Mexican club Tigres UANL unveiled their new 3rd kit this week, with a tigerish play on the club’s traditional blue and gold colours.
After months of leaks and speculation on social media Adidas and Tigres have finally confirmed the wild, animal-print design as their alternative kit for the Clausura section of the Liga MX season.
Taking their cue from a classic mid-1990s kit by legendary Mexican firm ABA Sport, Adidas can’t be accused of playing it safe as the retro-inspired tiger stripes and claw marks in traditional club colours of gold and blue run amok across the crew-neck shirts’ white background.
Adidas’ famous three stripes compete for space down the sides of the shirt and are almost lost amongst the jagged tiger stripes and array of sponsors’ logos scrawled across the front and back of the new ClimaCool shirts.
White shorts and socks complete the look for Mexico’s 2018 Campeon de Campeones and the great Derek Zoolander will sleep a little easier tonight, safe in the knowledge that on the strength of these promotional shots; former Marseille and France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac will not be providing him with any competition on the catwalk.
Founded in the city of Monterrey in 1960, to represent the state’s university, the Club de Futbol Tigres de la Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León to give them their full name, are known to have some of Mexico’s most fervent supporters and have won six Liga MX titles, three Copa MX crowns as well as being Copa Libertadores runners-up to River Plate in 2015.
In 2018, Adidas were one of the first kit manufacturers to signal a move away from stale, template driven design towards more bespoke pieces that referenced classic kits of the past.
Third shirts should be audacious and with this early 2019 release, Adidas look to be continuing that bold streak of retro-inspired bravado. In doing so they’ve left the original ABA Sport source material looking shy and retiring.
Mexican football shirts are a treat for fans who love daring, expressive designs and we at Sartorial Soccer couldn’t be more pleased to see Adidas and Tigres keep up that fine tradition.
Does the new Tigres UANL third kit whet your appetite for Adidas’ 2019 kits? Or is this animalistic offering a little too alternative for you?
Please let us know in the comments section below!
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