Adidas Deal of the Century!

Posted on 31/07/15

Impossible is Nothing, the motto of one of sports great suppliers ‘Adidas’, and now entering the biggest kit deal of modern times with Manchester United, this motto seems rather fitting for a club who’ve come from nothing and taken it all over the last 137 years.
In February 1958, the club was in ruin following the Munich Air Disaster it seemed impossible that the side would ever field a competitive squad again. However with the tenacity of reserve team manager Jimmy Murphy he would convince the board to keep the club alive, and with help from others would build a new squad in the space of a month, eventually leading this new side to the FA Cup Final just less than three months later. That cup final saw a Phoenix rise from the ashes as the club crest, whilst the great manager Sir Matt Busby began his recovery, sadly eight of the squad would never return from Germany.
With an FA Cup appearance, the club continued to thrive in the face of adversity, and with the commercial age sweeping through football in the 1980’s, Adidas came to Old Trafford for the first time. The club had faced tough times between 1958 and the initial Adidas deal, having been relegated from the first division in 1974, thanks to a loss in the Manchester derby, and legend Dennis Law sealing their fate no less.
In 1980 the club first used Adidas, the first of twelve years with the German sportswear designers. It would prove to be an unsuccessful decade for the Red Devils, compared to the 1990’s under Umbro. No first division titles would be won during the decade, however this was down to the dominance of the two Merseyside clubs, as well as Arsenal and Leeds United. The successes did however come in the FA Cup, with three successful routes to Wembley.
Success however doesn’t define a great shirt, with a few options here at vintage football shirts. One personal favourite comes from 1986-88, where this plush away strip defines the style of the times. The likes of Mark Hughes and Bryan Robson were part of a great team, playing under Sir Alex Ferguson in his first season at the club.
We also have here a very rare shirt from 1988-90, where the home shirt worn during the FA Cup run which was won in 1990, beating Crystal Palace in a replay. Following the sponsorship expiring in 1992, United went to Umbro and dominated English and European football, and have won no less than 21 honours since the deal expired 23 years ago.
Now with the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Wayne Rooney, Ander Herrera and Memphis Depay donning the new shirt in a new era, now with no silverware in three seasons, the Ã‚Â£750million deal should fund the Red Devils for the duration of the six year deal.