Olympique Lyonnais Add Pele Tribute to Jerseys — Plus Recent Kit Unveilings from Spain and France

French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais paid tribute to one of the best footballers to ever take the pitch with a special addition to their jerseys over the weekend.

Lyon added the name and iconic number 10 of Brazilian superstar Pele to their home kits on Sunday, January 1, when they hosted Clermont Foot 63 in Ligue 1 action. Pele passed away on December 29, 2022, after a long battle with cancer.

The name and number were both yellow with a thick blue outline and placed on the left chest, above Lyon’s crest, along with a blue crown.

Before the match, Lyon and Clermont also participated in a minute of applause in tribute to Pele.

It’s unclear how long Lyon intends to wear the tribute logo on their kits. Their next match is against FC Metz in the Coupe de France round of 64 on Saturday, January 7.

Farewell, King. 👑🇧🇷⚽ RIP Pelé pic.twitter.com/BBolsUxccD
— Chris Creamer (@sportslogosnet) December 29, 2022

FC LORIENT — Fourth Kit

Fellow Ligue 1 side FC Lorient were really looking to make a mark when they broke a new fourth kit for their match against Montpellier HSC on December 29.

The kit — which will only be worn once this season — features a white base with drawings all over that are based on tattoos of club supporters. The crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are black with an orange stripe through the middle, and sponsor logos and the club crest appear in orange.

The Umbro-manufactured kits are a big hit with Lorient supporters, with the first run of 450 shirts selling out in just hours on the club’s online shop. They’re already taking pre-orders for a second run, with delivery expected in mid- to late February.

The kits weren’t without flaws, however. Footy Headlines points out that, with the tattoo drawings continuing onto the back, Lorient had to tape a large, unsightly white square to the back of each player’s jersey so that their name and number were legible.

REAL BETIS — Fourth Kit

Meanwhile, over the World Cup break, Spanish La Liga side Real Betis unveiled a new fourth kit and wore it in a friendly against English Premier League side Manchester United. The Hummel-manufactured kit will see regular use in 2023 during the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey tournament.

It has a white base and a broad green vertical stripe down the middle of both the front and back. The green V-neck polo collar and sleeve cuffs both feature white striping. Green panels on the shoulders contain gold Hummel chevrons. The shirt can be paired with either green or black shorts, and features gold names and numbers on the back and on the shorts.

Like the rest of their 2022-23 kits, this kit uses Real Betis’s old crest, and not the revamped version that was unveiled in September 2022.

VILLARREAL CF — Centenary Kit

Elsewhere in Spain, fellow La Liga side Villarreal CF are celebrating their 100th anniversary with a new kit, made by Joma. With a nickname like El Submarí Groguet (the Yellow Submarine), Villarreal aren’t straying far from tradition with the centenary kit’s yellow base. But they are adding some blue into the mix with the polo collar, sleeve cuffs and stripes running down the shoulders. The club’s centenary logo appears on the back collar, while Villarreal crests from the past century are printed inside the collar.