It’s that time of the year again, when Nike and EA Sports put down the controllers for a second to collaborate on a new special edition colourway: behold the Nike X EA SPORTS Phantom VSN.

Who do you reckon then? Modric, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Griezmann – Messi? The battle for the Ballon d’Or is more open than it’s been in years. 

But when it comes to the boots, the celebratory editions created by the brands for the winning player tend to be some of the most unique of all. Since 2010 the winner has been honoured with a predictably gold themed exclusive release, sometimes just for the museum but more recently available for us mere mortals. There have been some absolute classics in that time and whilst there’s not much choice player-wise, of course – Messi or CR7 – it’s still fun to pick out your favourites. Scroll down to check out our Top 3.

Oh, Mane, Mane. It’s a day of celebration for Sadio, as New Balance release the “Bambaly” special edition Furon Pro in honour of his Senegalese roots. Decked out in the national colours of green, yellow, and red, this is New Balance’s most colourful boot to date – scroll down for a little taste of Africa.

Since its introduction the best part of four years ago, adidas’s laceless technology has been the preserve of the elite player. Not prepared to pay £200-plus for your football boots? Sorry pal, no comfy lace-free fit for you.

Today though, that’s all set to change, as adidas bring laceless tech to the masses in the form of a new Predator 19.3. Scroll down for the details on what’s likely to be one of the most popular boots this Christmas.