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Leaked images of Barcelona's 2020/21 Nike home kit have emerged on the internet ahead of its release. It was reported on Saturday that the Spanish champions are set to debut the new kit in their clash against city rivals Espanyol. That meant that the kit would be released ahead of the Espanyol fixture, set for either July 7 or July 8. However, images of the full kit and the 20/21 Barcelona home collection have been leaked online.
The kit is a throwback to Barcelona's dominant European double in the 2010/11 season. Catalan legend Pep Guardiola guided the side to a UEFA Champions League after beating Manchester United in the final. In LaLiga Santander, Barcelona emerged victorious in a thrilling title race against Real Madrid, and won the title by four points.
Homage to Barcelona's 2010/11 and 1920s kits
The 20/21 campaign will mark the tenth anniversary of the historic double, after which they've only managed to win one Champions League title. Apart from that season a decade ago, the 20/21 home kit also pays homage to their successful 1920s era.
The 2010/11 kit began with a bold yellow crew neck at the top with vertical blue and red stripes forming the base colour combination of the shirt. The club emblem takes up the area on the left-hand side of the shirt while the Nike logo is placed on the right in the same yellow shade as the collar.
While the new leaked 20/21 kit maintains mostly the same elements, the shades of both blue and red on the shirt are a significantly darker than the older kit. The collar and Nike logo are also of a golden hue as opposed to the yellow from the 10/11 kit. There is also a noticeable gradient pattern towards both sides of the stripes.
The bold stripes are also separated by subtle, golden lines, which according to Spanish newspaper Sport is a homage to Barcelona's 1920s era.
The sponsor text takes up the chest area of the shirt, albeit with a slight difference. The 10/11's Unicef was in yellow, but the 20/21 kit rocks the Rakuten logo in pure white. The former, however, is retained at the bottom of the shirt on the back. The shorts of the Barcelona home kit are expected to be in the same blue shade as that on the shirt.
Barcelona are hopeful of donning this new kit against both Espanyol as well as Napoli. However, to wear it in LaLiga, they would require permission from the Professional Football League (LFP). The Spanish champions will face Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli tentatively on August 8, but the club are unsure if they can debut their new kit in Europe.
Lionel Messi and co. made a spectacular return to LaLiga on Saturday with a dominant win away at Mallorca. The club captain added gloss to the scoreline after Arturo Vidal, Martin Braithwaite, and Jordi Alba got onto the scoresheet.
