European Kits – Roma, 2001-02 and 2002-03

A new series designed to tie in with the weeks of continental fixtures – though the timing of this first entry is of course a little later than planned.

The peak of the European kits phenomenon looks to have passed, with Borussia Dortmund the only major club to still make it an annual thing – helped by the fact that they rarely need to wear a change kit and almost never a third.

Leaving aside the proclivity of Dortmund’s rivals Bayern Munich to wear different kits in Europe in the 1980s, the trend began to emerge in the 1990s. For this first offering, we will go a little bit later than that, to just after the turn of the millennium.

After winning Serie A in 2001, Roma were competing in the Champions League for the first time.

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While their new home kit wasn’t hugely different from the title-winning strip, kit-makers Kappa ensured they made a splash with the special European outfit.

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Unlike anything worn by the club before, it featured a Galatasaray-like halved shirt with navy shorts and socks.

As it happened, they were drawn with Galatasaray in the second group stage of the Champions League – and Barcelona, who had to wear a one-off blue third shirt in Istanbul.

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By that stage, the numbers on the back of the shirts had been changed from navy to white at the behest of Uefa – thereafter, halved shirts with contrasting colours would have to have solid backs.

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However, while Uefa were less flexible when it came to sponsors. In the second part of the season, Roma’s domestic shirts featured a new logo for INA Assitalia but they had to continue with the old markings in Europe.

The Giallorossi exited the Champions League after the last 16 but came very close to retaining the league title – they finished second, just a point behind champions Juventus.

Another Champions League campaign meant another European kit – this time featuring contrasting sleeves with black, rather than navy, shorts and socks. The numbers were gold rather than the white on the domestic home strip.

The kit resulted in Arsenal wearing a one-off mashup for the game in Rome in the second group phase and that stage of the competition also saw Roma having to mix and match – away to Valencia, the domestic white home shorts were used as well as the alternative home socks.

Roma also had a European away strip, limited to just one appearance.

Unfortunately for i lupi, they were once again knocked out before the quarter-finals and that summer would see a change of kit supplier, to Diadora. Kappa would be back again before too long, though.