Manchester United have unveiled their most expensive home kit ever – with an ‘authentic’ adults’ version of shirt, shorts and socks costing fans an eye-watering £183. For children aged from seven years old, the cost for the shirt alone is £49.95 – with shorts costing another £24.95. Fans reacted with fury at the cost of the new kit, with one asking if ‘greed’ inspired the ‘extortionate’ price. Another said simply: ‘I’m not buying that’. One fan, Phil Robinson, wrote on Facebook: ‘Over a ton for a shirt? I remember the days they were about 50 quid… and 42 quid for shorts… wow!’ Some fans criticised the design of the kit by Adidas, saying it was ‘one of the worst yet’.
However, other United fans were more welcoming of the design saying: ‘I actually quite like it.’ Parents of young fans aged between 18 months and six years face forking out £44.95 for the children’s version of the Adidas strip. A cheaper version of the £109.95 adult shirt will still set United fans back £64.95 – making it one of the most expensive kits in world football for supporters. Arsenal ‘authentic’ shirts for next season – made of the same materials worn by players – are slightly cheaper than the ones released by adidas for United.
Past & present. 🔴🚃🛠⁰
Our new @adidasfootball home kit, inspired by the Railway Men of Newton Heath.
Learn more here: https://t.co/nZrewGhDG7
⁰#HereToCreate #MUFC pic.twitter.com/mijWOPseSg— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 17, 2018
A Puma Arsenal ‘EvoKNIT Authentic’ adult home shirt costs £100 via the club’s online store. United’s closest rivals Manchester City offer a substantially cheaper top-end home shirt for adult fans – but it still costs a hefty £89.95. Liverpool, whose kit is manufactured by New Balance, revealed their 2019/19 season home kit earlier this summer. The most expensive shirt costs £70 for adults with an ‘LFC Junior European Home Shirt’ costing £60.
An ‘Infant Home Kit’ for children aged between 18 months and seven years costs £40. The new Adidas home kit marks 140 years since United was formed and the jersey is inspired by the club’s original name. There is a train track graphic referencing United’s initial name: Newton Heath (Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) Cricket and Football Club. The club initially played matches against fellow rail companies at North Ground before they entered the English First Division in 1892.