Carlos Mateos Gil |
Madrid (EFE).- His grandmothers distinguished him on TV at first. The boom of Alfonso Pérez Muñoz’s white boots among the youth turns 25. He debuted them a little earlier, but the real sales springboard was in 1998. He was a pioneer in wearing colored boots, followed by Fernando Morientes with red ones. In 2023 it is common to see multicolored footwear, but then that was a huge challenge.
In an interview with EFE, Alfonso and Jesús Martínez, former director of marketing and now head of Joma’s expansion in Latin America, talk about the atmosphere and the audacity to revolutionize football with that historic bet. Until then, the boots were always black.
The success story cemented a close relationship that has been maintained over time. “Fructuoso López, the founder of the company, thought that we should give a touch of color to the wall of the store because selling black boots was very monotonous. He innovated and made white boots with the idea of progressing in colour. At that time it meant a certain rejection by the stores because they said that nobody played with white boots”, indicates Jesús Martínez.
“We started looking for someone to take them and among the players we had, the one with the greatest projection was Alfonso. One day I asked him if he dared to put them on and I told him that we were risking a meal because he didn’t have the guts to do it. He put them on,” he adds.
At his side, Alfonso explains what that decision meant: “They were made of kangaroo leather, super comfortable. Only the color varied. He was the only one who wore them and he stood out in any play, in any repetition on TV. My grandmothers, who watched my matches, immediately detected where I was”.
“For me the worst thing was certain criticism from some journalists. In addition, Javier Clemente, the coach, was not amused at all and he told me jokingly that the defenders saw me more glancingly when I caught the ball. But I continued with that personal commitment to wear them, I was comfortable. Joma bet on me from a very young age and we were together until I finished my career ”, he points out.
The striker was in fashion. And goals like the mythical one that he scored so that Spain defeated Yugoslavia 3-4 in discount in the group stage of the Eurocup in the year 2000 and reached the playoffs in the tournament, became the best showcase for a product that was revolutionary.
“In 98 there is an acceptance by the young part, small children accept the color. The white boot comes out and from there new colors such as red, green are incorporated… we open a range that lasts until now. In 98, 99 and 2000 it was an explosion, it was crazy. At that time, and until 2003, we were the first or second brand that sold the most boots in Spain”, says Martínez.
“We were pioneers because we were the ones who risked the most. Fructuoso bet, the play went well, and it took a turn in the football sector. Boots have evolved a lot in terms of color and quality of components but at that time we had natural tools that we had to adapt and we revolutionized. It was important. After that many more brands came”, he affirms.
All this at a time when there were no social networks: “It would have been much more important. That was impressive, he appeared on the covers of newspapers in Spain as the king or the magician with white boots. But communication did not come as fast as now. If until 2021 everyone had worn black boots and Alfonso had scored 25 goals with white ones, this would have been nonsense.”
Only the economic muscle of the competition put an end to that ‘boom’: “Until 2003 and 2004 we were leaders in Spain in the sale of football boots. But in 2003 the competition landed with five or six cars like Zidane, Beckham, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Figo… the investment they made in marketing was so aggressive that they made an impact independently”.
Alfonso was able to get on that train, but he decided not to: “When I was super young and my first boots arrived and the Joma material made me tremendously excited. Later, over the years, I had several offers from other brands but I believe that this firm is a family that has always treated me really well. And that’s what’s beautiful.”
“I don’t know if in another sports multinational I would have had the same treatment, I highly doubt it. To this day, after retiring many years ago, people still identify me with this brand. In fact, many teams, colleagues and people ask me for material as if I were the boss. People have always identified me with the white boots and with Betis, the team where things turned out the best for me, ”he declares.
The company knew how to appreciate that fidelity, guaranteeing that the exbético would never lack not only the 8 or 10 pairs of boots that he used per season but also those that required them due to commitments. Thus, what began as three or four-year contracts became a “life” bond.
In the Toledo brand they do not doubt it. Those boots marked a before and after: “Without a doubt it has been our star product. Color in football was a turning point. For us, the greatest significance we have had has four protagonists: colour, football, Alfonso Pérez and Joma”.
“With them the support to consolidate ourselves as one of the main brands began. We are world leaders in sports equipment for groups, 120,000 garments are shipped out from the Toledo factory every day, we can dress any team in the world in a week. Almost no brand is capable of doing that. And for reaching that point, we have a lot of thanks to Alfonso”, concludes Martínez.