When the Barcelona Shirt Got a Little Too Eccentric
When you think of the Barcelona shirt, you probably think of the iconic stripes. And who can blame you? Everyone thinks of the stripes. Barcelona kept it classy for most kits, but from time to time, something happens. This article presents some of the shirts that may have gotten a little too eccentric for the fans’ taste. Let’s take a look at some questionable designs that Barcelona put out. And, let’s see if they were actually odd or the fans were just not used to something different?
The Horizontal Stripes Controversy The Barcelona shirt can be recognised from a mile away because of the vertical stripes. So you can imagine what controversy the horizontal stripes 15/16 kit stirred. Fans lost their minds immediately after seeing the shirt. It was like the shirt had committed the most horrible crime on Earth, that’s how hard it was hated. The shirt featured red and blue horizontal stripes, with a solid blue upper part and sleeves. Footy Headlines also tells us that the font used for the numbers and the players’ names was also changed. That’s a lot of change for the fans, and they couldn’t handle it. They made sure that everyone knew how much they hated the design. Nike talked of how the horizontal stripes were inspired by the flags that fans were holding at matches. The design was meant as a sign of appreciation and recognition for the horizontal
flags being waved at Camp Nou. But, even if everyone hated the shirt, the team played like Gods that season. Fans had to start loving the shirt against their will, as it was now associated with a lot of great moments. You will now meet fans wearing the shirt and telling you all about the controversy and about the incredible season the team had.
What’s With the Checkerboard? A red and blue checkerboard is what the Barcelona fans received with the 19/20 kit. If you thought that the previous kit was bad, know that the fans were absolutely shocked by this design. If we’re being honest, the concept was not entirely bad. It was a creative approach, and it did bring something different from what the fans were used to. It was a reinterpretation with a nod to Catalan architecture. And even if Messi himself wore it, the season was not a great one. So it didn’t get the chance to be helped by success like the horizontal kit. Maybe if another club had adopted this design, fans would’ve loved it. But because the Barcelona shirt is known in a certain way, fans don’t want something very different from the original. Clubs are known to experiment with the away and third kits, but the home kit must feel like home. This 19/20 kit was a red and blue checkerboard with blue sleeves, and it goes down in history as one of the most eccentric shirts Barcelona put out.
What’s That on The Barcelona Shirt? The 20/21 kit is surely one that fans remembered. This one is, at the same time, the most similar and different from the traditional design. The quarters of the shirt host the classic red and blue horizontal stripes. But, a peekaboo awaits us in the top left corner. It’s a design combining thinner stripes and a plus, inspired by the crest, with the Nike logo in the middle of it all. It seems like it’s been stolen from another shirt and glued onto this one. It was certainly eccentric, but maybe not in the best way. We are talking about the post-Messi era, so the foundation was already a little shaky. Check out this article if you want to learn the reason Messi left. The club was going through a transition period, and all eyes were on them. So, they wanted to strengthen their image. They wanted to show the world that they can still do it, and decided to do this by coming up with a complex design. It got people to look and talk, but it might not have been the best publicity. And just when you thought that they had learnt their lesson, they mess it up one more time.
The Golden Maps The 22/23 away kit was so different that it knocked people’s hats off. It was gold and gradient, and it was inspired by the Olympics’ medals. And, if you will allow us to use another word beginning with the letter “g”, we will call this kit glamours. A lot of fans loved it. It’s a reminder of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and it featured a map of the city of Barcelona. The sleeve cuffs even had stripes in the colours of the Olympic rings. And while the main colours were gold and navy blue, the shirt felt more alive than a rainbow. This away kit got more talk than the home kit of that season. It commemorated an anniversary in a way that seemed simple while also being captivating. Some fans joked that a golden shirt cannot be worn by football players, or that it was better for ballroom dancing. Jokes aside, the design of this shirt is inspiring and original. It speaks of the heritage of the club with almost the same impact as the classic red and blue stripes. It’s also one of those shirts that you can easily include in a casual outfit.
Conclusion The Barcelona shirt is so emblematic that no one can wear red and blue, especially with stripes, without looking like a football player. Fashion lovers hate Barcelona because they cannot live without the house in this colour combination without a football fan saying something to them. But, even with such a strong image, they still dared to come up with something different from time to time. They gave up horizontal stripes, a checkerboard, a mosaic in the upper-right
corner, and a golden shirt. Some fans hated all of these designs, while others loved them. We believe that every club should mix and match at least a few shirts.
