Interview: How euniqueboots Became Football Stars' Secret Source for Classic Boots
- Company Origin: Euniqueboots was founded in 2017 by Paul Richelhof in Dresden, Germany, initially as a resale venture sparked by a personal experience with reselling football boots on eBay.
- Market Dynamics: Euniqueboots caters to both professional players and collectors seeking classic football boots, but the classic football boot market faces limitations compared to retro jerseys due to its reliance on active footballers and the challenges of sourcing unworn boots, which drives up prices.
- Industry Challenges: Major sportswear brands have a strict stance against players wearing older boot models, creating a barrier for players who prefer them and hindering collaboration between euniqueboots and these brands.
With an impressive client list ranging from Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric to Barcelona's young star Lamine Yamal, euniqueboots (@euniqueboots) has established itself as the go-to brand for classic football boots. Footy Headlines met the team behind the brand that provides top players worldwide with their favourite classics.
euniqueboots was founded by Dresden-based Paul Richelhof from Germany in 2017.
FH: euniqueboots specialises in classic football boots. What was the trigger for this focus?
EB: I used to play in the older models myself. One day I had bought a pair of Mercurial Vapor V for €80 on eBay classifieds, but when they arrived they didn't fit me. I searched for the shoes on ebay and saw that they were selling for €130+. That's when I realised there was a small gap in the market and I created an Instagram account and started reselling.
Remakes of the big brands rather help the resellers than hurt them
Do you see classic shoes more as a collector's item or a performance product?
You have to make a clear distinction. As new models are constantly being released with a different structure to their predecessors, some players don't get on well with them and, therefore, prefer the older models. Of course, this helps performance. But collector's items are also important for us, as not only professionals buy these shoes but also collectors all over the world are looking for certain shoes.
Unfortunately, the big 3 brands have a 0 tolerance limit
Compared to classic kits, the market for retro football boots seems to be much smaller. Do you think that classic shoes can develop a similar cult potential?
I suspect that the potential is slowly being exhausted. In recent years, there have been more and more accounts that want to resell football boots. However, the clientele is limited. Football boots are usually only bought by active footballers. Jerseys are suitable for all ages. That's why you see resellers for football boots coming and going all the more quickly.
Very few players wear old boots because they are bound by contracts that stipulate the latest football boots. Do you think many players would wear old models if the contracts allowed them to? See Toni Kroos and Olise.
From my experience with numerous top stars in recent years, I can say that a lot of them would wear old models if they weren't forced to. Vini, Modric, or even Valverde would like to continue wearing the Nike Vapor 14 model, but unfortunately, they are not allowed to.
You work with many well-known players. Do you also co-operate with the big brands to equip professionals with classic models?
Unfortunately, the big 3 brands have a 0 tolerance limit. We resellers of old football boots are a thorn in their side because, of course, they want to sell the models that they are launching on the market. I know that many employees of these brands follow me on Instagram & as soon as a big star publishes a story, they immediately try to stop it.
What exactly does the collaboration with professional players look like - are they kitted out for free or do they buy the shoes regularly?
We definitely don't give them anything for free. They usually pay because they can't advertise anyway.
A lot players would wear old models if they weren't forced to use the latest releases
Recently, many brands have brought out remakes of their classics themselves, such as Adidas with the Predator Made in Germany or Nike with the Mercurial Vapor 1. Is that competition for your range?
In my opinion, it helps the resellers rather than hurting them. As a result, many people first remember the old days & then search the internet for their favourite football boots & of course don't find them at the big brands, but at the resellers.
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The market for classic shoes seems more complex than that for jerseys - simply because of the different sizes and wear and tear. How do you deal with these challenges?
99% of the shoes we sell have never been worn. Many resellers also mainly sell second-hand football boots, but that's not an option for us. The condition of used shoes is much harder to determine & you can't give great guarantees.
The prices for classic models are often very high. Is this due to the difficulty of sourcing new, unworn examples?
Demand has driven up supply. As more and more of the old shoes are being used, but fewer are becoming available on the market as a result, the prices continue to rise. But of course, you also pay more and more to find these shoes. It's definitely not as easy as it used to be.
What can fans expect from euniqueboots in the coming months?
We are expanding our range & are also entering the jersey sector (@Kitseleven). Any further steps for unique boots, we don't want to publicize just yet, but we're still working on it.
Thanks for the interview and your frank and clear answers. We are eagerly looking forward to the future, and how the market of old football boots will develop.
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Would you like to see more players wearing older models, such as Bayern Munich's Olise? Let us know in the comments below, and check out euniqueboots' selection of classic football boots on its website.
