Over the last few years, New Balance’s reputation in the football boot market has grown rapidly.
Partnering with both established stars and emerging talents such as Sadio Mane, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and future Real Madrid forward Endrick has helped elevate the brand, bringing it a new level of attention.
For a lasting impact, this of course must be coupled with real quality football boots - something that New Balance have consistently delivered in recent years. The newly released Tekela V4+ Pro is another chapter in the impressive story being written by the brand, and I took a closer look into just how well they really perform.
New Balance Tekela V4+ Pro Low
The New Balance Tekela V4+ Pro is a slight update on the V4 that was, for me, the most underrated boot on the market. The Tekela had been New Balance’s laceless option for a few years, but late last year they also released a laced and low version.
With New Balance's preference to make subtle changes to existing models, rather than complete annual revamps that can see the best football boots replaced too soon, the Tekela V4+ Pro Low builds upon an already great boot to make an even better product.
Just as with the V4, the upper of New Balance Tekela V4+ is built using the brand’s hypoknit material, but it's even softer and more flexible than found on the outgoing V4.
I found the boot the most comfortable option on the market that is not made from natural leather, plus it requires absolutely no time to break in. The knit is also able to stretch slightly over time, so the perfect fit can be achieved as the boots mould to your feet and their every movement. There's almost no barrier between foot and ball, either, with the knit so thin it gives a proper one-to-one sensation.
The texturing on the upper of the V4+ has been slightly updated, too, but it won't make a drastic difference on the ball compared to the last version, though some extra grip is added.
My foot was a little more snug in the forefoot of the boot, with the toebox on the V4+ a little lower and more pointed than the previous generation. Despite that, they have a fair amount of volume which means they can still work well with wide feet, while the more stretchy upper provides a bit more wriggle room.
But if you have especially wide feet, don't fret! New Balance also offer a wide fit option for all of their boots, so finding the right fit certainly shouldn't be a problem.
When it comes to the soleplate, there's a combination of both conical studs and bladed studs, with the latter dotted around the edge of the outsole. This is a unique configuration, with the conical studs allowing for ease when twisting and turning while the bladed studs adds extra traction when cutting quickly. It is the same plate as the one used on the New Balance Tekela V4 Pro, and is flexible enough for nice comfort underfoot, but has a nice level of rigidity in the midfoot that provides good energy return.
I was able to try the laced V4+ on a few different surfaces to give my verdict, using the firm ground version at all times. Obviously, I found that they worked best on dry, natural grass pitches. Despite that, the abundance of conical studs on the outsole means the V4+ isn't the worst FG pair to wear on artificial grass, though the bladed studs aren't necessarily suitable. Regardless, New Balance don't offer an AG version.
I wore a pair half a size larger than my usual for the Tekela V4+, and this is what I would recommend if anyone is considering buying these. If you are comfortable with a very snug fit then true-to-size may work, but it is worth trying a pair of these before buying if you can.
My pair of New Balance Tekela V4+ was my usual size and it wasn’t until they stretched a little that I could wear them comfortably - and even then it was a little tighter than I would prefer. The sizing remains the same between the two pairs and the fit of my V4+ pair at half a size up is a lot better.
Overall, New Balance have firmly established themselves as a viable alternative to the big three brands for both professional and casual players. The difficulty brands that aren’t Nike, Adidas or Puma often have is to actually get consumers to deviate from the status quo in order to even find out whether the alternatives are as good or better.
New Balance have been able to make a big dent in this with smart marketing moves coupled with very good football boots, highlighted through the Tekela V4+ Pro. This is a boot that matches up to just about anything else in the market and is more than worth considering for anyone looking for a new pair.
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