Football Boots for Wide Feet and Bunions: What Actually Helps

Most football boots are narrow, and many of the newest models are narrower still. If you have wide feet or bunions, you know the feeling: the boot fits in length but pinches across the ball of the foot, and the side of your foot is sore after every game. Here is what actually helps.

Signs your boots are too narrow

• Pain or numbness on the outside of the forefoot during play
• Red marks or blisters over a bunion or the little toe joint
• The upper bulging out over the edge of the soleplate
• You go up a size just to get the width, and then your heel slips

Option 1. Choose a leather boot and break it in

Leather gives more than most synthetic uppers. Kangaroo leather in particular molds to the foot quickly, usually within two or three hours of wear. For mildly wide feet, a leather boot in your true length is often a better fit than a synthetic boot one size up.

Option 2. Widen a pair you already own

If your boots need a new sole anyway, we can adjust the size while resoling them, including the width across the forefoot. Small adjustments are free with resoling. Bigger changes in length or width are about US$22 (KRW 30,000). The amount we can change depends on the boot, so we confirm it after seeing them. See how resoling works.

Option 3. Custom boots built around your feet

For very wide feet, bunions, or feet that are different sizes, custom boots are the complete fix. We measure the length, width and instep of each foot and build the pair from those measurements by hand, in sizes from 220 to 310 mm. You choose synthetic (US$260), calfskin (US$295) or kangaroo leather (US$330), plus a flat US$60 for EMS shipping if you live abroad.

Which option fits your feet?

• Slightly wide, no pain points: a leather boot in your true length
• Wide, and your current boots need a new sole: width adjustment during resoling
• Very wide, bunions, or two different sizes: custom boots