Real Madrid gave their new adidas Y-3 fourth kit a winning debut on Sunday evening, with a comfortable 2-0 victory against Athletic Club at Santiago Bernabeu. While the collection shone in its own right, Jude Bellingham stood out as the perfect conduit for the current football-fashion movement.
The first Real Madrid and Y-3 collaboration came at a time when the football-fashion crossover was in its infancy; it was a burgeoning space that has since grown exponentially in terms of its popularity and influence. Now, 10 years on, it makes a perfectly timed return, not simply because of the decade anniversary, but also because both brand and club have in Jude Bellingham the perfect player, positioned to propel the performance-meets-fashion space to all-new heights.
To date, football and fashion have shared a very respectful relationship, in which one will step across their respective boundaries to dip their toes in the other’s pool. But the latest Real Madrid x Y-3 collection represents something different. It’s a beautiful blend of the best of both worlds, where creativity spills onto the pitch in vibrant purple and white hues. One major difference this time around though is that it didn’t just stop with the kit and apparel; see, this time adidas also allowed the Predator 24 FT – arguably the most en vogue boot of 2024 – to be used as a canvas, providing one of the most luxe versions of the boot to date. And who else but Jude Bellingham (with some assistance from Nacho) to rep it on pitch.
From the moment he strode out on to the Santiago Bernabeu pitch this weekend in the new Real Madrid and adidas Y-3 travel collection before a ball had even been kicked, Jude Bellingham asserted his absolute dominance on the game. And by the game, we’re not just talking about the match against Athletic Club, although he still had an impact by laying on the assist for Rodrygo’s second of the evening there. No, we’re talking about the wider game; the game within the game, which Bellingham is currently winning at a canter.
From the new travel collection ahead of the match, the England man transitioned into the white prematch shirt, which brought a contrasting monochromatic focus to the signature rose motif that takes inspiration from the early days of the collaboration between adidas and Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. From there it was on to the kit and kicks combo that will surely go down as one of the coldest looks in football, period.
We could wax lyrical about Bellingham and his potential on the pitch all day, but that’s been done. What we’re focusing on here is his wider impact – he’s a young man with a passion for fashion, with his finger on the pulse, and he’s naturally tapped into a brand that’s on the front-foot when it comes to football-fashion. It’s the perfect synergy.
See, when you have a player like Bellingham, to whom the world’s attention is almost naturally drawn, like a moth to a flame, all you have to do is supply him with the goods and he will deliver. And you can take that in any meaning you deem appropriate.
Shop the Real Madrid Y-3 kit at prodirectsport.com/soccer
