After playing their FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches in Arlington, Texas, the world’s top players will take their soccer shoes and go home to countries like Croatia, Argentina, and Japan. But one noteworthy boot has no intention of leaving – and I interviewed him about it in the video that serves as the centerpiece of this post.
After all, the Texan Golden Boot statue to whom I spoke has roots in the area. Steve Ekpenisi, with support from Street Art for Mankind, sculpted him from locally-sourced reclaimed metal. TGB (he said I could call him that) now occupies a permanent spot across Randol Mill Road from Globe Life Field in Arlington. It turns out the big shoe with a spur attached has some good reasons for being excited to be in his new spot, which he explained to me in the video.
Some soccer leagues don’t allow metal cleats. And while it may not be specifically covered in the laws of the game, I suspect that wearing boots equipped with spurs would result in an automatic red card. So TGB is a bit of a maverick. It turns out he has strong opinions about the game, too, which he covered in the interview.
At the moment, he’s mostly surrounded by grass in the Arlington Entertainment District parkland plot he occupies. But the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee and North Texas Sports Foundation want to put him on more solid ground through their Buy a Brick campaign. Each donor contributing an amount between $500 and $5,000 can create their own footy foothold by placing their name on a brick in proximity to the sculpture.
I enjoyed the conversation with Texan Golden Boot. While he looks like he’d be stiff and steely, he turned out to be quite comfortable in front of the camera – kind of a loafer in steel-toed-boot clothing.
Some items we referenced in the video that I’ll detail here just in case they were not obvious:
Jose Altuve: Longtime second baseman for the Houston Astros known for excelling despite standing only 5-foot-6.
Usain Bolt: He was maybe the greatest sprinter who ever lived. He wore distinctive shoes on the track and also attempted to forge a soccer career.
Peter Crouch: A 6′ 7″ English forward who competed for several teams in the English Premier League, including Liverpool and Tottenham.
Golden Boot: Soccer governing bodies often present a Golden Boot award to the player who scores the most goals in a given competition.
Diego Maradona: An Argentinian international widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players ever. In a 1986 quarterfinal against England, his first goal went in off his left hand, but was allowed in those pre-VAR days. It became known as “The Hand of God” goal.
North Texas Sports Foundation: This nonprofit looks to leverage major sporting events for long-term community impact.
Silver Boot: Each year, Major League Baseball’s Houston Astros and Texas Rangers play a series of games. The team that wins the majority of those contests each season receives custody of the Silver Boot trophy for the coming year.
Tottenham Hotspur: A London team in the English Premier League, often referred to by the nickname “Spurs.”
