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The best Puma football boots are getting even better, with the manufacturer upping their game in recent seasons to compete with heavyweight rivals Nike and Adidas.
Tempting Neymar away from Nike proved a huge coup, while other high-profile signings have helped the brand cement itself among the very best soccer cleats. Revolutionary steps are constantly being taken, too, with huge technological advancements competing against the best Adidas soccer cleats and best Nike soccer cleats. But if you're looking for the best soccer cleats for kids, the best soccer cleats for women or even the best soccer cleats under $50 then be sure to check out our other reviews.
But here you'll find the best Puma soccer cleats on the market right now...
Best Puma soccer cleats, 2024
Puma Future 7 Ultimate
Offering a soft upper and close control to the ball, creative attacking players will thoroughly enjoy playing in the Future 7 Ultimate. The Pwrtape technology locks the foot in to provide more confidence when playing, too.
One of the most technologically advanced soccer cleats ever made, the Puma Ultra 5 Carbon features - you guessed it - a carbon soleplate to make them incredibly lightweight and super aggressive.
In modernising the Puma King with modern technologies, Puma has made the iconic cleat with synthetic materials to provide the best of both worlds. As a result, they're both comfortable and lightweight.
Pele, Maradona and Cruyff all terrorised opposition defences in the Puma King Top back in the day, and the German brand has slightly modernised the cleat in recent years to make them even better.
Best for creators
One of the best soccer cleats for wide feet, the Puma Future 7 Ultimate is another upgrade on a cleat that has built a good reputation with comfortable, wide-foot friendly and well-fitting soccer cleats for a range of foot types.
Aimed at creative players such as Neymar, Jack Grealish and James Maddison, the Future 7 Ultimate are among the best soccer cleats for midfielders, with plenty of support provided through the Pwrtape technology placed on top of the cleat to give extra lockdown. For me, Pwrtape is one of those pieces of technology that makes a lot more of an impact than you might initially expect.
There's some extra grip with the Pwrprint texturing on the upper as well, making it easy to maneuver the ball around. That feeling on the ball is aided by them being soft and comfortable straight out of the box, meaning they require little break-in time.
Underfoot, the soleplate is balanced with some diamond studs accompanied by some that are slightly more bladed. There is a decent level of aggression, too, but not at the expense of any comfort.
Best for speed
On FourFourTwos visit to the Puma HQ in Herzogenaurach, Germany, one of the designers behind the Puma Ultra 5 Carbon compared the experience of wearing these to driving a super car. It's an extremely apt comparison, with every aspect of the cleat seemingly geared towards extreme speed, featuring by far the most aggressive soleplate and stud pattern on the market at the moment - placing them firmly within the conversation for the best soccer cleats for speed.
Sharing essentially the exact same features on the upper as the Puma Ultra 5 Ultimate, the only real notable difference between the cleats is the carbon soleplate on the Ultra 5 Carbon. This does come at a premium, however, so you'll need to decide if you really need a stiffer, more responsive soleplate. Personally, I do find the soleplate slightly too stiff, though I still admire the genius and technological aspect of the boots.
Like the Ultra 5 Ultimate, I found the upper is soft and comfortable out of the box with the grippiness from the grip control pro skin something I was particularly fond of.
Best for comfort
Instead of being manufactured with natural leather, the Puma King Ultimate has been modernised with the brand's K-better material, which is soft and flexible in its own right, and offers the perfect balance between old-school and new technology.
I prefer this as a package to the Puma King Top or the even the natural leather predecessors, with its combination of comfort and lightness making them a more suitable option in the modern day. It must be considered that the Puma King Ultimate features a slim upper for a cleat of this type, so might not necessarily be suitable for players with wide feet. I, however, did enjoy the slightly tigther fit.
The soleplate helps make the cleat even more comfortable, with the conical studs placing less pressure through the foot and is certainly the type of simplistic outsole that I prefer. The conical studs offer good rotational support, making them one of the most comfortable soccer cleats, too.
Best for traditionalists
The descendant of the original Puma King, the Puma King Top manages to retain much of the traditional design and simplicity that ensured players from plenty of different generations all loved playing in the cleats. Slight modifications have occurred in recent years to bring them up to speed with modern technology, though the true essence of the cleat that Pele once wore still remains.
Transitioning from natural leather to Puma's K-better - a synthetic material built to mimic the touch and feel of kangaroo leather - is by far and away the biggest change on the cleats. While I did find the change slightly frustrating considering the heritage of the original Puma King, I found the latest model still does an excellent job of mirroring the feel leather offers.
The King Top is not a pair that you will see worn by professionals on the pitch, though is still a great option for players seeking quality cleats without having to pay a modern day premium. As such, they are one of the best soccer cleats under $100.
How we test soccer cleats
Each pair of soccer cleats goes through a vigorous testing process by one of our team, who leaves no stone unturned in their pursuit of the best cleats around. On this occasion, our tester wore each pair on a number of occasions during their 5-aside and 11-aside matches on artificial turf, giving them a clearer picture of what did and didn't work.
Some clearly worked well, as we mention above, while others are far from being our favorites. Factors we consider especially important are comfort, stability, fit and feel, with how safe they perform on artificial turf also another key consideration. After all, injuries feel a lot more common on the surface.
How to choose the right soccer cleats
There's such an array of options on the soccer cleat market that can often make it impossible to decide what to pick. Wingers will generally prefer a lighter model, due to them wanting to utilise their pace more often, but if that doesn't suit then don't fret.
Ultimately, your choice should come down to what is most comfortable for you and your game. Below are some factors to consider when looking for your next pair...
Getting the right fit
Often finding a pair that fits like a glove can be a really arduous task, but it's something we'd highly recommend. Nobody likes getting blisters or having their toes squeezed too tightly by ill-fitting cleats, so taking time to try on a range of different pairs will be best in the long run.
That means we advise players go to the shop and actually try cleats on, rather than ordering online. This is because you can really get a feel for how they fit on feet - everyone's foot shape is unique, so not everyone will work well in certain cleats. Wider feet will struggle in narrow options on the market, while brands often vary in length regardless of the size.
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