Science behind England gamers’ pink boots – and why it might cause them to glory

England could get a leg up to lift the World Cup – from their shocking pink football boots, boffins say. A total of 22 out of Thomas Tuchel ’s 26-strong squad are wearing bright fushcia footwear at the tournament.

They include captain Harry Kane, midfield maestro Jude Bellingham and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. And fashion experts reckon they are onto a winner. Footballers themselves say wearing pink makes them feel more confident.

And sportswear giants reckon donning gaudy gear may actually make them play better. They tend to focus harder because they know their boots stand out to the crowd against the green grass of the pitch.

And they fight to do justice to the age-old supporters’ snipe: “You’ve got to be good to wear those.” Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Skechers have all supplied players with variations of bright pink boots for the World Cup.

France’s Kylian Mbappe and Brazil’s Vinicius Junior have been pretty in pink. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo started out wearing special gold NIke Mercurial Superfly 11s – gifted to him to celebrate becoming the first player to score in six different World Cups.

But he later switched to the pink version. Norway’s super striker Erling Haaland is due to don his salmon specials in Saturday’s quarter-final against the Three Lions.

But England’s squad – battling to end 60 years of hurt by winning for the first time since its sole 1966 triumph – is particularly saturated with cerise. Nike director of product management Odinga Nimako said coral-coloured kickers could give them the edge.

He said: “What we’ve been hearing consistently from the athlete and the consumer, especially when it comes to big moments, is that bright colours give them confidence. That was really our starting point.

“The way we approached it was focusing on what are some of the brightest colours, what are those colours that are really amplifying that confidence. And pink is one of those colours.

“What we always hear from our consumers and athletes is when you wear a colour like pink that is so loud and so bright it is like…you need to be really good to wear these.

“Pink really helps bring it out against the green grass on the pitch, whether you’re in the stands or whether you’re watching on TV, making sure that visibility is there. That is definitely something that we looked at.

“For this moment we really wanted to focus on that visual impact. Athletes associate this colour with confidence and standing out.

“At the same time there’s also been a level of acceptance with pink that makes it not too niche for people. It speaks to a broad audience.”

The boots stand out even more at the World Cup because no teams play in pink shirts. “Our intent was really to make sure that the boot stood out against the kit,” Nimako said.

“In every tournament we can take a slightly different approach. “We’ve seen approaches in the past where we actually want to be a little bit more integrated. At this tournament, knowing the magnitude, we really wanted to make it pop.”

Fellow manufacturer New Balance’s head of product for football Rob Sheldon said: “Pink is part of a broader exploration of energy, visibility and confidence on the pitch.

“Our design teams blend athlete input with global design trends, material innovation and craftsmanship to create colour ways that stand out while still delivering elite quality.”

Young-Jin Hur, a London-based professor of fashion psychology, told the Financial Times pink also helped players define themselves as a brand, adding: “Bright pink and fuchsia certainly contrast strongly with the playing surface.

“What makes pink stand out psychologically is that it contrasts with the traditional associations of masculinity in football too. The role of footballers has evolved considerably.

“They are no longer just a sports player that represents a team. “They also represent fashion, social issues and themselves as individuals.”

One player who has bucked the trend is Lionel Messi. His El Ultimo Tango boots made by Adidas are white and light blue to match Argentina’s kit – and shimmer with gold accents.

They do not seem to have hindered him as he is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot with eight goals that have propelled his team into a quarter-final against Switzerland.