Nike have channeled the best of Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine and Pele for PSG’s new retro-infused 3rd kit.
OK, we know this is an update of one of Nike’s first forays into European football, but to our nostalgic eyes, the brilliant white, red and blue recalls memories of the ultimate boy’s own adventure film.
Escape to Victory had everything!
The 1981 feature told the tale of a group of allied prisoners of war, challenged to a game of football by their propaganda seeking German captors.
Suspending our scepticism, we watched as West Ham United’s pre-war captain Michael Caine coached an unlikely team of players including Bobby Moore, Ossie Ardiles, Sylvester Stallone and half of the Ipswich Town team, to a creditable 4-4 draw in Paris.
The match ends as the great Pelé (playing the part of a Jamaican POW) ignores a set of broken ribs to score a miraculous last minute overhead-kick equaliser to spark the watching French resistance into a joyous pitch invasion.
Absolute scenes in Paris!
As the allies are whisked away to freedom and the ecstatic Parisien crowd chants “Victoire!” from the stands, Caine and Co are forced to disguise their brilliant white kits with a load of old jackets and flat caps.
This week we saw Paris St German and Nike turn the clock back 30 years to 1989 with the launch of their 2019-20 third kit, which looks more than a little like that shirt of celluloid footballing fantasy.
Breaking kit convention, PSG first wore their change shirts at home to Strasbourg, as Neymar ignored his own supporters’ boos to score a blockbusting last-minute acrobatic winner that Pelé would have been proud of.
Then on Wednesday, Paris St Germain enjoyed a Champions League night to remember as Thomas Tuchel’s men beat Real Madrid 3-0 at the Parc des Princes.
Nike have placed PSG at the very centre of their universe and the French champions will wear each of the American giants’ major brands this season, from the Jordan Jumpman to the 1990s style futura logo on this kit.
When your original home shirt was designed by fashion designer Daniel Hechter, you’d expect your club’s kits to be special and this smart and stylish PSG alternative kit perfectly demonstrates how to update a popular vintage design.
Add two big victories in the space of 5 days into the equation and PSG already have a shirt that fans can associate with success.
It’s to early to toast Victoire! but this shirt may end up being one of the most memorable kits of the 2019-20 season.
Sartorial Soccer 