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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
Sport
Graham Ruthven

Five classic Celtic kits likely to live long in the memory of every supporter

Earlier this year Celtic agreed a five-year deal with Adidas in what it believed be the biggest kit sponsorship in Scottish sporting history.

The Hoops have produced some classic kits over the years and the pressure will, of course, be on Adidas to deliver something that measures up well.

Here are five of the best Celtic kit designs from down the years.

2017/18 home

19/05/18 WILLIAM HILL SCOTTISH CUP FINAL MOTHERWELL v CELTIC HAMPDEN PARK - GLASGOW Celtic's Callum McGregor celebrates after scoring to make it 1-0. (SNS Group)

 

Clubs and shirt makers have leaned heavily into the retro trend in recent years to the point of saturation, but this was one of the better efforts.

Worn by Celtic for their Double Treble season, and after their initial Treble in their first season under Brendan Rodgers, the gold trim added a regal quality to a classic design.

The collar was straightforward and unfussy, as was the shoulder and sleeve design - where kit makers can often try a little too much.

The gold Dafabet sponsorship cluttered what would have been an even better design without it, but this was New Balance’s best effort as Celtic kit manufacturers.

2012/13 third

26/12/12 CLYDESDALE BANK PREMIER LEAGUE DUNDEE v CELTIC DENS PARK - DUNDEE Tony Watt in acton for Celtic. (SNS Group)

Designed to mark the club’s 125th anniversary, this third kit was a classic from the moment it was released for the 2012/13 season.

The plan white shirt with the commemorative crest gave this a distinctive look, especially with the Nike logo somewhat hidden in the same white colour as the rest of the shirt.

The black shorts and green-and-black hooped socks just added to what was a uniquely distinct-but-classic design that was a big hit with supporters.

Celtic only wore this kit a handful of times over the 2012/13 season, but it lived long in the memory of fans.

This is one of the club’s best efforts of recent times.

1997/98 away

Hibernian versus Celtic 28th February 1998 Scottish football premier league Easter Road final score 0 1 Marc Rieper of Celtic celebrates after scoring the only goal of the game (Daily Record)

This one splits opinion among the Celtic support. There is no doubting that the team that wore this kit is remembered fondly, with the Hoops breaking Rangers’ stranglehold on the Scottish game by winning their first league title for 10 years, ending their rivals nine-in-a-row streak.

It’s also synonymous with Henrik Larsson’s first season at the club.

The black and lime green design is certainly distinctive and sticks in the memory. Whether it was objectively a good design or not is up for debate, particularly when factoring in the awkward double Umbro sponsorship, but there was still something about it that worked.

It deserves its reputation as a classic Celtic kit.

2003/04 home

UEFA CUP FINAL STADIO OLIMPICO SEVILLE May 2003 CELTIC VERSUS PORTO PORTO KEEPER DIVE TIME WASTING HENRIK LARSSON FOOTBALL PLAYER (Daily Record)

Worn by Celtic in Seville for the 2003 Uefa Cup final, this kit was actually intended for the following 2003/04 season.

Nonetheless, it combines the sentimentality of being worn for the biggest game in the club’s modern history and classic design that earns it a high ranking in this list of Celtic’s best ever kits.

There was a clean quality to this effort. The button collar was a nice addition with the uninterrupted hoops giving the kit a timeless quality.

Rather unusually, the shirt Celtic wore in Sevilla still had the NTL sponsorship across the chest while the version worn for the following season featured Carling’s logo instead.

1967 home

It would be negligent to leave the 1967 home kit off this list. It is the kit that has guided the design of almost every Celtic kit since and is the quintessential look for the East End club.

It is a classic in every single way, from what was achieved wearing it, becoming the first British club to win the European Cup, to the Lisbon Lions that wore it to the design.

Looking specifically at the design, the green and white hoops are uninterrupted around the shirt in the way that supporters demand from kit makers to this day. There’s nothing fussy about this kit.

From the collar to the shirt numbers on the back and on the shorts, it is effortlessly stylish. It is Celtic.

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