017 in style, Adidas has released the all-new Copa Gloro 17.2 football boots. These new boots seem to be influenced by the now discontinued Gloro 15 model and the old-school Predators. That said, our first thought of the Copa Gloros is that they look an awful lot like the Goletto VI football boots!
Find out what we thought of Adidas’ new take on an old style of boot as we explore them in depth in our Copa Gloro 17.2 football boots review.
Are Adidas’ Copa Gloro 17.2 football boots worth buying?
Brand – 8/10
In terms of the actual name, we like ‘Copa Gloro’. There’s a certain continental tint to it which just wouldn’t be there if they were called ‘Cup Glory’; which without the help of google translate or any completely fluent multilingual skills we’re guessing is what it translates to. But a name is merely just words and doesn’t reflect on how well the boot will perform. Reputation, however, can symbolise the makings of a good boot. And the Copa line is one with an illustrious history of sturdy and reliable boots, so you know the Copa Gloro 17.2 boots should follow suit.
Appearance – 7/10
The best word I can use to describe the look of the Copa Gloros is smart. Now by smart, we’re not talking lace up to go to church on a Sunday morning. We’re talking neat, simple boots with no unnecessary and overly-extravagant-for-the-sake-of-being-overly-extravagant features disrupting its calm appearance. The somewhat simplistic and two-dimensional look of the Golettos is exchanged for an ultra-HD, sharp and enhanced look. Although the tip of the boot looks a little plain with just a white upper with stitching across the front, the black contrasts the white quite nicely, to recreate that old-school feel of simplicity. It’s refreshing to see that the flashy colours of today’s world are nowhere to be seen.
Features – 5/10
Truth be told, this is more of a mastered remake of a classic where all deficiencies have been eradicated and the edges trimmed so that what is left is a cleaner, nicer version of the boot all round. This is rather unusual as a large majority of new boots on the market prefer to go for ingenuity and new design over completely perfecting older models. In gaming terms, Adidas’ Copa Gloro footy boots are COD 4 Remastered, not COD Infinite Warfare.
Low water absorption is ensured by a full grain calf leather upper, meaning discomfort from dampness on those early, dew-filled weekend mornings will be a thing of the past. A flexible soleplate moves with the foot to enhance comfort to the max, as well as giving improved balance and traction- with the additional help of a conical stud formation.
The main and most popular feature for the Adidas Copa Gloro 17.2 boots though, is the white elastic strap that is attached to the tongue. This was pivotal to the popularity of the original Predators. It doesn’t matter who you were, when you pulled that strap over the end of your boot and tucked it underneath, you transformed from Timmy, the 7-year-old winger who spent most his time on the pitch with his hands inside his shirt’s sleeves, to David Beckham, capable of tearing up any opponent the local under-8’s league could throw at you. Apart from nullifying the effect of the laces on the ball upon impact by securing the tongue down, the strap doesn’t do too much. But its main purpose is clearly to bring tears to the eyes of any previous Predator owner, as they take an emotional trip down the lane of memories.
Value for money – 8/10
This is a strange one, and is far from black and white. In terms of what you get for the boot, it can be said that value for money is not exceptional. The boot’s features, as stated, are quite limited in comparison to what else is available on the market. It is considerably cheaper than 95% of boots out there, but has proportionally less to offer. However, the Copa Gloros heavily play off the nostalgia of the Predators, and run off the popularity that the legacy has left behind. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that though, and as a boot without any market context, this boot definitely offers value for money.
Pro advocates
Not many of the high profile, football superstars sport the Copa Gloro 17.2 football boots, simply down to the fact that image is a huge part of the game now. Unfortunately, the Gloros don’t live up to the hype that comes with some of these players. In terms of Adidas, the ‘Pure’ range as well as the ‘X’ range take precedence, leaving the Gloros way back in the line. As wrong as that is, they still make an occasional appearance from the likes of Zdravko Kuzmanovic (not so well known but a former Inter and current Malaga player nonetheless), and Yoanne Gourcuff and Kaka.
We’ve decided not to give the Pro advocates section a rank out of 10 in this case. This is simply because we don’t think the lack of players sporting the boot is a reflection on how well the Gloros perform so we don’t want to misrepresent these footy boots with a lower score than they deserve!
Final verdict on the Adidas Copa Gloro 17.2 football boots
These are not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. You will either go for flashy and innovative, or reliable and familiar. If you like the Predators or any of the Copa models from Adidas, these are simply a finely-tuned version 2.0 of what has come before.
They offer great durability and comfort while being one of the cheapest boots out there. Durability often comes with a heavy weight from the boot, but not with these. You can fly up and down the pitch while still having the protection and confidence to fly into challenges. While they’re not going to change your life, the Copa Gloro 17.2 football boots are a great take on the dated Predators. We would say that they are suited mostly to defenders, in particular centre-backs.