The short answer is a resounding 'no'. Upon the Puma King Platinum 21 Vegan's launch, the brand promised "All the key benefits and performance properties of the King" and, to be fair, they've absolutely delivered. The Vegan Kings feel durable and robust, yet light on the feet, just like the classic Kings did. The animal-free "leather" upper is supple, comfortable and slightly spongey, while the knitted tongue and laces are smart, too.

Puma King Platinum 21 FG Leather Review - Soccer Reviews For You Puma King Platinum 21 FG Leather Review - Soccer Reviews For You

However, the Puma King Ultimate does not feel like a revolutionary enough update to the boot – we could repeat what we wrote for the King Platinum and the review would still be true, sans changing k-leather to k-better. Overall this is a solid boot, which were just as enjoyable while playing as they were while unboxing.Time will tell if they're just as robust – and beloved – as the undisputed kings of Sunday League football, but the Puma King Platinum 21 Vegan football boots made an excellent first impression on us.

Puma King Football Boots | Pro:Direct Soccer Puma King Football Boots | Pro:Direct Soccer

It’s also made of from recycled industrial waste and a more sustainable product – something Puma have really grown into as a leader in the sports equipment industry.We ascend the Puma throne eager to discover if this new King is a pretender or the rightful ruler. Not Leather, but Better (for the environment, and your feet) Dribbling is sharp, thanks to the thin upper that allows you to feel more of the ball. The low pointy toe box and tighter fit also gives you the confidence to manipulate the ball thanks to the boot wrapping your foot extremely well. Fit is streamlined, just like the King Platinum; no dead space in the midfoot and pointy toe box has enough volume

Puma King Ultimate 2023 Boots Review - Football Boots Puma King Ultimate 2023 Boots Review - Football Boots

We recommend going true to size if you’ve got a narrow or medium width foot. Definitely go half a size up if you have a wide foot, and even then we recommend taking it slow to break it in due to how narrow it is. Especially in today’s line up where both the Puma Future and the Puma Ultra have shifted towards thinner uppers – with the Future Ultimate losing the padding that the Future 1.4 had – the King struggles to carve a niche among their line up.

The Puma King Ultimate is objectively a good boot and one we would recommend, especially to speed boot fans with a narrower foot who play on AG, especially with all the speed boots on the market today trending towards a wider fit. It gets the BOOTHYPE stamp of approval for AG surfaces, and feels like the only true FG/AG tooling in the Puma line-up. The Puma King Ultimate is a Prince in waiting K-BETTER surprisingly good; could be fooled into thinking that it is actual leather once broken-in in 20 to 30 mins., softness, pliability and moulding around the foot is still impressive even if it won’t reach the heights of the finest K-leather boots out there