True to its origins and with the tagline ‘Barcelona Proud’, FC Barcelona is taking its inspiration from the city of Barcelona once again this season for the 2019/20 third kit. The new strip will go on sale to the general public from tomorrow, September 13, at all Barça Stores and via the usual distribution channels around the world.
The third strip, which Ernesto Valverde’s team will be wearing for the first time in their opening Champions League fixture against Borussia Dortmund on September 17, pays tribute to the city of Barcelona through its design which harks back to one of the shirts that Barça wore in the 1996/97 season. That memorable campaign saw victories in the Copa del Rey and the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the latter after beating Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the final and which starred players who are now considered club legends such as Jose Mari Bakero, Pep Guardiola, Guillermo Amor, Luis Enrique, Hristo Stoickhov, Sergi Barjuan, Albert ‘Chapi’ Ferrer and Miquel Àngel Nadal, as well as Brazilian star Ronaldo who topped the Spanish league scoring charts with 47 goals.
An important detail of the new kit is the retro-style V-neck in the club’s traditional blaugrana colours. There is also a dark blue trim on the sleeves, while the FC Barcelona crest is highlighted on the chest by a prominent border.
Another design detail that evokes the 90s is the incorporation of the Nike Futura logo that the brand used in that decade. The strip also includes shorts in the same teal with navy blue trim as the shirt, and blaugrana edging at the top of the socks.
“When you see this colour you think of Ronaldo, Guardiola, Stoichkov, Luis Enrique…, so many great players. It will be a pleasure to wear this kit and bring our fans joy with victories both at home and abroad”, says Gerard Piqué, one of the FC Barcelona players.
Pete Hoppins, Nike Football Apparel Senior Design Director, stresses that “given Barcelona’s incredible archive of kits, it was great fun merging their iconic ‘90s identity with the modern Nike aesthetic. The colour itself conjures so many memories, while the collar and the jacquard pattern make this kit both nostalgic and highly original at the same time.”