The history of the PUMA KING

When an object, in this case a pair of football boots, is destined to remain forever in the history of mankind, in this case in the history of sport, it is immediately understood by the fact that it is able to cross generations without ever remaining the same. It can't be a coincidence that players such as Pelé, Maradona, Eusebio and Cruijff have chosen the German brand and the PUMA KING for their talented feet. Thanks to the simplicity of the iconic folded tongue and the only classic white band to break the dominance of black, or their kangaroo leather upper, a material expressly requested by Rudolph Dassler from the very first model, their legend has remained intact to the test of time. And the fascinating story of one of football's ultimate aesthetic icons that repeats itself with every generation of champions is now ready to relive a new era.

Despite its many reinterpretations, such as the latest one that arrived just a few days ago and features 100% vegan soft leather and knitted yarns, or the total white version in homage to the time when the founder of the German brand worked as a laundry boy, the PUMA KING remain what is described as a great timeless classic. 

The first footballer to wear them came from Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, but he had a Portuguese passport. He won a Ballon d'Or in 1965 and thanks to his class, play and goals in Portugal he is still a local hero today. His nickname was "Black Panther" but he will be known to all as Eusébio, who with his Benfica team put the whole of Europe to the sword, winning basically everything that could be won at the time. PUMA, his faithful technical sponsor, admiring the achievements of its athlete decided to celebrate this great achievement in 1968 by creating the first pair of PUMA KING. 

Eusébio was only the forerunner, after him many players would wear them in an attempt to imitate his exploits. Two years later it was the turn of another great football icon, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé. The man declared a "national treasure" by Brazil's president Jânio Quadros, it was with PUMA KING shoes that he won his third World Cup in 1970, the one that definitively awarded the country the Jules Rimet Cup. And when we talk about the unreachable Brazilian champion, capable of breaking record after record by scoring an unrepeatable amount of goals, we cannot avoid mentioning his eternal rival, Diego Armando Maradona. For better or worse, the two footballers were the equivalent of what Messi and Ronaldo are for us today, but while the latter brought their rivalry to the field of sponsorship, Maradona and Pelé - in addition to their class and crystalline talent - also shared the same boots.

In fact, the PUMA KING before Maradona passed by other feet, such as the orange ones of Johan Cruijff, the greatest representative of total football and who, precisely because of his connection with the German brand was the protagonist of a funny episode. Holland's number 14 was so closely linked to the PUMA brand that he played the entire 1974 World Cup with a personalised shirt with only two stripes on the sleeves instead of three. After the Dutchman, it was Maradona's turn to make Rudolph Dassler's boots even more legendary and iconic, and it goes without saying that the Argentine fantasist succeeded in this task, obviously in his own way.

In the unforgettable match between Argentina and England, the one of the "Goal of the Century" and the "Mano de Dios", Maradona dragged the Albiceleste team to the World Cup triumph, throwing away the entire English rearguard with the PUMA KING on his feet. At the exact moment he stepped over Peter Shilton before depositing the ball in the net, he made those boots an icon, a symbol of victory, a must-have.

After generations and generations of footballers, now the iconic PUMA KING logo has also landed on the AC Milan jersey, which has been sponsored by PUMA since 2018. The German brand not only creates unique kits every year, combining typical elements of the city and the club, but this weekend unveiled a new lifestyle collection for fans who want to extend their passion for the Rossoneri colours off the pitch. 

A modern collection but that has its roots in the past, precisely in the '90s as it is easy to guess from the retro silhouette accompanied by the pattern in reddish colors chosen by PUMA. A series of items in which PUMA has well mixed the heritage of the German brand, starting with the boots, and now with the Milanese club enters a new phase dedicated to apparel. Without ever forgetting the many champions who have made PUMA KING the perfect boots for those who want to write history.