Shin Guards are one of the accessories in soccer that is more personalized to the player. Most professional soccer players get personalized shin guards that are bought by themselves. Big brands pay players like Neymar to wear their soccer cleats and gear that can be seen by the public, but they don’t really care about shin guards at all because they are under the socks and no one sees them.
In the shin guard world, you will find lots of models with different prices, levels of protection, materials, colors, sizes, styles, and others. There exist shin guards as expensive as 150 dollars, which for me is ridiculous to spend, while other super cheap shin guards that cost only 10 dollars. I’ve made the research for you and put together in this article the best shin guard depending on your preferences.
My #1 pick
I personally wouldn’t spend more than 50 dollars in a pair of shin guards knowing there are cheaper out there that can make the job as well. The best example is the G-Form Pro S Elite Shin Guards. They are considered high-end shin guards and they don’t cost a lot of money.
They are also conveniently available at Amazon, which is not normal to see with high-end soccer gear.
When you see them, you’ll notice they are extremely different from the traditional shin guard. Beginning with the protective material, the G-form Pro S Elite is made of a soft bendable material that when impacted compresses to be as solid as a rock. They come bonded to a sleeve to prevent the shin guard from moving around, a nice feature I love.
They will offer medium to high protection. For me what makes these shin guards special is the way they wrap the player’s shin and the seamless feel they offer as if they were not there. Just for that feature I would make the investment in this pair of shin guards.
Other great options for less money
If what you want is a middle priced pair of shin guards, which is the best option for most people, then you should go with these two options: Mercurial Lite shin guards or the Adidas Performance Ghost Pro.
I believe that the Mercurial Lite Shin guards are the one most professional soccer players use. They are light, simple, and protect pretty well. They also normally come with a shin guard sock that works great to keep them in place. In terms of availability, I found they are also available at Amazon.
On the other hand, the Adidas Performance Ghost are the most commonly used shin guards by adidas player. Just as the mercurial lite, they are very reliable. It’s a matter of taste for the brand to choose between these two. You can check its price on amazon here.
Shin Guards with the most protection
Now, if you want the ULTRA protection shin guard, I call these ones “the tank”. They are the Nike Protegga Flex These are the pair of shin guards that kids normally use to start playing soccer. I thought they were only for kids until I saw one day that Sergio Busquets uses them. You can see here that they are priced cheaply at Amazon.
As you can see, besides being extremely big, as they cover a big amount of the shin, they also have straps to keep them in place and ankle protection. If this is something very important to you then you should consider buying these ones. The best thing about these types of shin guards is that they are usually less expensive than all the ones mentioned above.
The most used shin guards
So, if you ask what is the most used shin guard by everyone, and the ones that I use, those are the Nike J Guards. Why are they the most used? Well, not necessarily because they are the best ones, but because they are the cheapest ones, and are available almost everywhere. You can see their ridiculously low price here on amazon.
I bought them about 4 years ago because they were the first ones I saw at the store and I needed to buy a pair quick for a match. They are still in perfect conditions since then. I’ve heard many people say that they don’t offer good protection because they are made from cheap materials.
The part about cheap materials is true, but the part about protection isn’t. I’ve been kicked very hard many times and I haven’t felt anything. In fact, I was extremely grateful I had them on, if I wouldn’t I probably would’ve had a severe injury.
If you don’t actually care about the shin guards and you just need something fast and cheap to get out of the way, then just buy the Nike J Guards and you’ll be happy with them. I would recommend buying a sleeve to keep them in place as they move a lot from their position. Besides that, I’m happy with them.
The science of choosing the correct pair of shin guards
As I said before, shin guards vary in shapes, sizes, price, and many other factors. There a couple of things you need to analyze and questions you have to answer before buying any pair of shin guards.
What price are you willing to pay? How much protection do you want? Do you want them to be low profile or to cover the majority of your shin? Do you want ankle protection too?
If the price is not a problem for you then I would recommend to buy any high-end shin guard. What is interesting for me is that they are called “high-end” and are priced higher, but not all pros use them, in fact, there are pros that have been seen playing with cheaper models.
More Protection Gear
Soccer is a very rough sport, and sometimes wearing just one pair of shin guards to protect ourselves won’t be enough. Injuries are one of the things that prejudices a player the most. It can stop them from improving as a player and can hold them back competitively. To protect yourself in the best way possible and prevent injuries make sure to read my Recommended Protection Gear page.