Liverpool’s return to Adidas has delivered a first-week result that borders on surreal: kit sales up 700% compared to last season’s launch.
The club’s 10-year partnership with the German brand, worth more than $76 million a year plus a cut of merchandise sales, began on August 1. It’s Liverpool’s most lucrative kit deal ever, outpacing their previous Nike arrangement and placing them alongside Adidas’s most high-profile clubs.
The financial upside is only part of the story. Adidas and Liverpool tapped into deep nostalgia, smart marketing, and perfect timing. The reigning Premier League champions unveiled their home and away kits with a whimsical, Alice in Wonderland–themed launch video featuring legends like Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush alongside current stars. Rush even reprised his famous 1980s milk advert, prompting one fan to post, “Not Rush with the milk!!”
Orders came in from more than 150 countries, 80% online. The Anfield store had its busiest week ever.
What fans are saying and why it matters
The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, fueled by affection for the brand’s past eras at the club and the design of the new shirts.
The home kit is a deep red with crisp white stripes on the sleeves and a simple crew neck. Adidas describes it as “classy and understated,” and many fans see it as a return to Liverpool’s DNA. The away shirt, in vintage cream with black and red accents and a retro shield crest, nods to 1990s designs. Kit collectors praised the “timeless” look. Even neutrals admitted the designs “hit the mark.”
Not everything was perfect. The new name-and-number font drew a chorus of “please change it” replies on social media. And at roughly $130 for the authentic shirt, some balked at the price. Enough said.
Still, the overwhelming narrative online is pride and excitement, as it should be. In a sport where brand identity is currency, Liverpool and Adidas have found a look, and a launch, that fans want to buy into. They’re also the reigning Premier League champions and have done exceptionally well in the summer transfer window.
Adidas and Liverpool run it back
This isn’t the first time the two have worked together. Adidas supplied Liverpool kits from 1985 to 1996 and again from 2006 to 2012, spanning title wins, cup runs, and some of the club’s most iconic shirts. The 2012 split came after a downturn on the pitch, with Adidas’s CEO saying the performance didn’t match the price tag. Since then, Liverpool partnered with Warrior, New Balance, and most recently Nike, whose global reach and Lebron links boosted sales but whose designs divided opinion.
The new Adidas deal combines massive guaranteed income with incentives tied to sales, giving Liverpool a stable revenue stream to strengthen the squad while keeping financial rules in check. The early sales spike suggests it could become one of the most profitable kit partnerships in football.
Whether Adidas’s third spell at Anfield matches the glory of past eras will depend on results. As one fan quipped, “We better still be a Champions League team after 10 years or they’ll drop us like last time.” For now, the three stripes are back, the tills are ringing, and the shirts are flying off shelves.
