If you’re going to “rewrite the rules” with soccer jerseys, it might as well be with the third kits. And Puma definitely went off script with the release of the new shirts for its 10 European clubs in 2020-2021.
The text-heavy jerseys, which follow a similar template for all 10 clubs, stand out for three reasons: Each team’s name across the front, the club’s badge showing in a background pattern and not over the heart, and the Puma logo topping the stack across the front.
The European clubs that will be wearing the new kits are: Manchester City (England), Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany), AC Milan (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Marseille (France), Stade Rennais (France), PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Fenerbahce (Turkey), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) and FC Krasnodar (Russia).
Here are the images of all 10 shirts, followed by the initial fan reaction:
Manchester City
AC Milan
Borussia Monchengladbach
Marseille
Valencia
PSV Eindhoven
Home, away, ?????. ✓
Our new, unique kit suits you well boys.— PSV (@PSV) August 18, 2021
Stade Rennais
Shakhtar Donetsk
FC Krasnodar
Бросаем вызов традициям и разрушаем стереотипы ? Совместно с техническим партнёром – компанией PUMA – представляем третий комплект формы сезона 2021/22, объединяющий культуру футбола и уличной одежды.https://t.co/XbTEh6ZAqV
— FCKrasnodar (@FCKrasnodar) August 18, 2021
Fenerbahce
Puma released the kits via a jersey unveil show for each of the kits on YouTube:
As can be expected when the design change is this dramatic, the fans’ immediate reaction was not necessarily favorable:
These puma third kits look like a 6 year olds pyjamas
— AJ (@AhmadJarir7) August 18, 2021
Puma really put out a bunch of knockoff shirts some dudes sell out of a cart on Broadway and called them “third kits” lmaooooooooooooooo
— Kim McCauley (@lgbtqfc) August 18, 2021
These new Puma 3rd kits look like something you‘d see on vacation in Turkey for €10 and negotiate down to €2.50 while the seller assures you for the 53rd time that it‘s original pic.twitter.com/GTyBltGENu
— Fiago (@fiago7) August 18, 2021
nah bro puma MISSED with the third kits?
this was probably someone’s online school design project and it was due the next day?✋? https://t.co/EUu6QWZllf
— proud somnyama stan (@yourboyndu) August 18, 2021
Nah,those Puma third kits are 100% a social experiment, you can’t tell me otherwise. ?
— Al Foran (@ImpressionistAL) August 18, 2021
This is like when Penneys/Primark does unauthorised t-shirts for the Euros or World Cup that are just “ITALIA” or “BRAZIL” across the middle.
The worst kit of 2021-22. https://t.co/oIE2k2gdm5
— Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) August 18, 2021
