Sports company Puma has redesigned its well-known King football boot by introducing K-Better technology to deliver exceptional performance without kangaroo leather.

The Puma King has been worn by football greats including Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona, Eusébio and Pelé and is now returning to the pitch supercharged with K-Better – a completely new, non-animal based upper material which contains at least 20% recycled material.

“K-Better has proven to outperform the previous King K-Leather in testing for touch, comfort and durability and the company will now stop producing football boots with kangaroo leather altogether this year,” said Peter Stappen, Puma’s lead product line manager teamsport footwear. “The Puma King is Puma’s most iconic franchise in football and has always stood for using the best materials and the latest in innovation. Over the years we have seen the boot evolve and become ingrained in on pitch and off pitch football culture, from the pitches to the terraces. The new King takes the franchise to the next-level and offers a super-soft upper with optimal stretch resistance for ultimate touch and control benefits.”

In addition to the redesigned upper, the King also features a new lightweight outsole with an external heel counter, a stability spine, conical studs and a lightweight removable sockliner with NanoGrip technology to keep the foot locked in place and minimise any loss of power when changing direction.

It is also available with measurements such as volume and instep height engineered for a woman’s foot.

The boots are now available at Puma.com, Puma stores and specialist football retailers.

www.puma.com