The feeling of unwrapping your team's home kit for the next season is one of the few things that doesn't lose its sense of excitement as you get older.
While I might not be sat by the window waiting for the postman to arrive like I did as a child, the arrival of Liverpool FC's 2021/22 home kit still fills me with joy.
The new kit is brighter and bolder than recent designs, thanks to the neon glow of the bright red colourway.
Inspired by the 1964 season, when the Reds were managed by Anfield icon Bill Shankly, next season’s home kit harkens back to the club's first full-flooded red kit.
Back then, the idea was to provide the players with a 'psychological edge', with Shankly famously saying that ‘red is for danger and red is for power’.
Five decades later and the impact of the bold red colourway is just as powerful, with the bolted pinstripes and bright cuffs and neckline giving it a striking edge.
Having seen the shirt on the players and in adverts before I unboxed it myself, I wasn't 100% sold on the green neck tape - but seeing it in real life, it's the perfect nod to the club's heritage and some of the more 90's shirt designs.
The Dri-FIT fabric has the quality feel you'd expect from a Nike shirt. From my other Liverpool FC shirts I know it's the perfect material if I want to wear it to the gym or for a run, and that I can wash it again and again without losing any colour or shape.
I opted for a medium size in the men's shirt, as I prefer a boxier fit in a football kit - but it still has a slim and tailored shape that falls nicely.
The anticipation of unboxing the latest kit certainly didn't disappoint and now I'm ever more excited to wear the new design next season.
Click here to shop the new 2021-22 home kit.
