Shirt: AC Milan home
Season: 2004-05
Make: Adidas
Sponsor: Opel
Worn by: Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Andriy Shevchenko, Andrea Pirlo, Manuel Rui Costa
This eye catching strip was launched in 2004 and would be the home shirt for the Rossoneri for the 2004-05 season. Manufactured by German sportswear giants Adidas, the defending champions’ new kit was made of extremely lightweight material (Climacool) in order to keep their star-studded line-up, which included the likes of Filippo Inzaghi, Paolo Maldini and Andrea Pirlo, fresh when working up a sweat on the pitch.
Like every Milan kit, it was made up of the iconic red and black stripes. With a striking red background, the shirt had four black vertical lines which joined a black base at the bottom of the shirt. Additionally, Adidas done away with a collar giving the shirt a sharp V-neck look.
It wouldn’t be an Adidas or Milan shirt if it didn’t have Adidas’ trademark three black lines down each sleeve, standing out against the red base and with German car manufacturer Opel’s logo standing out in crisp white in the centre of the shirt.
Milan would do away with their famous white shorts, opting instead for black shorts with matching socks. Ancelotti’s men would also proudly sport the Italian badge in the centre of their shirt after winning the 2003-04 Scudetto. The bright gold numbers and letters on the back of the shirt added a final touch of class to this latest Milan jersey.
2004-05 would be a season to remember for Milan fans, albeit one without trophies.
Juventus proved too strong in the league, getting the better of the Milan giants in the Scudetto race, though they would later be stripped of this title. Milan also had an incredible Champions League run, seeing off Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United before an eventful derby in the quarter-final. They then got the better of Inter on the road to the final in Istanbul, where they self-destructed in a famous second-half collapse against Liverpool. Having been 3-0 up and cruising, Milan somehow managed to lose the game on penalties.
Words by Giovanni Dougall @giovannid86
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