Every time we go to a sports shop for a football boots purchase we think of the materials, the features, the price, and the brand. Over the years there has been a significant increase in the number of football equipments specifically the football foot gears. Needless to say, there are brands that still stand high among the rest. These brands have already established their name in the sports industry that marketing only plays a small role in their ever growing profit. Here are some trivia about the major players in the sports equipment manufacturing industry.

Adidas, a German-based sports apparel manufacturer that specialises in sports footwear like football boots, bags, shirts, watches, eyewear, and other sports and clothing related goods is the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world. Adidas’ revenue for 2009 was listed at €10.38 billion and 2008 €10.80 billion. Many thought that Adidas is an acronym for “All Day I Dream About Soccer” but is actually formed from “Adi” a nickname for Adolf, and “Das” from “Dassler”. Adolf Dassler is the founder of Adidas and registered the company on August 18, 1949.

Puma, another global brand known for their football boots originated in Germany. There are more things in common between Adidas and Puma aside from the range of products they manufacture. Their founders are actually brothers who used to work together in producing sports footwear. They established a company together producing and selling the same. In 1948, the brothers split their business because of a growing rift between the brothers. The original name of Puma is Ruda – from “Ru” in Rudolf and “Da” in Dassler.

Nike is the world’s top manufacturer and supplier of athletic shoes like football boots, sports apparel, and sports equipment. The original name of the brand was Blue Ribbon Sports and was founded on January 25, 1964. It officially became Nike in 1978 and was named after the Greek goddess of Victory. The brand is famous for its slogan “Just do it” and its Swoosh logo. The founders of Nike were a track athlete and his coach – Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman respectively.

Another strong competitor among the sports apparel global brand is Asics. Their footwear is ranked among the best in the world. Asics is actually the acronym of the Latin phrase “anima sana in corpore sano” which translates to “a healthy soul in a healthy body” or “a sound mind in a sound body”. The company was established on September 1, 1949 under the name panmure Co., Ltd by the founder Kihachiro Onitsuka.