adidas & Man United's Greatest Hits : Football Apparel : Soccer Bible

For adidas, tomorrow will mark a historical homecoming to its adopted cultural heartland. Here we pull out some of the most memorable Manchester United adidas kits from years gone by.

1982/83 Home - This was adidas' second attempt at producing a Manchester United kit and was the first to feature the club's first, and arguably most famous sponsor, Sharp. Bizarrely if you bought this shirt in 1982 you would have been charged an extra £1 for the privilege of printing their name across the chest. 



1984/86 Home - The Holy Grail for United fans and one of the rarest adidas MUFC shirts - note the exclusive of the iconic three stripes. The club donned this classic in the 1985 FA Cup Final win over Everton, when Kevin Moran infamously became the first player to be sent off in an FA Cup Final. More importantly, Norman Whitesite etched this kit into United folklore with a wonder goal in extra time.



1986/88 Home - The Three Stripes returned to a kit most associated with Sir Alex Ferguson's first season in charge at Old Trafford and a period of stabilisation at the club before decades of dominance in English football. The subtle decals on this edition make is a popular choice amongst retro-loving United fans, young and old.



1986/88 Away - The shirt that will forever be associated with one of Ferguson's all time classic quotes: My greatest challenge is not what's happening at the moment, my greatest challenge is knocking Liverpool right off their f**king perch." A 1-0 at Anfield in the same year, this shirt was part of that long journey.



1988/90 Home - On a cold Sunday in January, Mark Robins' deft header against Nottingham Forest was enough to send United on the long path to Wembley. Fast forward five months and this is the shirt that United wore in the 1990 FA Cup Final replay win over Crystal Palace; their first trophy under Ferguson and arguably the one that saved and kick started his Old Trafford career.



1988/90 Third - You're looking at a real classic here and a shirt that was worn by Manchester United only a handful of times during the 1988/89 and 1989/90 seasons. Since then blue has become a familiar theme throughout United's alternative stripes; something that was inspired by the 1968 European Cup Final when, in all blue, United became the first English team to win the European Cup. 



1991 ECWC Final - In the wake of the Heysel Stadium tragedy, English clubs were banned from competing in Europe. Once the ban was lifted, United made their way to the European Cup Winners' Cup Final to face Spanish 'dream team' Barcelona; a side managed by Johan Cruyff. A wonder goal by Mark Hughes sealed the win, ensuring this one-off shirt became and instant classic.



1990/92 Away - A polarizing shirt which split opinions across the football world. Today the 1990/92 away shirt is a modern classic and a true reflection of a unique moment in time. Picture this... The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, the Haciecienda Nightclub and most importantly for United fans, Lee Sharpe's celebration jig after netting a hat-trick in a 6-2 rout of Arsenal. 



This story is from Issue 3 of the SoccerBible Magazine, available here.

The new 2015/16 adidas Manchester United home kit will be available from select adidas stockists including Pro-Direct Soccer from 1 August.