World Cup 2014: Mario Balotelli, Cesc Fabregas, Yaya Toure and others to wear different coloured boots in Brazil - one pink and one blue

Mismatched boots will be worn at the tournament next month

Those halcyon days of footballers wearing plain black boots will soon only be remembered in footballing folklore like the half-time orange.

The likes of Mario Balotelli, Cesc Fabregas and Yaya Toure will all be wearing different brightly-coloured boots on either foot at the World Cup finals in Brazil next month.

They will all be sporting the Puma 'Tricks' boots, which will see them wear a blue boot on their left foot and a pink boot on their right.

Puma said the oddly coloured boots represent "the unshakable confidence of players who wear them, and evoke their potential to do the unbelievable".

Balotelli added: "I have to be honest, the first time I saw the boots, I thought the Puma guy was mad. But when I realised he wasn’t, I was already excited."

Balotelli will be wearing the mismatched pair of boots on 14 June during Italy's opening group match against England in Manaus.