da dobrowin： From Eric Cantona's iconic turned up collar to a touching tribute to the Busby Babes, the Red Devils have led the way in stylish shirts over the years
da dobrowin： Red, white and black. In that order. Manchester United's kits have followed the same theme for the last two centuries and have long symbolised tradition and glory. The team's sustained success in the 1990s coincided with the launch of the Premier League, when football began to be shown on television every week, leading to their shirt becoming the most recognisable in world football.
Between the first Premier League title triumph in 1993 and their last in 2013, almost every United home shirt adorned a player while lifting a trophy. The silverware may have become less common since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, but United's shirts remain as popular as ever, worn all over the world from Salford and Manchester to Beijing, Cape Town, New Delhi and New York.
And so after United unveiled their new kit for the 2023-24 season, GOAL picks our favourite United home shirts of all time…
Getty10Cantona's swansong, Beckham's breakthrough (1996-98)
A few eyebrows were raised when United released a kit with black diamond sleeves, while the shirts had a very baggy feel. But this was a kit that serves as a snapshot of an era of renewal for the Red Devils.
It was the last home shirt Eric Cantona wore before his shock retirement in May 1997 and is etched into the memory of United fans of a certain age for the Frenchman's wondergoal against Sunderland and his nonchalant celebration.
But while Cantona was on his way out, a new star was emerging in David Beckham. The homegrown winger scored his legendary goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon wearing this shirt in August 1996 and the following season, with United still wearing this kit, he inherited the iconic number seven from Cantona.
AdvertisementGetty9Lovely kit, miserable season (2013-14)
After having a horrendous kit in the previous campaign which resembled a duvet cover, United had a mighty fine shirt for the first season of the post-Ferguson era. The kit consisted of a smart black collar on an otherwise unblemished red background, with none of the gimmicky patterns that had tarnished previous shirts.
The only problem was United had one of their worst seasons ever wearing this shirt, as David Moyes' dream job turned into a nightmare. There were some bright moments, such as when Robin van Persie inspired the Champions League turnaround against Olympiacos and downed former club Arsenal at Old Trafford. And there was Adnan Januzaj's emergence from the youth team, plus excitement about Juan Mata's club-record signing.
But fans' memories of this kit will inevitably be dark ones. There were plenty to choose from, including getting thumped at home by Liverpool and Man City, shock home defeats by West Brom, Newcastle and Everton, or the galling 2-2 draw against Fulham, when Moyes' side had a Premier League record 81 crosses.
Getty8Honouring the treble (2019-20)
This kit commemorated the 20th anniversary of United's historic treble triumph and was released on May 26 2019, exactly 20 years on from the team's dramatic 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.
Although a different style to the kits United wore in the 1998-1999 season, this jersey had several nods to that magical campaign. The crest mimicked the shape on the special edition Champions League shirt United wore in that era and in the final. Meanwhile, the dates of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League final triumphs were inscribed inside the shirt.
The sleeves had the numbers 91 and 93 on them, a reference to the minutes in which Teddy Sheringham scored his equaliser against Bayern at the Camp Nou and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got his winner. This gesture was particularly fitting as Solskjaer was United's manager at the time, and he still received the backing of the majority of fans.
It was an up and down season, interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but United still had some great memories, including doing the double over Manchester City and Bruno Fernandes' flying start in the team after his January move from Sporting CP.
Getty7Ronaldo in his pomp and trophies galore (2007-09)
This was another simple but effective kit design, all red albeit with subtle stripes, with twin white lines on either side of the back of the shirt, framing the name and number. And the years United wore it were among their most successful ever.
The Red Devils lifted two Premier League titles, the 2008 Champions League and the League Cup, plus two Community Shields and the Club World Cup while wearing the home shirt. And their major disappointment of the era, the 2009 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona, came while they were wearing their white away kit.
The kit was also synonymous with Cristiano Ronaldo's rise to becoming the best player in the world. The Portuguese scored 42 goals in the 2007-08 season and won the Ballon d'Or as a result. And in his second campaign wearing this shirt, he scored one of the best goals of his career against Porto.