Other battle of Moscow: Nike and adidas go head to head in final

Last night Wayne Rooney pulled on a pair of Nike T90 Laser II with ‘WR10’ and ‘CL Final 21 05 08’ embroidered into the leather with a luminous green stitch.

The Champions League final may be the stage for some of the finest talent in world football but, these days, it is also the biggest living billboard in European sport. That's why kit providers lavish their clubs with huge financial incentives to get there.

Wayne Rooney who wore customised Nike boots in the final

In Moscow, it was Manchester United v Chelsea, the two best teams in England, fighting to become champions. It was also Nike v adidas, the two biggest sports brands in the world, head to head in a marketing duel.

Nike allied themselves to their team with newspaper ads in the style of Soviet industrial poster art, depicting five United players (all Nike boot wearers) in single file, deadly serious with fists clenched over the club badge on their chest, in front of a swarm of flag waving fans. "One Man Is Not An Army" was the message.

Rivals adidas relied on the impact of Chelsea's new home kit, with its hi-tech fabric and floppy white collar, worn for the first time on the final day of the Barclays Premier League season. Ads show John Terry and Frank Lampard standing proudly on the roof of Stamford Bridge with their team-mates.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba strutted onto the much-maligned turf of the Luzhniki Stadium with their precious feet tucked into brand new Nike Mercurial SL boots, apparently the first in the world made of carbon fibre, with a bright pink signature swoosh and "CR7" and "DROGBA11" in pink stitching.

Perhaps the fast developing technology could be applied to stop the duo falling over.In Chelsea's midfield Lampard was modelling a pair of adiPure, a classic black leather upper with white stripes for an honest old-school footballer who likes his boots like his slippers - comfy and reliable.

German powerhouse Michael Ballack patrolled the bobbly turf in his adidas Predators, now in their ninth generation and boasting 40g of tungsten powder in the sole, which is supposed to add force when his foot is unleashed in the direction of the commemorative adidas match ball.

Helping Ashley Cole keep up with Ronaldo's lightweight carbon fibre footwear, were a pair of adidas F50TUNiTs, light and strong and specially customised for the England full back. Just wait for the miniature jet engines and parachutes.

The boundaries blur a little where the players are concerned. Nine Chelsea players are contracted to wear Nike boots, despite the club's affiliation to adidas, just as Anderson, Wes Brown and Edwin van der Sar wear adidas.

And then there's Ryan Giggs, not only loyal to United for his whole career but loyal to Reebok. Last night he pulled on a special pair of white, red and gold Reebok KFS Sprintfit Pro II, inscribed with Moscow 2008 and 759, in honour of his record breaking appearance for the club. It's hard to imagine Sir Bobby Charlton wearing them in his heyday.