Holland's secret/ A village in Italy produces record shoes

2023-06-02 12:04:11, Sport CNA

Jack Grealish, Erling Haaland's close friend at City, has nicknamed him "the ball magnet" and perhaps placing a small chip inside his foot is the only way Montebelluna's craftsmen can improve the Golden Boot winner. ” this season. The town in the north of Italy, with a population of about 32 thousand inhabitants, has a well-known reputation in the shoe industry.

Historically, the proximity to Basano del Grapa, known for its quality leather, was a great help in increasing production. Montebeluna boasts a small factory, which contributes a lot to world football. For many years, it has supplied the biggest football stars with their boots. The sportswear giant "Nike" produces many pairs a day in this workshop and some of these boxes have been addressed to the home of City's main attacker this season.

Halandi played with "Phantom GX Elite" shoes made to order by "Nike" specialists in this workshop. A mold of his foot is prepared to ensure that the exact specifications are met and that the shoes fit like a pair of slippers. Perfecting the shoe's mechanics is a three-hour process where the upper is rubbed, sealed, laced, trimmed and pressed. The crucible is then placed in place and allowed to rest for 72 hours, away from the deafening machinery. It's painstaking work, and the attention to detail will extend to whatever preferences Halandi has over design and every possible padding for a shoe that typically weighs 204 grams.

“Harry Kane's shoes will be quite similar, but each shoe will be different. He'll have more padding in the toes of one and the other shoe will be lighter so they don't weigh too much," says salesman Will Amis. Their synthetic material is a world away from the old leather of yesteryear, but experts say it remains tough enough to withstand the rigors of elite sport. The grippy knit material is said to be a higher friction structure than previous productions, helping to control the ball. Players can use a pair every fortnight with the intense workload of the Premier League, but that doesn't apply to Haaland. He uses the same shoes for up to 3 months, until he makes a change in their color, usually prompted by the manufacturer.

The only change was after the win with Everton at the beginning of May, when Nike sent him a pair of boots to commemorate his record 35 goals in the Premier League. He scored immediately in that 3-0 win, a big day in the title race, and had jokingly told the staff that if he got past that mark, he would write 36 in pen. And so he did. However, "Nike" was working on a new model to finalize this unstoppable season. His full name and Norwegian flag have been added and are expected to be worn during the FA Cup final against United.