Manchester United are making a historic change to one of their strips next season by dropping the club crest and replacing it with an image of a devil.
Adidas designers have gone for a minimal look on United’s third kit, by removing the words “Manchester United”, the ornate badge layout, and the ship, which have been permanent features since the 1970s.
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Instead, only a devil will be displayed on the chest of the shirt, which is an off-white colour and will be used when the away kit, which is dark green with white stripes, is not possible.
That second strip, as well as United’s home kit, which is red with black stripes on the shoulders and no collar, will feature the classic badge.
The last change to that badge came in 1998 when the words “Football Club” were taken out.
Sir Matt Busby was crucial to the devil being added to the design in 1973, when previously that space had been occupied by stripes.
Busby first heard Salford’s rugby league team being called “Les Diables Rogue” during a tour of France in the 1930s and, following the Munich air disaster, believed United adopting the nickname “Red Devils” could be intimidating to opponents.
United will now have the devil as the sole image of the club on their third kit for the 2023-24 campaign.
There has been some debate about whether the ship, added to reflect Manchester’s role in the Industrial Revolution, is an appropriate symbol on the crest due to a potential association with the slave trade. But its removal is purely a design choice by kit manufacturers.
Adidas took a similar approach with Arsenal’s away kit this season, removing the club crest and keeping only a cannon. Juventus went a stage further in 2017 by simplifying their logo entirely.
TeamViewer remain as a sponsor on the front of the shirts despite United agreeing an early termination of their sponsorship.
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