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Abstract
Although soccer is the most popular sport in the world, little research has been published
in the field of soccer biomechanics, particularly on the importance of footwear for
the game. The traction properties of soccer shoes on natural and artificial turf have
been speculated to be responsible for acute and chronic injuries in soccer. This article
reviewed the current knowledge on how soccer shoes influence the risk of injuries
and how they may serve to improve player performance. Comfort is the highest priority
that players want from their shoes, followed by traction and stability. Cleat design
and arrangement are important shoe features that allow for fast accelerations and
stops, rapid cuts, and turns. Soccer shoe design can influence shooting speed and,
even more important for the game of soccer, kicking accuracy. To combine shoe characteristics
for injury prevention and better performance will be a challenge for future research
on optimizing soccer shoes.