My wish granted

There have been a ton of brilliant releases this year, and 2026 is shaping up to be the best ever year for boots. The Three Stripes have played their part in this (let’s ignore the Predator 26) with the release of the excellent F50 Hyperfast, which could be argued to be adi’s best ever speed boot. It is a boot I really enjoy, and rate highly. At the same time, I still love to have leather boots, so the fact that we got a leather F50 brings me great joy. I have been wanting a leather F50/X for years. I was super excited when I first got the X 99 Speedportal, but it didn’t live up to my expectations. Now, with the release of the adidas F50 Hyperfast Leather Tech, my wish has been fulfilled.

Fit and Feel

Obviously, the star of the show is the leather. While it isn’t kangaroo leather (adidas’ premium leather is always calf), it is still soft and supple out of the box. It is a little surprising that we didn’t get the Fusionskin leather like we did for the new leather Preds (review on those coming soon), but the leather quality is still excellent.

It would have been understandable if adidas had sacrificed some of the tech, especially the HALOBELT+, to make sure the leather works with the boot. And adidas does have a history of doing this, as the cage systems used for stability in the adiZero series were often removed in the leather models.

Happily, though, adidas kept all of the extra lockdown tech, so that even though the F50 Hyperfast Leather Tech has a leather upper, you don’t need to sacrifice lockdown for the softness of a natural material.

Unsurprisingly, the leather is also thicker than the HALOSKIN+, but it would be wrong to say the leather is thick. I do think it is slightly more cushioned than what’s on the leather Preds, but again, it’s still thin enough to not feel bulky on foot.

I also really appreciate that adidas learned from the mistakes they made with the X 99 Speedportal. With those boots, the seam between the leather and synthetic was so obvious inside of the boot to the point that it was a distraction. However, with the new Hyperfast Leather Tech, the seam cannot be felt inside the boot. It makes the boot seem higher quality too.

Much like the regular Hyperfast, the lockdown is great, and the HALOBELT+ system is a smart piece of tech that works well. I personally also appreciate that we got leather on top of the tongue as well, as it is part of what makes the boot feel premium.

I once again need to praise adidas for the decision to place the final lacehole so far back so that you can either do a runner’s loop, or you can be a madman like me and lace it regularly to have a tight fit across the top of the ankle.

Also similar to the standard F50 Hyperfast is the heel. There is no change between the two. I do like the heel, but it also would have been cool if we got a turn and stitch heel on the boots. Again, nothing is wrong with the heel, but I feel like a turn and stitch would better suit the boot.

A quick note as well on the inspiration, which is from the original 2004 F50, specifically the silver/black colourway. I used to have a pair, but it had to be sacrificed to the football boot review gods. Anyways, I do wonder if, at some point during the design phase, they tried to go with a foldover tongue, especially seeing as the F50 Messi got one. Maybe time and/or money wouldn’t allow them to execute the original design properly. Just something I thought about during testing.

Back to the upper, it should not be shocking to hear that the boots break in easily. Much like the regular Hyperfast, I could have easily worn the Hyperfast Leather Tech straight into a match, though I did not have any matches during the test phase. I did, however, wear them today in my matches, and I am very pleased with how they performed. They have immediately gone into my matchday rotation.

In fact, as a whole, I find the boots to be more comfortable than the standard Hyperfast. Because the leather has a more natural stretch, I find the Leather Tech model to take the shape of my foot better. This is part of the reason why I prefer leather uppers when possible, as leather boots still tend to give the best overall fit and comfort.

One thing that does need to be talked about with the leather upper is that it does make the boot have slightly more volume than the standard Hyperfast. This is because the leather somewhat sits on top of the inner liner rather than running horizontally along the synthetic midfoot, as is the case with the standard Hyperfast. The leather does not sit as flat across the foot as the synthetic upper on the regular model, but I personally do not have any issues because I wear my boots tight enough that there are no gaps in the upper. But it is something that people should be aware of.

It is because of this that for sizing I do recommend a half size down, since, as mentioned, the leather upper has more volume, and it also has some stretch to it. For me, I went with a US 8/UK 7.5/EU 41.5/JP 26, and the size is perfect. I do need to add that if you find your normal size in the Hyperfast to be slightly snug, stay with your normal size. And vice versa.

On the ball

For a leather boot, the leather is slightly thinner than what you’d find on a modern leather boot. It is not the thinnest leather upper out there, but it is still thin enough to have a lovely touch on the ball. The upper is ever so slightly thicker than, say, the one on the Mizuno Neo V Japan.

Of course, this means that the touch on the ball is not as sharp and thin as the regular Hyperfast, but at the same time, the foot still feels close to the ball, and there is this refinement to the touch that is hard to find among modern speed boots. I personally prefer the touch that natural leather provides.

The supple upper has an elegant touch on the ball, and it is satisfying to knock the ball around in the boots. I also appreciate the seamless forefoot as well as the uniform design, as it means there are no surprises when hitting the ball using the top part of the foot.

Naturally, because of the synthetic midfoot, there is a juxtaposition between using the midfoot to control and pass the ball versus the leather forefoot. I was expecting it to be a little jarring during match situations when using different parts of the foot to manipulate the ball, but interestingly, the two materials work well together.

Shooting and hitting the ball with power is also satisfying as the upper is thin enough to provide good feedback, but not so thin that you feel too much of the sting of the ball.

Grip

CTRL+V, CTRL+C from the standard Hyperfast review:

“There are obviously design cues from the last two years’ F50+ when it comes to the soleplate. It seems structurally similar to that boot as well. However, aside from that, the F50 Hyperfast is more aggressive and feels more speed-focused, whereas the previous soleplate seemed more geared towards versatility than outright grip for speed.

Throughout all of my playtesting in the Hyperfast, it is obvious how focused the soleplate is when it comes to the grip and ability to change direction. The soleplate is surprisingly agile, given its overall look. What I mean is that cutting and changes in direction feel natural, and the soleplate feels like it is working with the foot.

Unsurprisingly, there is some nice snapback, and I appreciate where the flexpoint is in the forefoot, as it feels like it flexes more naturally with the foot while still offering the forward propulsion one wants from a speed boot. It is not as springy as the soleplates on boots like the Sokito Scudetta or the Mizuno Alpha 3 Japan, but there is still a noticeable effect when sprinting.”

Finally, a leather F50

For years I have been waiting and hoping for adidas to give us another leather speed boot, and we finally got one. And for me it has been well worth the wait. Naturally, there isn’t the same raw performance as the regular Hyperfast. However, the adidas F50 Hyperfast Leather Tech adds a certain excellence and class to the series that I find very enjoyable.

Certainly, leather speed boots aren’t as sought after as they used to be, but the F50 Hyperfast Leather Tech shows that there is still enough of a market there for brands like adidas to go to the effort of making a leather speed boot. We have had a lot of special boots release this year, and the F50 Hyperfast Leather Tech is another boot that deserves the label. My wish has been granted, and now I sit wondering if these boots will be my boot of the year.

What do you think of the adidas F50 Hyperfast Leather Tech? Please share this with your friends and make sure to follow me on Instagram!

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I split my time between wearing HAVO Grip Socks and PureGrip Socks for training and matches.

Use code LOCKHART15 to get 15% off your HAVO Grip Sock order or click the link here: https://havosports.com/LOCKHART.

Use code lockhart for 10% off your entire PureGrip Socks order here: https://puregripsocks.com. Along with the socks, I also recommend the Pure laces and Pure Carbon 2.0 shin guards.

じゃあね！