There was the alarming popularity of short shorts; the odd fixation onpuffy, bloused jerseys（; the bumblebee sock phase (not to be confused with the leg-warmer sock craze); and, in what was surely the sport's couture low point, a brief dabble with the unitard 

Through it all, however, one immutable truth endured: Soccer cleats were black.

 

Yes, maybe there was the odd white stripe. Even a logo or two. But starting on Thursday, even casual fans will notice something different during the World Cup in Brazil as they watch the feet of the players fight over control of the ball. These days, the only ones still wearing black cleats are the referees. Everyone else looks as though he got into a fight with a rainbow.

 

"I don't even get surprised by any of the colors anymore," said Luis Suárez, the star striker for Liverpool, who will lead Uruguay's team in Brazil. "I've seen pink, green, everything. When I was a boy, there was no question, the boots were black."

 

He laughed. "I think everyone now knows those days are over."

 

After the 2010 World Cup, when most players stuck to the basics, the European Championships in 2012 offered a hint of the game's palette expansion. But the major shoe companies have planned a veritable parade of pigment for Brazil. The names sound like smoothie flavors: Metallic Mach Purple, Prism Violet, Earth Green, Solar Slime (it looks sort of like lemonade). Nike's new shoes, which will be worn by stars like Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, have bold pinks and yellows, as well as a sock-type insert in some models that reputedly provides more ankle support.

 

Adidas's freshest models, which will be on the feet of Argentina's Lionel Messi, among others, are a sort of mottled, fluorescent-lizard-style shoe that blares loud blues and oranges. Puma appears to be going for an odd, gender-neutral sort of statement. Its new line features a design in which one shoe in each pair is pink while the other is blue.

 

"Personally, I always liked the all-black -- I thought they were sleek," said Jozy Altidore, a United States forward who endorses Adidas. "But we all know the importance of marketing, and so, to be honest, I just wear whatever they send me."