
<p>New Balance and Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze has collaborated on a customized boot. The first appearance for the Englishman’s customized cleat was an away trip to Leeds United. Naturally, Eze scored in that game. He celebrated by popping that boot off and showing it off in the middle of a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> game.</p>



<p>To be fair, it is worth a look. Eze designed the boot with memories of Greenwich, England, in mind. Home to the royal observatory, Greenwich housed Eze during his development as a player. Therefore, the boots have constellations and stars on them. Plus, the name of the boots is fitting of the celestial theme of the shoe.</p>



<p>“It was quite important for me to have certain things on there,” Eze told World Soccer Talk. “It was a fun process. Obviously, having your own boot is an amazing thing for someone like me, coming from where I come from. I’m hugely grateful and hugely blessed to even be in that position.”</p>



<p>The New Balance ‘Starraiser,’ which is a redesign of the Furon v7, made its debut against Leeds United, where fans got their first glimpse of the boot. Eze scored the third of Crystal Palace’s five goals in a rout at Elland Road. The celebration showed off his New Balance boot.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Crystal Palace suddenly lead 3-1 now at Elland Road! 😱<br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/USANetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USANetwork</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LEECRY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LEECRY</a> <a href="https://t.co/96umZz19Pd">pic.twitter.com/96umZz19Pd</a></p>— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1645068807075946497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>A first customized boot for Eberechi Eze</h2>



<p>While it is a unique opportunity to get a customized boot from a producer, Eberechi Eze considers it more a blessing than it is a necessary upgrade to his game.</p>



<p>“I’m more on the side of it is a huge blessing to be in this position, because not everybody gets to have their own boots,” Eze said. “It is huge for me to be in this situation. I see it as a big deal. I see it as something that is powerful and meaningful. It is also another way of sharing my story.”</p>



<p>Eze’s story is still growing, of course. He is just 24 years old, but he continues to be a regular starter at Selhurst Park, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/crystal-palace-sack-vieira-after-12-match-winless-run-20230317-WST-423618.html">regardless of the manager at the head of the club</a>. Despite the goal at Leeds, though, Eze’s output is not as high as it could be.</p>



<p>“What I try to do is focus on my game, focus on improving and being the best version of myself on the pitch and off the pitch. Wherever that takes me, that takes me.”</p>



<p>Specifically, Eze marks tactics and raw game understanding as the biggest ways he can improve his potential-laden product.</p>



<p>“I would say my game understanding and tactical understanding. I want to learn as much as I can about the game. How to affect the game in ways that I haven’t before. You only get that by diving deeper and watching analysis and seeing these types of things.”</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20230411_WST_427689_Eze-boot-1200x675.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-427732" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/04/Eze-boot-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/04/Eze-boot-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/04/Eze-boot-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2023/04/Eze-boot.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></div></figure>



<h5>The future of Eze’s career</h5>



<p>Eze has been on the verge of national team call ups. In fact, England had Eze on the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/26/eberechi-eze-sent-notice-of-first-england-call-up-before-achilles-injury-crystal-palace" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">provisional squad for England at Euro 2020</a>. However, the forward picked up an injury on the same day that provisional squad came out.</p>



<p>“I think as you go along your journey, there are milestones and moments that you realize, maybe not at the time, how big they were. I have had moments that I can look back on and say that I am grateful to achieve them.”</p>



<p>With so much opportunity still to come for the young Eze, he sees more of these milestones in his career, both at club and international level.</p>



<p>“For sure, I’ve got many more that I hope to achieve and hope to one day reach. Again, that comes with the application every day. The dedication to the job and the sport, that’s the aim for me.”</p>



<p>Getting a customized boot can go a long way for Eberechi Eze, both in terms of confidence and brand exposure. His boot is on sale via New Balance now.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images</em></p>


Eberechi Eze is the latest athlete to have a customized boot, this time in collaboration with New Balance.

Eberechi Eze makes the most of his first customized boot

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<p>Nike has announced that they will stop using kangaroo leather by the end of 2023. The sportswear company confirmed that their famous Tiempo line of soccer cleats will no longer be made with kangaroo leather. Instead, the shoes will utilize a synthetic material.</p>



<p>In an official statement by Nike to <em><a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog-fifa/story/4900211/nikepuma-to-stop-using-kangaroo-leather-in-soccer-boots" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN</a></em>, the company claimed that the new synthetic material will be superior. The Tiempo line will “debut with a new Nike-only, proprietary synthetic upper, [with] a new material that is a better performance solution and replaces the use of kangaroo leather.”</p>



<p><em>ESPN</em> also reports that the kangaroo leather industry is worth around $200 million each year to Australia. The United States is currently the second-largest market for kangaroo leather with about $80 million in annual revenue.</p>



<h5>New laws forming to help protect kangaroos </h5>



<p>The decision shouldn’t come as a surprise. Oregon introduced a <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/24/1150940387/oregon-lawmaker-introduces-a-bill-that-would-ban-the-sale-of-kangaroo-parts" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new law</a>. Under the bill, the state would ban the sale of “any part of a dead kangaroo or any product containing a part of a dead kangaroo.” Nike’s headquarters are in Beaverton, Oregon. Anyone breaking this law is subject to a year in prison and/or a $6,250 fine.</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nike has announced it will "stop making any product with kangaroo leather" by the end of 2023, the sportswear giant said in a statement sent to ESPN. <a href="https://t.co/vdHwh3kWwt">pic.twitter.com/vdHwh3kWwt</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1635611738182766592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 14, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Along with the new Oregon bill, <a href="https://www.michelsonpolicy.org/news/us-lawmakers-introduce-kangaroo-protection-act-to-blunt-the-worlds-largest-wildlife-slaughter" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">another nationwide law</a> banning kangaroo leather is also in the works. The bi-partisan bill was recently introduced in the House of Representatives and could soon become an official law. California is currently the only other state in the United States to ban the sale of kangaroo materials.</p>



<h2>Nike becomes latest company to ban kangaroo leather</h2>



<p>Nike’s decision to stop production on kangaroo products comes just two weeks after Puma made a <a href="https://about.puma.com/en/newsroom/brand-and-product-news/2023/03-02-23-king" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">similar move</a>. The German sportswear’s soccer cleat model King is using a synthetic material going forward. Diadora also stopped using ‘k-leather’ in 2019.</p>



<p>Animal rights advocates have welcomed the decision by the two companies. “This is a big victory,” Kangaroos Alive co-founder Mick McIntyre recently <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/sporting-giant-nike-step-away-003328996.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stated</a>. “We hope this is the start of sustained good news for our kangaroos.”</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / TheNews2</em></p>


Nike announced that they will stop using kangaroo leather for soccer cleats. The U.S. sportswear company becomes third outfitter to do so.

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Eberechi Eze makes the most of his first customized boot

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Nike to stop using kangaroo leather on soccer products