Built differently: material breakthroughs

PUMA was the first to shatter the unspoken rule that football boots had to be made purely from traditional leather. The late fifties and sixties ushered in an era of relentless experimentation for the brand.

In 1958, the ‘Weltmeister’ boot hit the world stage. It was also the first boot to use kangaroo leather, known for being extra thin yet flexible and durable.

In 1960, PUMA went one step further and wrapped an aggressively textured rubber across the vamp (the covering of the foot). Raised dimples across the toe box and strike area increased friction and the area that was in contact with the ball.

PUMA had gifted players more grip – and laid the groundwork for the ‘power boots’ concept popularised in the nineties.

Three years later, PUMA became the first sports brand to use vulcanisation (a chemical process using heat) to bond the upper with the sole. Eliminating the need for additional studs, rivets, and stitching reduced the number of potential weak points.

The PUMA KING hit the market in 1966, following Eusébio’s legendary World Cup performance. The model was the very first to use nylon materials in the outsole, marking the beginning of ultra-light footwear.

In the weeks leading up to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, American sprinters shattered multiple world records wearing the shoe. This included the first sub-20 second 200m ever run.

Shortly before the event, organizers declared the spikes illegal and, in a very controversial decision, cancelled the records that had already been set wearing the TAHOE.

Though stripped of its official titles, the Brush Spike cemented PUMA’s reputation: a brand willing to challenge the rulebook in pursuit of speed.

Taking the pressure off the achilles tendon

PUMA was the first to engineer footwear around the delicate mechanics of the achilles tendon in 1968. Traditional shoes tend to add friction and increase pressure on the vulnerable spot where the tendon fibers branch out into the heel bone. PUMA’s response: less is more. The result: the Fers-O-Til (which translates as the Achilles Tendon Pad, or ATP).

Material was cut out of the back of the shoe, reducing pressure at the insertion point – while protective cushioning safeguarded the heel against external impacts. Precise engineering maintained a glove-like fit.

What started in 1968 as a purely anatomical change to prevent injury has since evolved into a piece of brand history. Today, the white cutout on the heel of many PUMA shoes is a nod to the iconic vent that first set the Achilles tendon free.

That same year, PUMA made history on the pitch with the Pelérina: the world’s first football boot engineered specifically for women. Decades before female-dedicated performance footwear became mainstream, PUMA was already taking the specific needs of female athletes into account.

Elevating safety with the Sportabsatz

1978 saw a new footballing standard set with the Sportabsatz (translated as “sports heel”), making PUMA the first manufacturer to elevate the heel with specific padding.

Building directly on the anatomical insights of the Fers-O-Til, PUMA’s raised heel lowered the risk of muscle overextension, safeguarding players’ Achilles tendons during high-impact play.

The world’s first smart shoe

PUMA was the first to introduce wearable fitness tracking to the world when it built a tracker directly into the heel of a running shoe in 1985.

Decades before smartwatches and fitness trackers became everyday items the PUMA RS (Running System) Computer tracked speed, distance, and calories burned using an onboard microchip.

Plugging the shoe into a desktop allowed runners to break down their stats in real time, proving PUMA was thinking about wearable tech long before anyone else.