On of the best Tiempos ever

Ever since its introduction in 2005 (and even back to the introduction of the series in 1984), the Tiempo Legend has been one of the most versatile kangaroo leather boots on the market. To a certain subset of players, choosing Tiempo Legend when looking for new boots is one of easiest decisions to make. Throughout the lifespan of the series, throughout the various models, there has always been that wish for a made in Italy version to be mass produced for the general public. While most pros have always been able to get a hold of MI models, most amateur players could only get their hands on them if promo pairs became available in stores, which was rare. So, the Montebelluna-made Legends were a rare sort. Until the release of the Nike Tiempo Legend 9 Elite MI. And it was worth the wait.

Fit and Feel

The first time that the Legend MI is pulled out its box, the excellent smell of the boots is immediately noticeable. It is the sort of smell that is almost always noticeable with made in Italy boots. But an interesting aspect of the boots is that since the Alegria leather is untreated the leather is not as soft out of the box as other kangaroo leather boots. The leather is still soft and pliable but does not initially have that plush feel as one would expect.

In spite of this, the leather only takes a couple of sessions (two one-hour sessions in my case) for it to feel fully softened up and ready for anything. And while the leather is initially stiffer than one expects, the overall fit of the boot is excellent. It is obvious that Nike has worked hard to ensure that the Legend 9 MI can accommodate for most foot shapes and has just enough stretch to it to make it so that the leather forms naturally around the foot.

The only thing that could have possibly improved the fit is if the boot had a floating tongue instead of the one-piece upper design. It is not a deal breaker by any means, and it is understandable given that the boot is based on the regular Tiempo 9. It still would have been nice to have a more classic boot design.

Something that was unexpected is how well the heel fits. There is plenty of cushioning available without feeling overly cushioned and while there are initially some hot spots, it has not led to any blistering, and it soon went away. This is an important aspect because many made in Italy boots often mess this up by providing very little heel cushioning to speak of. Another positive about the heel is it is lined with a nice suede lining that not only provides comfort but does a great job stopping the heel from sliding around.

Unfortunately, this brings us to one of the big negatives of the boot, which is the insole. While it is an easy fix, it is incomprehensible for the insole for the insole to be so poor. It is understandable that Nike wanted the insole to feel premium, but instead it just feels cheap and unnecessary. The cushioning is good, but the actual surface of the insole is so slippery that it is ridiculous. Even with hardcore grip socks, it is easy to feel the foot sliding around inside of the boot. Fortunately, as mentioned previously, it is an easy fix. But still, one would expect a boot like this to have a premium insole.

Back to the positives, the Nike Tiempo Legend 9 Elite MI is one of those boots that just feels better every time they are worn. It is a boot that you look forward to playing in the boots and just the fit alone helps a exude a confidence not always found in leather boots.

For sizing, I actually went half a size down from my normal size since the boots will stretch. However, I prefer my boots very tight, and it is not recommended for everyone. For most people, going true to size will still provide an excellent fit and the right size.

Touch

Naturally, given that the Legend 9 Elite MI is natural leather, the touch on the ball is excellent. The leather is fairly thin and provides a nice, almost barefoot touch on the ball. Another positive with the touch is the upper is almost one piece there is a consistent feeling to the touch and there is not much to get in the way of the foot and the ball. There is also just enough cushioning in the upper to ever so slightly dampen the touch on the ball but the upper is so well designed that it enhances the feeling on the ball rather than deadening it.

Except for the pass pad on the midfoot. Like the regular Tiempo Legend 9 Elite, the pass pad is included on the boot to help with control and passing. We will go over the passing part in a second, but it does a good job of helping the player control stinging passes and does deaden the ball well. But it would have been nice to not have the pass pad at all so that the touch could be the same as the rest of the boot. Perhaps this is being too picky, but I personally would have liked the entire upper be the same.

Another positive about the upper is that the reliable upper is great for dribbling and there are zero distractions when running with the ball at speed. It is one of the better leather boots for dribbling in and allows your feet to do the talking.

Passing and Shooting

Passing with the instep of the boot is great and there is this almost barefoot but not quite feeling when hitting the ball with power. Obviously, you will not get that pingy sensation like one expects with a thin synthetic upper however, there is a pingy-esque feeling if that makes sense. The upper of the Nike Tiempo Legend 9 Elite MI does have that slight dampened sensation when hitting the ball so it feels like it is in between a synthetic upper boot and a modern leather boot. It is just the right amount of feel.

However, we must bring up the other negative of the boot which the previously mentioned pass pad. It is so cushioned that it takes away from the feeling on the ball and makes the boot feel overly old school and not in a good way. It is almost as if two different people had two different ideas about what kind of touch the boot should have. It is a wholly unnecessary gimmick and takes away from how excellent the rest of the boot is.

Fortunately, when shooting the ball, it is mostly out of the way which means that one can enjoy the rest of that lovely upper the boot has and the awesome feeling there is when hammering the ball. Everything is down to the player and as a result of that, the boot is ready for almost any type of shot one wants to attempt. It is very satisfying to hit the ball hard in the boots and the soleplate does its part too by anchoring the foot to the ground.

Grip

What is interesting about the soleplate used here is that it is actually from the Tiempo Legend 8. It is not necessarily a bad thing as the studs feel slightly more aggressive than what is found on the normal Tiempo Legend 9. The studs feel great on multiple different surfaces and there have been no issues on artificial ground. This means there is none of that “stuck” feeling that one might occasionally come across when wearing firm ground boots on artificial surfaces. That being said, these are still an FG soleplate and if you are someone who worries about wearing this type of soleplate on AG, it would be better to get the AG model.

On grass the studs perform very good as well providing good grip even when the conditions are less than ideal. The mix of almost circular studs in the front and the bladed studs in the heel means that the is good grip when taking off into a sprint and plenty of grip for cuts and turns. There has also been not stud pressure so far and given how sensitive my feet can be at times, this is very welcome.

Conclusion

Having been around long enough to not only have been able to try every Tiempo Legend ever released, but even the Tiempo Premier that came before it, I have a fairly solid grasp of what some of my personal favourite Tiempos are. While I did think that these would rate highly, I have been very surprised with how much I like the Nike Tiempo Legend 9 Elite MI. So much so that they are going into my collection, and I look forward to pulling them out on occasion. They might even end up in the match rotation. Perhaps these are a fitting swansong for the leather Tiempos before the series switches to synthetic. For the lovers of leather boots, and the Tiempo in general, these are a must try.

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