For the second season in a row, Paris Saint-Germain have launched a black kit featuring the Jordan ‘Jumpman’ logo.
In 2018-19, the black outfit and its white counterpart were worn as the club’s Champions League kits and it was apparently the plan that this new strip would be the first-choice for the latter stages of the continental competition.
However, the PSG players had reservations with such an idea, feeling that last season’s kit, and one worn in 2017-18, were unlucky.
Instead, it seems that the black – premiered against Montpellier last week – will just be a little-worn fourth kit, though it is in fact the fifth different jersey worn by PSG in the league so far this season.
There is the default home kit, in the traditional blue (albeit darker now than the 1990s), white and red, while a bright reddish-orange kit is used as the second choice.
The plan was that they would be joined by a white third kit, which would be the primary option for the Champions League group stage and so its launch was delayed until September.
It just so happened that the first two away league games were against Rennes and Metz, with neither the home or away kits suitable, meaning that PSG called upon the cream 2018-19 away kit, but now featuring the logo of new sponsors Accor rather than Fly Emirates.
The first Champions League game was at home to Real Madrid on September 18, but four days before that PSG entertained Strasbourg in Ligue 1 and used that game to give the new third strip its first outing.
All-white with vertical blue and red bands, it took its influences from the PSG kits of the 1980s. While there was protest about PSG wearing white at home to Real, forcing them to change, the fact that the kit design has some association with the club’s heritage means we don’t mind that.
One difference between the domestic and European versions was the display of the Accor logo, with the shirt worn against Strasbourg lacking the ‘Live Limitless’ text.
Nike are using the ‘older’ version of their logo on third kits this season, with the company name included.
That means that PSG have carried three different makers’ markings this season – the swoosh on its own, the Jumpman and the ‘Futura’.
Indeed, in the Coupe de France game away to Lorient, two different logos appeared together as, against the home side’s red shirts, black shorts and white socks, PSG used the white shorts from the third kit alongside the home shirt and socks.
That was in late January and soon after that came the black shirt, in the same style as the home but with the central striping repurposed to represent the French tricolour.
Five kits in a single league campaign matches the tally of Chelsea in 1990-91 – they similarly suffered from a new change kit clashing with early-season opponents, meaning older strips were worn – and, with PSG being so commercially-aware nowadays, you wouldn’t put it past them coming up with even more over the coming years.
