Liverpool has not been shy of shopping around when it comes to kit manufacturers in recent times. Adidas will become the third club partner since 2020 when it takes over from Nike in the summer — but how have the various brands fared when it comes to success on the pitch over the years?
Of course, assessing the success rate is little more than a bit of fun — especially in the modern game, it’s rare for any of the major kit manufacturers to go too far wrong in terms of the actual quality of the equipment provided. But while no single provider is likely to offer much by way of a competitive advantage, Liverpool does have a very real incentive to do well under its new Adidas deal, with performance incentives built into the base $77m per year contract.
For supporters, it’s mostly about what looks nice, although any kit associated with titles being brought back to Anfield generally earns cult status regardless of the aesthetics. In that respect, Arne Slot, Mohamed Salah and co look set to help Nike go out with a bang.
This will be Liverpool’s third spell with Adidas, with the previous two bringing mixed results. I’ve had a look at all of the club’s kit deals over the years, going right back to the first one with Umbro in 1973.
Liverpool x Umbro: 1973-1985
Liverpool’s first kit deal also remains its longest-lasting. Umbro supplied jerseys to the Reds for 12 years, spanning a hugely successful period on the pitch.
Umbro might have been expecting great things straight away when it agreed a deal to supply the newly-crowned league champion. But it was not until 1975-76 when Liverpool delivered the first title of the new arrangement, although there was an FA Cup triumph in 1973-74.
However, this league win ushered in a hugely successful era under the management of Bob Paisley. Five more league titles followed in the next eight seasons under his leadership, and Liverpool topped the table in the next two campaigns after that as well for good measure.
All in all, by the time the agreement with Umbro came to an end, Liverpool had won seven league titles, not to mention four European Cups. Talk about value for money.
Major honors: First Division x7, FA Cup x1, League Cup x4, European Cup x4, UEFA Cup x1
Liverpool x Adidas, 1985-1996
The middle of the 1980s saw Liverpool begin its first collaboration with Adidas. The days of Shankly and Paisley were over, and indeed Joe Fagan’s two-year stint had just come to an end — ushering in the Kenny Dalglish era.
Dalgish served as a player-manager during this time, and he did so with great distinction, further enhancing his legend at Anfield. He delivered another three league titles for Liverpool and Adidas between 1986 and 1990, enjoying success in the FA Cup as well: jerseys from this era have become some of the most iconic in the club’s history.
But if Adidas was just beginning to congratulate itself on securing the contract with the best team in the world, it was a little premature. The second half of its deal saw the beginning of a more barren spell at Liverpool under the reign of Graeme Souness, and latterly Roy Evans.
After Dalglish’s title in 1990, Liverpool collected a sole FA Cup under Souness. A League Cup triumph under Evans in 1995 proved to be the last of the first Adidas era.
Major honors: First Division x3, FA Cup x3, League Cup x1
Liverpool x Reebok, 1996-2006
After Adidas left in the mid 1990s, Reebok took up the contract with Liverpool. It proved to be an astute move, with fortunes eventually improving on the pitch and providing the manufacturer with some strong brand visibility.
Evans was joined by Gerard Houllier, who soon took sole charge. And while the wait for a top flight title dragged on, Anfield enjoyed its fair share of glory.
And it was decked out in style as it did so. I’m a big fan of many of Reebok’s offerings, although perhaps that only proves that nostalgia is more important than any particular kit design.
(Image: Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Reebok had to be patient, but Liverpool delivered a treble in 2001. It claimed the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup under the tutelage of Houllier.
And the next wait proved to be worth it as well, with Reebok producing the immortal jersey worn as Liverpool completed the comeback of all comebacks in the 2005 Champions League final. It will forever be a part of sporting history for that alone.
Reebok bowed out in 2006 off the back of the Steven Gerrard final. That added another FA Cup to the collection.
Major honors: Champions League x1, UEFA Cup x1, FA Cup x2, League Cup x1
Liverpool x Adidas, 2006-2012
No doubt looking at its old flame enviously when Liverpool lifted the Champions League, Adidas decided it wanted another piece of the action in 2006. But this proved to be one of the worst spells in the club’s history in terms of silverware.
In fact, this very nearly proved to be the first kit deal at Anfield not to see any silverware, despite spanning some competitive years under Rafa Benitez. Liverpool pushed Manchester United close in the Premier League in 2008/09, but the wait for the league title ultimately went on.
Then came the brief Roy Hodgson era, which is not worth dwelling on. But the return of Dalglish meant Adidas at least left on a high, with the League Cup secured — though it was not enough to prevent a parting of the ways.
Major honors: League Cup x1
Liverpool x Warrior, 2012-2015
I’ll say it: I quite liked Warrior. Between their quirky designs and a lack of trophies on the pitch, they are not generally remembered too fondly, but I enjoyed that they were happy to experiment with new things.
Certainly, they could not be accused of being “template”, an accusation often levelled at the big players like Nike and Adidas. And their kits might have ended up being iconic if 2013/14 had ended just a little differently.
As we all know, Brendan Rodgers came agonizingly close to delivering the Premier League title, inspired by Luis Suarez. But in the end, both he and Warrior left without any silverware — although Warrior then reverted to its parent branding of New Balance after that, so there is an asterisk needed before declaring this the only trophyless kit deal in Liverpool history.
Major honors: None
Liverpool x New Balance, 2015-2020
As mentioned, this was effectively a continuation of the Warrior contract. But the switch to New Balance branding brought far better fortunes on the pitch.
The American apparel brand struck the jackpot, as the ones to kit out the Jurgen Klopp era. It’s little wonder that New Balance even went to court to try and defend its “matching rights” when Nike ultimately took over the contract in 2020.
But by the time the deal came to an end, New Balance had supplied the long-awaited Premier League winning jersey. Klopp had also won the Champions League in that time, ushering in an era of success not seen since the Umbro days.
Unfortunately, unlike in those days, Manchester City was on the scene to limit the number of trophies won. But Liverpool and New Balance certainly enjoyed a fruitful partnership.
Major honors: Premier League x1, Champions League x1, Club World Cup x1
Liverpool x Nike, 2020-2025
Nike actually came in with a lower base figure than New Balance, hence the legal drama that followed. But Liverpool secured a significant percentage of revenue from kit sales, which were backed by major cross-promotion from prominent Nike athletes like LeBron James.
When Nike arrived, Liverpool looked to be on the brink of an era of dominance on the pitch. Unfortunately, that never quite transpired (with Man City once again to blame), but the latter half of the Klopp era still delivered some big successes.
After a two-year wait, Liverpool won its first trophies in the Nike strip when it completed the domestic cup double in 2022. It had threatened to complete the quadruple, and in fact was just two games away from doing so, but came up just short.
It was a similar story last season, Klopp’s final one at the helm. Hopes of a clean sweep gradually faded away, but the League Cup triumph over Chelsea remains one of the most special in the club’s long and storied history.
And Slot looks set to give Nike a huge send-off. The Americans are primed to supply the kit of the Premier League champion — and with a bit of luck, the Carabao Cup and the Champions League could be added to that list as well.
Major honors: FA Cup x1, League Cup x2
TBC: Premier League x1, League Cup x1, Champions League x1
The winner: Umbro
Unsurprisingly, Umbro’s spell with Liverpool spanning the 1970s and 1980s is the most successful in terms of trophies won. Not only did the kit maker have the longest association with the club, it did so at the pinnacle of the Reds’ dominance.
It kets a bit closer after that, although Liverpool will take it as a good omen that the first Adidas spell remains the next-most successful era in the club’s history. Even a clean sweep for Slot in the remainder of this campaign wouldn’t quite change that.
Nike would move into third if Liverpool could pull that off. But for now, Reebok holds that honor, having supplied the jerseys for five major title wins.
New Balance and Nike sit level on three trophies at the moment, although the New Balance era delivered the bigger honors. The 2006-2012 Adidas era was surely the bleakest, but the one spell not to deliver a single piece of silverware was the Warrior association from 2012 to 2015.
