To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

The Evolution Of Football Boots Poster Features 120 ‘Iconic’ Designs And Is A Pure Nostalgia Trip

The Evolution Of Football Boots Poster Features 120 ‘Iconic’ Designs And Is A Pure Nostalgia Trip

Scorpia Prints founder Shikhar Sachdev, 22, spoke to SPORTbible about the inspiration behind his 'Evolution of Football Boots' poster.

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

From Zinedine Zidane's famous Adidas Predators worn in the 2006 World Cup to Wayne Rooney's Nike Total 90 Laser II, many fans can instantly identify a pair of football boots with a particular player.

And a new poster looking at the evolution of football boots will evoke nostalgia in any supporter.

"I might never have seen Pelé or [Diego] Maradona play, but I know that they were giants of the game. And this poster is my way of representing a small portion of that history through their football boots," Scorpia Prints founder Shikhar Sachdev told SPORTbible in an exclusive interview.

"There [are] not many other obvious ways of being able to communicate that history. Football boots are beautifully designed and very aesthetically pleasing, so they make for obvious elements to represent on a poster."

He added: "Anyone who has ever played football remembers buying football boots - dragging their mum into a Nike or Adidas store and pleading for a nice pair."

And that was one of the inspirations behind the 22-year-old Swiss' 'An Evolution of Football Boots,' a 46cm by 61cm poster documenting the different designs and makes of footy boots throughout history.

"I thought that charting an evolution of football boots would also remind us of our childhoods and bring back a flood of amazing memories tracing back to our love for the beautiful game," he explained.

That might be one of the reasons that the poster, which is currently on sale at $34.99, is fingerprint resistant. Because if we're talking about nostalgia, then any fan would be touching their heart away at the different shoes on show.

Just as iconic as many footballers have become, so to do their footy boots.

'An Evolution of Football Boots.'
Scorpia Prints

As the founder and head of Scorpia Prints, it was no easy task in creating a poster that documented the long, extraordinary history surrounding footy boots.

Sachdev, who resides in Switzerland, revealed that it took "around 2 to 3 weeks" to make the poster, which required the additional help of "some freelancers" for the designs.

But he said that his meticulous research had him shortlist 200 boots for the timeline and it required careful consideration to whittle it down to the final 120.

Scorpia Prints founder Shikhar Sachdev, 22, posing with a copy of the 'Evolution of Football Boots' poster.
Scorpia Prints/Shikhar Sachdev

"My narrowing down process consisted of examining the boot's popularity, complexity to illustrate (which I worked with some freelancers when I got stuck) and aesthetic quality," he admitted.

"To find boots throughout history, I had to dig up tons of articles and videos. It was a pretty long process and I had to make sure I made no mistakes (so there were multiple revisions of the poster, too), but I thoroughly enjoyed it because ultimately football is also one of my passions in life."

Like anybody who spends painstaking time to create a piece that can evoke nostalgia, Sachdev was keen to show off his work any way he could.

Of course, there would be every reason to pitch the poster and turn a profit on it, but the designer would also want to hear how people responded to the fruits of his labour.

Wayne Rooney always picked a solid choice when it came to football boots.
PA

And the responses were overwhelmingly positive as Sachdev took to the MLS subreddit to showcase his poster.

While it didn't end up going viral on Reddit, fans felt the same "flood of amazing memories" that Sachdev does about football.

"This is actually really cool, man! It was cool to see how times have changed. Thank you!" one fan wrote in admiration.

Someone else posted: "God, I remember drooling over those Adidas Predators as a kid."

A third said: "1982 is the only year that mattered."

And a fourth added: "We peaked in 2007-08."

Sachdev admitted that the success of the poster on Reddit was the "exact reaction I hoped to provoke."

Just like Rooney, Lionel Messi has worn some amazing football boots.
PA

He continued: "People were discussing their favourite boots, getting nostalgic about their childhoods and even complimenting the illustrations.

"They were also bonding over these things together and I think that's really important -- sharing our love for football ultimately is what allows the sport to grow and spread around the world, and if my poster helped accomplish that even a little bit, then I'm beyond happy."

Sachdev had his inspiration behind the poster, but his company came from humble beginnings.

Just like many of us who can sit around endlessly on the internet looking to buy presents for our friends and families, the Scorpia Prints boss was in a similar position.

But the designer said that he wasn't "satisfied with the quality of sport prints online" and decided to make it his mission to rectify that with the birth of Scorpia Prints.

Liverpool legend Fernando Torres also knew the score when it came to stylish footwear.
PA

"I wanted to buy one of my friends a football poster for his birthday, but frankly all I found was oversized pieces of paper with trash-quality motivational quotes awkwardly configured on them," he recalled.

"So I decided to make him a poster myself and thought, 'Why not put this online?' So I did, and that's how Scorpia Prints was born."

Scorpia Prints' personal website might only be in its early stages for its catalogue selection, but Sachdev is not afraid to dabble his hand in other sports and competitive games.

Cricket has also received the same treatment as football in the 'Evolution of Cricket Kits,' while there is also a fitting tribute to chess icons like Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer in the 'Compendium of Chess Openings.'

The 'Evolution of Cricket Kits' and the 'Compendium of Chess Openings.'
Scorpia Prints

And Sachdev shared what the future holds in store for Scorpia Prints.

He said that while he would continue to work on sports-themed posters, he is keen to branch out to different areas of popular culture.

"Related to football, I'm currently working on a 'Compendium of Iconic Trophies' and an 'Evolution of Premier League Kits' poster," he said.

"I've also decided to create posters more generally related to all sorts of data in pop culture and not just sport, so I'm also trying to make a poster related to the various different types of sushi!"

What are the best footy boots of all time?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: Scorpia Prints/PA

Topics: Football News, Football, Adidas, Nike, Switzerland