Top 5s – adidas trefoil European final kits

The trefoil has spanned decades of continental clashes, throwing up memorable shirts right, left and centre.

But it’s difficult to define what makes it so popular. Nostalgists will point to its 1970s/80s heyday coinciding with a lack of billionaire owners, TV money and endless overexposure through the internet and social media. The less romantic and more aesthetically focused will wax lyrical about the designs’ simplistic and stylish symmetry. Collectors will point out that the shirts are just bloody hard to get hold of.

One thing’s for certain – the three leaves were present at many a cup lift following the logo’s introduction in 1971. Here are five of the most memorable:

KV Mechelen – 1988 European Cup Winners’ Cup

When burly Dutch striker Piet Den Boer thundered a near-post header past Ajax custodian Stanley Menzo, he did so clad in a subtly brilliant adidas version of the club’s traditional red and yellow striped kit.

Shorn of its giant domestic TeVe Blad sponsor, the stripes were offset by a contrasting black trim found on the polo collar, arm cuffs, trefoil, number and crest.

Hamburger SV – 1983 European Cup

Despite already being used by the USSR at Spain ‘82, this was the iconic moment for the red pinstriped La Paz design as die Rothosen (the Red Shorts) shrugged off their underdogs tag to beat Agnelli’s Juventus 1-0.

Domestic sponsors BP must have been kicking themselves, as captain and goalscorer Felix Magath lifted football’s greatest domestic prize with his club’s initials splashed across his chest.

The template completed a clean sweep of honours that season, with Aberdeen’s red-necked and Anderlecht’s excellent white/purple variants were also synonymous with victory.

Real Madrid – 1986 Uefa Cup

Speaking of purple, it’s not often you witness serial cup claimers Real Madrid lift silverware in anything other than white – nowadays, even if they win in a change kit – like Steve McManaman in the black one in 2000 – they don their usual shirts for the presentation.

For their second-leg clash with 1. FC Köln, Real opted for a beguiling purple number replete with white adidas stripes, Parmalat sponsor and matching blue cuffs and shorts.

So memorable was it that adidas re-released it as part of their modern Originals range.

Dynamo Tbilisi – 1981 European Cup Winners’ Cup

A philosophical question – does the trefoil have to be visible on a ‘trefoil kit’? These shirts and shorts featured the Olympic rings on little patches, placed over the trefoil, which was still present but just covered up.

A team that deserved more than the 9,000 fans that witnessed its greatest moment. A dark, moody shade of blue and the solitary calligraphed D, used to represent state police teams in Iron Curtain regimes.

The shirt perfectly encapsulates the intimidating air of mystique surrounding the Communist state teams in 1970s and 80s European competition.

Bastia – 1978 Uefa Cup

Granted, not a winner. But the shirt is so memorable that it muscles other contenders out of its path.

The oversized and striking crest is the tête de Maure, or ‘Moor’s Head’, which is the emblem of the island of Corsica and is also found on the emblem of the island of Sardinia.