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New home and away kits are being released by teams in Europe as pre-season approaches, and fans flock to stores to buy their teams' merchandise for the new season. Jersey sales are one of the main revenue streams for clubs and a way for fans from across the world to feel part of their club. Every year, clubs release new jerseys, and every year, fans are in stores buying up that merchandise.
The usual sports brands dominate the top five list, but some emerging companies in the market are beginning to make a mark. Ranked below are the top five kit manufacturers in Europe's top five leagues based on how many teams wear their shirts.
#5 Castore - Six teams - English manufacturer
Castore was founded in 2015 and is predominantly a cricket and tennis kit manufacturer, but they have recently ventured into football. The brand currently provides kits to three Premier League clubs, two La Liga clubs, and one Bundesliga outfit. Newcastle United, Sevilla, and Bayer Leverkusen are some of the most notable teams that Castore provides jerseys to.
For a newly formed company like Castore to be successfully landing teams as big as this, it certainly sets them up to make substantial moves in the football world in the future.
#4 Macron - 10 teams - Italian kit manufacturer
Founded in 1971, Macron has been one of the leading sports brands in the world since its inception. Being an Italian brand, the majority of the teams they provide kits to are in Serie A. Udinese are arguably the most historic of those teams. Nottingham Forest will carry the flag for Macron in the Premier League this coming season as they get promoted. Elsewhere, OGC Nice and Real Sociedad are some of the other teams that wear jerseys made by Macron.
With the emergence of other companies, Macron began to struggle, but they have recently found a strong footing once again.
#3 Puma - 11 teams - German kit manufacturer
Founded by Rudolf Dassler in 1948, Puma is one of the most historic brands in the sporting world. The brand has done well to have representation in each of Europe's top five leagues, and they don't even have a large portfolio of clubs in any of the leagues. Manchester City, Valencia, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Marseille are just some of the teams that sport shirts by the famous manufacturer.
Given that two of those teams are currently champions of their respective leagues, it works out well for a company that has a foothold in multiple sports. Moreover, there's certainly good exposure when players like Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Marco Reus, and Olivier Giroud all wear your brand every week.
#2 Nike - 17 teams - American kit manufacturer
Nike is a universal brand spanning several sports and it is a brand that has dominated football for many years. Nike, in its current form, was founded in 1964 and has since gone on to dominate most of the popular sports in the world. Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint Germain are some of the notable teams that the brand provides kits to.
Nike's largest presence in Europe comes in the Bundesliga, where they manufacture attire for six teams. PSG provide the brand with all the star power necessary in the likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar who play for the club. The start-studded brand is only matched by the final team in this list.
#1 Adidas - 17 teams - German kit manufacturer
Adidas, in its current form, was founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949, who was the brother of Puma founder Rudolf Dassler. They had a company together but started separate ventures later on. Adidas provides kits to some prestigious clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Juventus, among others.
Players like Robert Lewandowski, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema wear jerseys made by the famous brand, and these players have won just about everything there is to win in world football. Along with Nike, Adidas is a global force in sports, and the pair dominates football in Europe. Much like Puma and Nike, teams manufactured by Adidas also win trophies consistently.
