Arsenal Mark 20th Anniversary of Double Win, Plus Other European Club Soccer Kit Unveilings

Today’s tour of European club football kit unveilings makes two stops in England, two stops in Germany, two in Italy and two in Spain …

ARSENAL – Home

Premier League side Arsenal are hoping to recapture past glory with their 2021-22 home kit. The design, with navy adidas shoulder stripes on the red base and white side panels melding into the traditional white sleeves, mimics what the club wore in 2001-02, when they won both the PL title and the FA Cup. The sleeve cuffs and collar are both red with navy blue trim. The logo of Arsenal For Everyone, the club’s foundation celebrating “the diversity of the Arsenal family,” is printed inside the collar.

The kits were unveiled Friday and will be worn for the first time in a preseason friendly against Rangers FC in Glasgow, Scotland, on Saturday. They will be worn with white shorts with red-blue-red adidas stripes on each side and red-and-white hooped socks.

BRENTFORD – Home & Away

For their first-ever season in the Premier League, Brentford continue with red and white stripes on their home kits made by Umbro. The red stripes are slightly thicker than the white ones. The crew neck collar is red, with a white insert on the front. The bee from the club crest is isolated and printed in white on the back collar. Brentford have a new shirt sponsor this year in South African sports betting company Hollywoodbets.

Brentford’s away kit is predominantly yellow, with a large tonal zigzag pattern on the front. The logos on the front are rendered in black, including a monochromatic version of the club crest. Black stripes appear on the sleeves, set well up from the cuffs.

1. FC KÖLN – Away & Third

After unveiling their home kits earlier this week, German Bundesliga side 1. FC Köln are back with their away and third kits for 2021-22, made by Uhlsport. The away kit looks a bit like an Arsenal home shirt with its red body and white sleeves. The front of the kit features a tonal paisley pattern. The V-neck collar is solid red.

Köln’s third kit takes cues from the German national team’s away kit from Euro 2020 (#7 here) with a black manufacturer logo, sponsor logo and club crest on a black base. The right sleeve cuff is red while the left cuff is white, and the collar is split in half as well, with the colours contrasting with the cuff on each side.

TSG 1899 HOFFENHEIM – Away & Third

Köln’s fellow Bundesliga side TSG 1899 Hoffenheim released their home kits back in May, and have now completed their 2021-22 set by unveiling their away and third kits, all made by Joma. The away kit is predominantly white, with a navy blue collar and sleeve cuffs. The placket of the collar is white with navy piping. The manufacturer logos and sponsor logo are navy blue to match the recoloured club crest, which is normally more of a royal blue.

The navy blue crest, logos and trim carry over to Hoffenheim’s third kit, where they appear on a salmon-coloured base. The collar has been switched up on this shirt, as the club opted for a salmon V-neck collar with navy blue trim at the base.

GENOA CFC – Home

Italian Serie A side Genoa CFC maintain their traditional half-red, half-blue look for their 2021-22 home kits, made by Kappa. The front of the shirt features a tonal map of the city center of Genoa. The crew neck collar is also half-red and half-blue, and white and red trim appears on each sleeve cuff. Of note, the back of the jersey mirrors the front, with red on the left side and blue on the right, and each sleeve is also half-red and half-blue.

TORINO – Home & Away

Italian Serie A side Torino is going old school for their 2021-22 kits, made by Joma. The home kits are solid maroon, with no other embellishments aside from a full colour club crest and white sponsor and manufacturer logos. However, the fabric of the shirt itself contains a custom jacquard pattern depicting the bull from the crest.

Torino’s away kit is solid white, with a maroon sash running from top left to bottom right. The club crest appears on the sash in monochromatic white, and the logo of main shirt sponsor Suzuki also appears in white and at an angle matching that of the sash. Other sponsor and manufacturer logos are rendered in maroon.

The away kit is a tribute to Club Atlético River Plate of Argentina, who wear a similar sash on their home kits. River Plate and Torino played a friendly match on May 26, 1949, to raise money for the families of Torino players killed in the Superga air disaster earlier that month. This date is printed inside the collar of the shirt, along with the Italian and Spanish phrases for “eternal friendship.”

VALENCIA CF – Home & Away

Spanish La Liga side Valencia CF and Puma have teamed up for a classic-looking home kit for the 2021-22 season. It is predominantly white, with black sleeves and black panels that run about halfway down the sides of the shirt and cut off at an angle. The sleeves feature a tonal geometric camouflage pattern.

Socios.com is a new shirt sponsor for Valencia, and they are using the space to advertise a new “fan token” that provides owners with “access to voting rights in polls, VIP rewards, exclusive promotions, AR-enabled features, chat forums, games and competitions on the mobile app Socios.com.”

The dark red away kit is a departure for Valencia, as the club usually goes for orange, black or yellow away shirts. This year’s kit features a tonal ripple pattern all over, and a black block on each shoulder. The V-neck collar and sleeve cuffs are solid black, while the sponsor and manufacturer logos are white.

ELCHE CF – Away & Third

Valencia’s La Liga compatriots Elche CF will take to the pitch in away and third kits made by Nike in 2021-22. Both are pretty simple in their execution. The away kit is all black, with tonal diagonal stripes. The club crest is monochromatic white, as are the Nike logo and sponsor logo.

Elche’s third kit swaps neon green — or “volt,” in Nike-speak — for black for the base of the jersey, minus the tonal stripes. The crest and logos are rendered in black.