‘It's not the boots, it's the person that's in them’

As excited children all over Ireland return to football pitches for the season ahead, it’s interesting to see the wide range of bright, pristine clean, multi-coloured football boots, which grace the feet of our future stars.

By the time next Winter arrives these same boots should have a tired, worn look that hopefully will have created many lasting summer memories of kicking points, scoring goals, or blasting shots for those who wore them.

My first pair of football boots were acquired from my next-door neighbour. Brendan Burke loved football and I idolised him as to my young eyes he could do anything with a football. He also took the full blame in subsequent years when I broke the front window of Burke’s home with a wild shot, so that increased his status! Sorry about the window folks!

Brendan made a full-size goal with three strips of timber and three-inch nails placing it in a field next to the cow sheds. It was the first time I really got a taste for football, and I fell in love with it immediately. One evening after playing until darkness fell, Brendan handed me a pair of black adidas football boots which would no longer fit the feet of anyone in the Burke household. When I laced them up and put them on my feet, I felt like I had arrived at the party, and I never wanted to take them off.

When the time came to upgrade football boots, I had developed an obsession with Football Italia and in particular the incredible AC Milan team which contained legends like Maldini, Baresi, Gullit, Van Basten, Donadoni and Albertini. One thing most of them had in common was that they wore Lotto football boots. I just had to get them and thanks to Stephen Treacy’s sports shop, Ballintubber and Castlerea now had a taste of Milan. I maintained the boots as if they were a vintage Ferrari. After every playing session I would thoroughly check and tighten each stud, wash and when dried I lathered Chelsea dubbin over them so they wouldn’t crack or burst. When wearing these bad boys, you just felt like a better player.

I recall an episode of the Late Late Show where ex footballer Craig Johnson showed a prototype of Predator football boots. The implication was that anyone wearing a pair would be able to bend the ball in the top corner from pretty much anywhere. This was down to the boots being covered in rubber fins, which were supposed to provide better grip and control of the ball as well as more swerve and power when shooting. They were hot property, and I was absolutely fascinated by them. I thought if I could get my feet into them that it would help propel me to scoring the winner at the Kop end in Anfield or the point to win the All-Ireland for the Rossies in Croker.

A few days later I sat alone in my father’s workshop when the late Tom Roddy walked in. Tom spoke about the fancy boots on the Late Late Show and asked me my thoughts on them. As he walked out the door he turned around and said to me, “Remember, it’s not the boots, it’s the person that’s in them Alan.” 

In subsequent years my idols changed as did the brand of boots I wore. During college years it was more a price sensitive issue when choosing boots as priorities changed somewhat. Tom’s words never left me though and it’s true, you can own a Ferrari, but it doesn’t mean you know how to drive it. The experiences of life can make you realise that its often the quiet humble farmer with the turned down wellington boots who can lose and find the person with the puffed-out chest in the fancy suit. 

I suppose age creates an awareness that the real idols in life don’t need to be glammed up superstars. They are often the people who offer wise words and the ones we interact with every day. It's the footsteps of the people in these boots that I like to follow each day.