Barcelona's 2017/18 home kit leaked

What’s the story?

Barcelona’s 2017/18 home kit has finally been leaked and has spread like wildfire all over social media. The image which only shows the kit for the upcoming season has been posted by Footy Headlines and showcases a totally new design which has been modelled after the current home shirt re-introduced classic Blaugrana stripes.

Nike who have sponsored the Catalan club for quite some time now feature on the shirt, but Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten replaces Qatar Airways as the Catalans new shirt sponsor and is among the new additions to the kit. According to reports the deal with the e-commerce company will earn the Camp Nou club, north of £150 million during a four-year deal, which is also subject to a steep increase if Barcelona goes on to win either the Spanish championship or the Champions League.

The supposed Barcelona kit (Image courtesy Footyheadlines.com)

In case you didn’t know...

Barcelona’s possible home, away and third kit for the upcoming season was leaked online earlier in the year, but the authenticity of the kits was yet to be determined. However, with the leaked home kit being very similar to the possible home kit, there's a good chance that Barcelona may walk out of the tunnel wearing an away kit that’s eerily similar to Manchester City’s home strip.

The heart of the story

The leaked home kit features a totally new fading stripes design and besides the dominant stripe theme, the kit also returns to a darker shade of blue and red after the classics-inspired 2016/17 edition. A red stripe runs down each sleeve and on the sides of the jersey, with a gold one around the neckline. Blue shorts and socks, both with gold logos and red accents, complete the look of the elegant home kit.

The club’s deal with their new shirt sponsor allows the e-commerce giants to gain a massive amount of publicity in an otherwise impossible deal for the company. The Camp Nou club are considered to be one of the most popular football clubs on the planet, with players like Andres Iniesta, Neymar, Luis Suarez and of course Lionel Messi.

Parallels of history

Barcelona’s new shirt sponsorship deal broke the world record for a shirt sponsor deal in football when they signed the deal with Japanese e-commerce giants Rakuten. The deal is worth £50 million, which makes it one of the world’s largest shirt sponsorship deals in history. This allows the club to tap into the Asian market and at the same time allows Rakuten to use the club’s reach to promote both, the company and their product.

Sportskeeda’s take

Reports have emerged that the Catalan giant has struggled to tie down their biggest stars, with Messi a particular worry, especially with his deal expiring at the end of next season and the club, has baulked at the Argentinian's demands of a massive £670,000-a-week. Thus, Barcelona fans are not sure whether to celebrate the release of the new home kit or worry about the possibility of losing one of the most important players in the history of the club.