Nike 2019/20 Champions League

The 90’s, as we all know, was a stunning decade for kit design; a time when bold, block colors, oversized shirts, and superfluous collars reigned supreme, and their return today is a most welcome one. Nike’s third kits capitalized on this boom in the retro market, drawing influence from the 90’s for its key teams across Europe. The inspiration ranged from Roma’s only once used 92’ away kit to Barcelona’s famous teal green of 97’ to the stunning 98’ Inter kit in all of its baggy glory.

The launch of the Roma 2019/20 third shirt was the final piece in Nike’s throwback third shirt puzzle, completing the most pleasing of retro power-punches for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, PSG, Inter Milan, Roma, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Tottenham, all worn in the 2019/20 Champions league. The designs all featured a number of archive influences, chief among them being the return of the Nike Futura logo as Nike perfectly timed their dip into the primed retro market.

HOVER TO EXPLORE JERSEY

Collar

The navy kit is is complemented by a vivid Giallorossi trim, which appears on the throwback collar and the cuffs of both sleeves.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The navy base is sublimated with a jacquard pattern made of rows of circles, each containing either the “ASR” typography from the classic Roma crest, or the "Lupetto" (wolf’s head), another powerful club symbol.

Stripe

The vivid blue and red vertical stripe, which runs the length of the shirt, is an almost exact replica of the clubs classic kit crafted in 1989.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The stripe is joined by a jacquard pattern which takes the form of diagonal stripes with the word "Paris" subtly incorporated into the design.

Color

The iconic "teal green" makes a reappearance on a Barca shirt, a pick that will surely bring back fond memories of Brazilian legend Ronaldo's solitary season with the club for any fan.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The club’s hallowed status at the heart of Catalonia is celebrated through an all over diamond-shaped jacquard pattern, inspired by the city of Barcelona’s coat of arms.

Collar

The squared off collar also pays homage to 90's looks, and seven stars — borrowed from Madrid’s coat of arms — are printed across the neckline for that added individual feel.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The shirt features the club’s nickname, "Atleti," woven into the fabric over the light blue base which was famously worn by the club during their successful period in the 90's.

Collar

The squared off collar also pays homage to 90's looks with the team name printed across the neckline.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The letters 'CFC' run across the black base in a font borrowed from 90's matchday programs

Sponsor

The design celebrated Inter's long-running partnership with Pirelli, which dates back to 1995, and is actually the first time that the Pirelli logo appears in its original unaltered form.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The kit includes an all-over black matte/shine jacquard pattern, with the club crest and the word "Inter" subtly emerging from the fabric

Stripes

The Galatasaray kit combines influences from two shirts from their successful 1999/00 season taking the grey colouring of the away shirt and mixing it with the tonal stripes of the home.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Color

The kit pays tribute to iconic players of the past by bringing back the famous light blue shade synonymous with the talent that helped carve the way for the Club’s future success.

Logo

The 90's Nike Futura logo, central to the entire drop, makes a reappearance on a football kit for the first time in many years.

Pattern

The shirt features the club’s nickname, "Spurs," woven into the fabric over the light blue base.

On the

Pitch—

The kits would make their first on field appearances in the Champions League group stage in late 2019, with the Roma kit being the only exception as it graced the Europa League instead. Every Nike team would make it to the round of 16 except for Inter and Galatasaray, who were sent packing.

Beyond the group stages, appearances of the third kits were a bit more rare. Nike was probably disappointed when only two of its teams, Barcelona and PSG, made it past the Round of 16, with Barca exiting soon after as they were thrashed by Bayern in the quarters. The Parisians would get all the way to the final though, wearing their whites as they cruised past Atalanta in the quarters, before they were also defeated by Bayern in Lisbon.

Off the

Pitch—

While the reception of the retro collar that graced some of the kits was mixed, the drop as a whole was a roaring success in fashion and streetwear circles. The PSG kit even made an appearance at London Fashion Week as stylists and designers Bloody Osiris, Sami Miro and Sita Abellan incorporated it into their streetwear style and British rapper AJ Tracy was involved in the Spurs drop.

Reserved primarily for European competitions, third shirts have always allowed designers a little more freedom, and with nostalgia levels set at an all-time high for the 90s, Nike looked to that decade for what has to be the simplest, yet most satisfying of tap ins: bring back the Futura logo, some wonderfully exuberant collars that anyone under the age of 20 will have to research to appreciate, add in a link to a past design from the decade and you've got yourself a belter of a shirt.