Facing new challenges in the conservation of the boots of former Valencia Club de Fútbol player Gaizka Mendieta

Abstract

The article presents the restoration process carried out on the boots of former Valencia Club de Fúbtol player Gaizka Mendieta. The boots have become an object of socio-cultural relevance, as they were donated to the Club by the player. These boots are more than twenty years old and are made of kangaroo leather. The sole is made up of two layers: the first, thicker, of Phylon (ethylene-vinyl acetate), and the second, thinner and lighter, of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). The condition of the sole was extremely unstable, since, due to hydrolysis, the polyurethane had degraded, generating a very accentuated film of whitish crystals. On the other hand, the rubber studs of the football boots were in an extremely high state of degradation and loss. Moreover, the whole assembly was deformed, dirty and poorly adhered. The article describes in detail the materials and techniques used in the restoration, being one of the few dedicated to this problem.