The other day, I saw a tweet which sought to call out adidas’s lack of imagination on the goalkeeping front, illustrated with multiple examples of custodians wearing the same design and colour.
It felt a bit odd in that (a) it’s not exclusively an adidas issue and (b) it’s nowhere near a new phenomenon, but certainly the overarching point could scarcely be denied.
Even up to a few years ago, adidas would give their major contracts bespoke versions of their universal template, utilising exclusive colour-schemes; it should be noted that Puma have done similar for Milan this season but passed up an easy opportunity to do the same for Galatasaray.
Thankfully, some sportswear firms operating below the top tier still retain some imagination when it comes to outfitting goalkeepers. Castore and Erreà are certainly worthy of commendation while Hummel have also provided some impressive output in recent years.
The Danish firm’s trio of goalkeeper kits for Sunderland this season illustrate that well. While your mileage may vary with regard to the inspiration provided by the design of the tiles at the Bridge Hotel in the city, the motif is applied differently on the the three shirts, especially so on the black second kit.
Another item of note is that each of the kits has a different crest, aligning with the corresponding outfield outfit – the official badge on the first kit, the classic 1960s-1990s edition on the second strip and the black cat on the third.
It has meant quite a few games where the Sunderland goalkeeper – mainly Dutchman Robin Roefs, for whom the orange and black kit must feel comfortable, but lately the Swede Melker Ellborg – has a different insignia on his chest compared to his team-mates, but it’s more an oddity than a quibble.
Bristol City have had a few ‘out there’ designs in the last decade – this season is a ‘rubik cube’ pattern