Belter of an adidas Celtic kit leaks online; throwback to 2006

By Euan Davidson

November 23, 2021

Well, it was rumoured that the next adidas and Celtic collaboration would be a 2006-style belter.

Now, the rumours have intensified. An image of a Teamgeist-inspired Celtic kit has made its way onto reputable kit news site Footy Headlines. On a black template, it features the extremely mid-00s adidas pattern on the chest and sides of the shirt.

Whether it’s an actual match shirt or something of a collector’s item, though, is up for debate. According to Footy Headlines, adidas will release their Teamgeist designs for a range of clubs next month.

A shameless cash-grab in time for Christmas, relying on the nostalgia of the 2006 World Cup and the popularity of classic shirts? Who can possibly say?

The absence of sponsor Dafabet would imply that the design is more for either training purposes or just as something a bit different. However, with its colours, it would be a useful fourth kit. Yes – a fourth kit.

Celtic were forced to play in last season’s black kit against Hibernian. With the kit colours being the traditional green and white, a solid dark green away and a white, pink and green third kit, there are obvious issues there.

There were also problems against Real Betis. Oddly, the Andalusians were forced to wear their incongruous blue away kit at home.

No doubt this latest Celtic x adidas effort is tidy, but for what purpose?

If this is just for wearing’s sake, for supporters, then that’s cool. Well, depending on the price, of course. If it wasn’t a match shirt, and was sold at the same price, it might be a trickier sell.

If it is a match shirt, then all the better. Albeit, asking supporters to pay for a fourth kit is bordering on the ludicrous. Especially half-way through a season.

This could just be a shirt intended as a collector’s item. Adidas will have realised the commercial potential of Celtic. The shirts are hard to mess up, despite the best efforts of manufacturers in certain years.

Yes, that means you, New Balance; a pink chevron on a grey base? What were you thinking?

There’s a place for retro design, as long as it isn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. The mid-00s were a fruitful time for Celtic; competitive domestically and in Europe, players like Scott McDonald, Shunsuke Nakamura and Giorgios Samaras lit up Parkhead.

That, and the Teamgeist design just looks good. It’s clean, distinct without being too busy, and harks definitively to a particular period in football.

Read more: Report: Celtic in for 4-cap international in a move that would devastate Premiership foe