Manchester City's home kit for next season includes a special tribute to their greatest ever player as it takes inspiration from another golden era for the club.
The Puma design has finally been unveiled (albeit after several weeks of leaked images) and features the club crest in the centre of the shirt and the iconic maroon trim that Colin Bell wore when he led the Blues to the First Division title in 1968. Supporters will also be able to purchase shirts with Bell, [Francis] Lee or [Mike] Summerbee on the back.
“The new home kit is a fitting tribute to classic City home kit styles of the past. We wanted to create a modern spin on the jerseys worn between 1967 to 1971,” said Marco Mueller, senior head of Product Line Management Teamsport Apparel.
“The maroon trim was an important detail because this was an iconic colour seen on many of the previous City home kits. The jersey is a great homage to the entertaining teams of old and the exciting free-flowing football of the current City team.”
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As well as honouring the successful era of the club under Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison, the design has an extra few touches. A ship is on the back of the shirt representing the Manchester Ship Canal, as the symbol on the club badge does, while inside the neck a crown commemorates Colin 'The King' Bell.
Bell, who sadly passed away in January 2021, still stands as the greatest every City player for a magnificent career that included 501 appearances and 153 goals during a 13-year career. One of the stands at the Etihad is named after him, while the club are also working to mark the achievements of him, Lee and Summerbee in statue form outside the stadium.
When Puma decided to base the idea for the home kit around such a successful team, they could not help adding in an extra marker for the talisman of that successful time.
Jon Bell, Colin’s son, said, “As a family, we’re incredibly touched that the club and Puma have chosen to remember the teams of the late 1960’s and my dad with next season’s home kit – it’s a beautiful gesture. It really captures the history and togetherness of Manchester City as a club, and I hope the fans like it and can remember those great moments.”
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