Manchester United are making a historic change to one of their strips next season by dropping the club crest and replacing it with an image of a devil.
Adidas designers have gone for a minimal look in United’s third kit, by removing the words “Manchester United”, the ornate badge layout, and the ship, which have been permanent features since the 1970s.
Instead, the devil will be displayed on the chest of the shirt, which is an off-white color and will be used if the away kit is not possible, which is dark green with white stripes.
That second strip, as well as United’s home kit, which is red with black stripes on the shoulders and has no collar, will feature the classic badge.
The last change to that badge took place in 1998 when the words “Football Club” were removed.
Sir Matt Busby was essential to the devil added to the design in 1973, when that space was previously occupied by stripes.
Busby first heard of Salford’s rugby league team being called “Les Diables Rogue” during a tour of France in the 1930s and, after the Munich air disaster, believed that United’s adoption of the nickname “Red Devils” would frighten the fans. opposite.
The 2022-23 third kit includes the regular club crest (Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
United now have the devil as the club’s sole image on their third kit for the 2023-24 campaign.
There is some debate as to whether the ship, which was added to reflect Manchester’s role in the Industrial Revolution, was an appropriate symbol of the crest due to a potential association with the slave trade. But its removal is only a design choice of the kit manufacturers.
Adidas have taken a similar approach to Arsenal’s away kit this season, ditching the club crest and keeping just one cannon. Juventus went one step further in 2017 by simplifying their logo completely.
TeamViewer remains a sponsor on the front of the shirts despite United agreeing to an early end to their sponsorship.
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(Photo by Visionhaus)
