Liverpool’s 1989-1991 Adidas home jersey was legendary. Remember the Candy sponsor on the front in that joined-up writing? And what about the white geometric pattern plastered all over the red shirt?
It looked like bedding from the 1990s or like you had been painting your walls and suddenly got a little too creative. But it didn’t just look good, Liverpool were good in it, too: they won the 1990 First Division title wearing it, under Kenny Dalglish as manager. Club legends Alan Hansen, Ian Rush and John Barnes all sported it.
And now, after 35 years, it’s back. Well, kind of.
Adidas must have been chomping at the bit to bring that pattern out of the vault. And in the second season of its return to being Liverpool’s kit manufacturers, the brand has gone for it.
Unlike that late 1980s-early 90s shirt with its splattered pattern, the iconic triangles and lines have been toned down this time. There are a lot fewer of them throughout the shirt, but enough to ensure this shirt leans heavily into nostalgiacore.
John Barnes (left) and Peter Beardsley after Liverpool’s title win in 1990 (Dan Smith/Allsport/Getty Images)
The shade of red is a lot deeper this time around, too, which could divide fans as to what “Liverpool red” should actually be. Should it be so interchangeable, or should it always stay the same? A debate for another day.
Another creative direction Adidas is clearly moving in is that many of its upcoming jerseys for next season will see the three stripes on the sleeves get a lot thicker.
The thin and crispy stripes on Liverpool shirts this season are becoming a thing of the past. These inflated white stripes will now unite Liverpool and Manchester United fans, whether they like it or not, given that both clubs’ home shirts feature them.
For me, Adidas lead the field when it comes to modern-day kit innovation and design. It is the frontrunner — literally, given it has just created the world’s fastest running shoes. Yet there is a shot I did not expect them to miss with this kit, an open goal which they instead hoofed into the Kop.
Instead of harking back to the 1990s and having the trefoil logo rightfully adorning this season’s home shirt like it did all those years ago, Adidas have stayed loyal to their three stripe logo. This kit is going to be a hit but it surely would have sold even more if that trefoil had been ironed on the right side.
As for Liverpool’s front of shirt sponsor, the banking giant Standard Chartered, that will never hit like Candy, an Italian company specialising in household appliances like refrigerators.
Virgil van Dijk with his grown-up collar (Adidas)
One thing I have yet to mention is the clean and tidy collar on this shirt. It is red, white and subtle — which is why I forgot to mention it. I’m not naming names but as we have seen recently, a busy collar can ruin a good kit. This collar is a grown up: it writes to-do lists and actually completes them.
Adidas have brought something else back with them from 1991: a matching goalkeeper shirt. The geometric pattern is continued but on a teal green shirt. This is a breakaway from the traditional Bruce Grobbelaar green and will, for that reason, take some getting used to.
The campaign slogan for this kit launch is “GREATNESS IS TIMELESS” in capital letters because they are shouting it. This kit is going to turn heads. The hope for Liverpool heading into a season of great uncertainty is they can tap into and believe that mantra.
And while greatness is timeless, it’s not priceless. If you want to purchase next season’s deep red home shirt it will set you back £85 (€100; $114) for the standard fan replica. If you want the razzmatazz version with all the fancy sweat-wicking technology that Florian Wirtz and Mia Enderby modelled in the launch, and will wear on the pitch, that’s going to cost you £130 (€150; $174).
