European football returned this week, with the continent’s top teams battling it out to get off to a good start in the Group Stages. And many teams got suitably dressed up for the occasion, debuting new kits for their games, and here’s the best of them.
Bringing with it all the glitz and glamour that you’d expect from Europe’s premier club competition, the Champions League returned this week with a bang, as did the Europa League, both failing to disappoint on any number of levels, with plenty of talking points, surprise results and last minute winners – one from a goalkeeper. And in amongst the action were several new kit debuts, as several teams from across the continent wore kits for the first time, some of which were specifically designed for use in these competitions alone. There were varying degrees of success result-wise, but here are the best kit debuts from the UCL and UEL match day one fixtures.
Union Berlin
For their first ever Champions League game, it was a case of black and gold taking on white and gold, as Union Berlin wore their new UCL kit for the first time against Real Madrid. And it was almost a dream debut, but for a last minute poachers goal from Jude Bellingham. Heart breaker.
Inter Milan
Performance-wise it was probably one to forget for Inter, with the Serie A side lucky to escape with a point thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s late goal after being peppered for most of the match by Sociedad. But kit-wise, it was a great return for the orange look that’s become synonymous with the Nerazzurri over the years.
PSG
The hype train arrived at its destination just in time for kick off, with PSG revealing its latest collaborative collection with Jordan. It saw the use of the iconic elephant print, intimately connected with the Jumpman throughout the world since its appearance in 1988, showing up on a football kit for the first time.
RB Salzburg
Red Bull Salzburg kicked off their UCL campaign in a look specifically tailored for the competition, with a black base combining with red accents – a look that the club have never used before – and it paid off, with a 0-2 away win against Benfica.
Liverpool
One of those occasions where the kit looks actually looks much better in action on the pitch than it did on its initial release, in our humble opinion. The different purple hues looked great in motion, and Liverpool were able to give it a winning start, once again coming back after conceding early – story of their season so far.
Celtic
This debut has been a long time coming, with the kit having been revealed all the way back in July. Inspired by the bright, vibrant lights of Glasgow’s famous music scene, sadly Celtic’s return to Champions League action didn’t quite live up to the noise of the shirt’s design.
Royal Antwerp
Arguably the odd one out of this collection for the relative minnow side of the competition, given its manufacturer, but the retro feel of Antwerp’s third shirt from Jako stands up. It also nods to the club’s 100th anniversary, giving it an added meaning. A 5-0 thumping by Barcelona won’t help with the fond memories of this debut though.
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