From the classic shirts of the late sixties to more recent efforts by Umbro and Nike
Many people may see the football kits as arbitrary, but football fans see it as a very important element of their season preparations every year, and they believe that kits can also dictate the tone for a good or bad season.
The thinking that a kit can affect the results of football games seems ludicrous, but we have to check how many times a team that turns up in a bad jersey wins games. We have seen in the past that managers have blamed their kits for losing football games! Which if true, is something that needs to be looked at, a kit collision or a hard to see kit could impact the result of a game and if you are a sports bettor, could affect your bets, whether you have wagered your own money or used a sports betting bonus. There are some new free bets offers available that you can look at and use when betting on your favourite teams.
Also, some kits are seen as better because of the amount of victories they’ve been associated with or the number of silverware they’ve brought in for the club, which is why some of the recent shirts of Manchester City are seen as memorable and iconic.
With this, we take a look at the best home kits for the sky blues.
- 2011-12
This has nothing extraordinary about it, but it holds the type of history that the team will ever cherish. It was the kit that led the club to its remarkable 2011/12 Premier League victory - the first in the history of the team. Having landed the FA cup, they went in search of the league title, managing to come back in a dramatic battle against QPR to clinch victory at the dying minute on goal difference.
- 2015-16
The kit came after the club secured the signature of their iconic coach Pep Guardiola. Though the kit took us back in time like the 2009/10 incarnation, bringing back the much loved collar and the white sleeve trim, it ended up being very stylish, fusing the 1960s design into the modern era.
- Nike (2016-17)
The club witnessed a hugely successful era with this kit. The club's European standing improved when Pep Guardiola arrived, because of the revolution he came with. To match the work that the coach is doing on the training ground and the pitch, the kit makers came up with something beautiful. This came with the new club crest, which city fans have always had as a sore point.
- Umbro (1975-76)
The kit is legendary, just like Joe Royle. He did a lot to help the team pick their League Cup in 1976, which was the last major honor the club won before they came back to success in 2011. Some of the most significant features of the kit are the white v-shaped neckline that matches properly with the shirt’s blue shade, and the smart collar.
- Umbro (1987-89)
This is another brilliant design from Umbro, and the shirt has an effective, faint, and block stripe pattern. There is also a neat circular badge. Meanwhile, it is good to note that the club did not witness much success on the pitch with this kit, because they were in the championship with it. However, they also gained promotion to the first division in 1988/89 with it.
- Umbro (2009-10)
This is the early years of Sheikh Mansour. It was the period the team embarked on very erratic purchases, because of the huge transfer budget with which they placed their feet among the superpowers of Europe. This period saw the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy in the squad, as Mark Hughes attempted to build a squad that can challenge for the premiership. This kit has something in common with the great kits of the 60s. It was very simple and refreshing, as it led to the rebirth of the club.
- Umbro (1993-1995)
The 1990s is an era that city fans would want to forget, but that era had one of the most iconic kits in their history, though they had it very badly in terms of results during the period under review. Fans may see it as a ‘marmite’ shirt, because the jersey’s background had an Umbro logo on it. The kit's elegance was brought out by the neat Umbro trim on the sleeves and the smart collar.
- 'Buzzer ' and the Glory Years (1967-71)
During the reign of Joe Mercer, the blue side of Manchester was very successful towards the end of the 1960s, landing their second league title, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the European Cup Winner Cup, thanks to this kit. Another thing the kit is known for is the crop of players that wore it, as the team had some of their best squad then, including Colin Bell and Mike Summerbee. It had a simple light blue and white collar and sleeve trim design.
- Umbro (1978-81)
This is a very simple design, but one of the strongest memories with this is the FA Cup final defeat that City suffered with it. It was in 1981 that the side managed by John Bond reached the final of the showpiece, but Tottenham never allowed them to succeed in the replay. City fans may not have fond memories of the 70s and 80s, but the shiny shirt with collar was a beauty to behold.
- Le Coq Sportif (2001-02)
Many people may not love this kit, but it is memorable because it was the kit that the club wore in their last spell in the English championship before gaining promotion to the Premier League under the leadership of Kevin Keegan in 2001-2002. The dark blue color, which they adorned around the 90s and 2000s, has never been a pleasant subject, but it is a sign of some of the fortunes that the club has witnessed. In most cases, the shirt design could be hindered by the logo of the sponsors, but the large EIDOS logo in front of the dark blue jersey brought some form of light to the darker shades.