After a spell with Nike that included some fine offerings, Roma signed a kit deal with New Balance for 2021-22.
The home kit was fairly straightforward, while the away riffed on the classic Pouchain style from the late 1970s (and which the last Nike home had also referenced).
What was somewhat curious was that, after the white strip was used six times up to November 7, between then and April 18 its only outing was a Coppa Italia game against Internazionale in February.
Instead, during that period there were eight outings for the yellow and navy third kit, even in matches where white was objectively a better choice, such as away to Atalanta, Genoa and Milan.
What was also strange was that the third kit only appeared after the fourth kit, which had the most fleeting of lifespans.
One of the earliest entries in this seasons focused on the navy kit Roma had to come up with for a European Cup Winners’ Cup clash with Monaco in 1992 and there would be a similar tale in 2021-22.
Kappa and Nike had both produced popular navy strips and New Balance came up with a nice offering featuring two shades of blue and red and yellow horizontal pinstripes.
It was worn for the trip to Norway to face Bodø/Glimt in the Europa Conference League in October but a 6-1 loss proved to be its only appearance – whether that was always the plan or if the result led to it being jettisoned, we don’t know.
Progressing in the competition, they were paired with Bodø/Glimt again in the quarter-finals and wore their primary kit for both games. Another loss in Scandinavia – 2-1 this time – did not stop them from advancing and they went on to win the competition.
