We’ve had a little while to stew on these now and it’s safe to say we’ve got to hand it to Adidas.
Their flagship kits this year won’t be everyone’s cuppa, but you can’t accuse them of lacking imagination and for that we salute them.
Read our view for each club’s below:
Arsenal 2020-21
It’s about time the AFTV lot at least embarrass themselves in decent shirts. For years they’ve been clad in Puma’s wetsuits when picking fights with Granit Xakha and each other, but this year they can do it in some style. Particularly the marble effect away shirt, even if it’s more ASDA own brand raspberry ripple to my eyes.
CK rating: 2-0
A brace of classy, clinical finishes make this a stylish - if not show-stopping - victory for the Gooners.
Bayern Munich 2020-21
Maybe Bayern have become too intimidatingly good for Adidas to even think about pushing the boat out now. Unlike Bayern’s team - packed with freakishly perfect footballers - there’s little to lavish praise on any of these three shirts, which is a shame given the legacy of great kits between these two sporting behemoths.
CK rating: 1-0
An unremarkable, dour win for a team that’s anything but.
Juventus 2020-21
I’m not sure if being responsible for designing Juve’s shirts is a dream or a bit of a nightmare for Adidas.
Few clubs take their image so seriously, which means the pressure to hook in the FIFA kids, TikTok-ers and whatever Gen-Z spawns next must be intense. Their home shirt is irritatingly modern but it’s a bit of a grower, in all fairness. The away is more classic, but I can’t get my head around those oversized cuffs. What exactly do they bring to the party other than, well, oversized cuffs?
CK rating: 2-2
A game that was there to be won but some needless mistakes and pretentious tactical decisions made it much more complicated.
Man United 2020-21
Hold the phone - lots to talk about here.
Like, what the hell were they smoking at Adidas when they decided to base the home shirt on the seats of a suburban bus operator? All that’s missing is the faint whiff of piss. Some say it’s grown on them but I still find it as objectionable as when it was first leaked on Twitter. It’s a shame, because I’ve been a big fan of Adidas’s home kits for United so far.
So, to that third kit. Maybe I’ve been toking from the same pipe as Adidas, but somehow I quite liked it at first and like it even more now. Part Haçienda, part corrupted DVD, it’s certainly not for fans of classicism. But the irreverence is its appeal, and don’t be surprised if this goes down as a future classic.
CK rating: 5-3
A basket case of a game that has Roy Keane spitting feathers and everyone feasting on the ludicrous amount of talking points, good and bad.
Real Madrid 2020-21
I’m a sucker for a good collar and the one on Real’s home hits that sweet spot of comfortable functionality and sleek, flattering cut. Not sure about the salmon pink Adi-stripes along the side though. Can’t help but feel they unnecessarily pollute the virgin whiteness that’s synonymous with Real Madrid in their home strip. They should have left those colours to the away shirt - the promiscuous alter-ego.
CK rating: 3-1
An imperfect, slightly flattering win but all the goals were high quality.
Words from Dom Kocur
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