Football equipment: caring for boots

Nobody likes cleaning their boots after a game.

Why else do you think the professionals used to always pass on their boots to the young apprentices?

Neither Kevin Phillips, who cleaned the boots of Alan Shearer at Southampton, or Steve McManaman, who was the boot boy of John Barnes, have suffered too greatly from it.

So keeping your boots in good order will see you in good company.

Knock off the loose mud after a match and wipe the rest of the boot clean with a damp cloth.

Allow your boots to dry naturally.

Putting them by a heater can cause the leather uppers to become hard, making them less comfortable next time you wear them and more likely to crack.

Fill your damp boots with screwed-up newspaper to keep them in shape.

Once your boots are dry you can polish them up to bring them back to their best.

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