43. Adidas Real (1996-99)
Chris Oakley | 11 October 2024
Throughout this series, it’s been a regular and satisfying experience to look at any given template and be reminded of the first time it was seen, and which team was wearing it at the time. This latest instalment is no exception. For me, the year was 1996, the match was Spain v Bulgaria, and I can remember being somewhat surprised by the kit that was worn by the former.
The sheer abundance of navy blue on the Spanish shirts was something new to my eyes, but the part it played in a radical asymmetric design was what really stood out. That, and the three yellow Adidas stripes flanked in red, traversing the blue behind the badge... oh, and the grandad collar... and the detailed repeating shadow pattern of the triple Adidas stripes.
From left: Burnley (1997-98 away), Crewe Alexandra (1996-97 home), Dynamo Moscow (1997 home), Galatasaray (1996-97 third).
There really was a lot going on with that shirt, and yet it wasn’t until I started researching this article that I noticed one obvious detail that had somehow eluded me. Dotted throughout some of the shadow stripes were numerous small iterations of the Royal Spanish Football Federation logo (such as it was back in the day), and one enormous version across the chest. I should feel a little ashamed for not spotting that before, but in my defence, shadow patterns are supposed to be subtle.
This, then, is a prime example of the Adidas Real template, but is in no way exhaustive in its inclusion of pertinent detail. True, many other teams (and they were generally clubs rather than countries) had their own badges and logos scattered throughout the shadow pattern. Standard Liege, Burnley and Schalke were three such examples, though other teams opted for the simple stripes-only form.
From left: Galway United (1999 home), Montpellier (1996-97 home), Nürnberg (1997-98 home), Porto (1996-97 away).
It’s perhaps fairer to say that the collar was where most teams added some specific styling to their shirts. Galway United joined the Spanish national team in choosing the highly underused grandad collar, but a winged collar appears to have been most popular. Clubs such as Galatasaray, Montpellier and Porto were categorised as such, however Crewe Alexandra and Dynamo Moscow opted for a rounded wrapover collar, while Burnley and Nürnberg went for a thick crew neck.
But that wasn’t all for the customisable options. Seen from a front-on view, the rightmost one-fifth of the shirt tended to appear in a secondary colour, but not always. Standard Liege left their home shirt completely red, save for the three white Adidas stripes running from top to bottom, and similarly Schalke’s home and away shirts were in a predominant single colour too.
From left: Porto (1996-97 Euro away), Schalke 04 (1996-98 home and away).
Burnley’s away shirt from the 1997-98 season went one step further. Not only did it do away with the side section, but also used the secondary colour specifically on the sleeves only. This was rather a clever way to show off the amber and claret colouring while still retaining those three asymmetric Adidas stripes.
So all things considered, this was a versatile template that could be tweaked to suit the needs of those that wore it. What was also remarkable was the varied colour combinations we saw it in. Often in this series, we’ve seen templates mostly appearing in versions that are mainly white, red and blue, but through sheer circumstance, Adidas Real seemed to have a more diverse array. From the red and yellow of Galatasaray through the claret and black of Galway United to the black and white of Vitória Guimarães, there seemed to be a colour combination for everyone - and that’s just in the kits I was able to illustrate.
From left: Spain (1996-97 home and 1996 away), Standard Liege (1996-97 home).
French club Lorient would have gained more than a mention for their home shirt in orange and black, were it not for a greater selection of clear photographs I could find, and I’m led to believe Schalke had a yellow and blue third shirt in 1996-97 too. As is often the case with third shirts, it’s hard to find pictures of them being worn in a match situation, and this was certainly true in regard to the Gelsenkirchen-based club.
In an era when kit suppliers adopted a ‘more is more’ approach to the detail of their shirt designs, Adidas were certainly at the forefront of that movement. This template is a prime example of that. With its side section, shadow branding, multiple collars and varied colours, no-one could be dissatisfied with the constituent elements just waiting to be appreciated and enjoyed, and Adidas always made sure each one was rendered with quality and respectability. The end product could easily have become a jumbled mess, but it takes a brand with great experience to know how to turn potential failure into success. Trust Adidas to be just such a brand.
From left: United Arab Emirates (1996 home), Vitória Guimarães (1997-98 home and away).
Many thanks go to FSWorld and Adam's Shirt Quest for their help in researching this template.
To see the full set of Adidas Real kits, visit the Adidas Real template gallery page.
* Update:
I'm grateful to several people for telling me about additional kits I've now added to the Adidas Real kit gallery page.
Denis Hurley, Mike Edwards and @LouMacariChippy reminded me about the Rangers 1996-97 away shirt which appears to be unique and bespoke in its design. Where the side section normally appears in a secondary colour on the right, Rangers have a version where it appears on the left. The shirt also differs in that the Adidas triple-stripe shadow pattern has been ditched in favour of an alternative featuring Rangers shield logos. Quite the curio, where this template is concerned.
Denis also told me about Cork City's 1996-97 away kit, which bore a striking resemblance to the one Crewe Alexandra wore around the same time. Meanwhile, Jota has pointed out that Argentinos Juniors wore a red and white version of Adidas Real in 1997. Furthermore, Floh Chalmers was able to track down a picture of Schalke's yellow third shirt (mentioned in the above article), so that, too, has been added to the template gallery page.
So thanks to everyone for telling me about those kits, and remember, if you've seen any that I've missed, please do let me know. You can drop me a line via the contact form here. Thanks a lot...
