Replica football shirts long become a fashion accessory since they were released onto the market in the early 1980s. Liverpool were one of the biggest pioneers in those early days long before Manchester United commercially dominated virtually every continent on the planet. In 1979 the Reds were the first club in the UK to carry a sponsor on their kits in the form of electronics firm Hitachi. They were soon replaced by Crown Paints, then another electronics firm in Candy and since 1992 they have been branded by Danish brewer Carlsberg.
Their kit manufacturer 30 years ago, when the Hitachi deal was struck, was Umbro and if the rumours are to be believed, things will come full circle. In 2007 Nike followed in the footsteps of Adidas, their biggest competitor, by taking over the English sportswear firm. The German label completed a successful takeover of Reebok, Liverpool's previous kit supplier, in 2005 and the mark with the three stripes have made the Reds' kits since 2006.
With their current deal expiring in 2012 Adidas will be keen to leave a lasting impression with their final home shirt, due to be released next summer. As most Liverpool supporters know, the club change their home shirt every two seasons and their away strips every year. With the product expected to be in the design phase ahead of its summer release, budding kit architects have been showcasing their own designs on specialist websites.
Here are four of the best. Click on the images to enlarge:
Simplicity as well as the recycling of old Adidas kit templates have been the inspiration for these designs. Unfortunately Adidas will most probably use their current default template, which will be seen on the kits of Chelsea and Bayern Munich to name but two clubs sporting the design template next season, and is more likely to resemble something from the Incredible Hulk's wardrobe as one designer has predicted (see below).
