Review: AC Milan 3rd jersey 2011/12
By MM Sports AC Milan ambassador Enrique Madrona Jr.
The 2011 Serie A Champions have begun their race for an unprecedented 19th title, and after casting aside years of dominance from their rivals, Inter Milan, they have emerged with new players, new confidence, and a new look. AC Milan has been known for their three-jersey setup; their home kit is a blend of black and red stripes, their away kit is white, and their third kit is black. This year, that third kit is looking more appealing than ever.
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The Look
With last year’s third jersey, Adidas opted to end a streak of relatively bland black jerseys; they introduced a great new design. With the latest, 2011/2012 AC Milan Third Jersey, they have improved even further upon it. Third jerseys are typically a great source of creative ingenuity for designers and this jersey is no exception. What first catches the eye will be without a doubt, the golden crest. With this AC Milan jersey, the design has converted both the memorable AC Milan crest and the Adidas logo to an attractive golden scent. This unique feature makes this third jersey that much more exquisite then both the new home and away jerseys, which sport the standard emblems. Just below the gold accented crest, this regal jersey displays a thin line running across the front. This horizontal line, and its recognizable three-color scheme, represent the Italian flag, and add a homely touch to an already stylish jersey. Finally, for the front design, the “Fly Emirates” sponsor text is just below the line. Having replaced “BWIN” as primary kit sponsor for AC Milan, the “Fly Emirates” text has proven more noble and gentle then the large, capitalized “BWIN” logo. Adidas has done a wonderful job on balancing the attention of details to keep the jersey’s focus weighed; no feature ever seems overwhelming or more attention grabbing then another. Adidas’s signature shoulder stripes have been colored red. In doing so, the jersey keeps the same athletic and sporty look, yet stays away from pulling the spotlight too far from the great look portrayed in the front of the jersey. Another new look for AC Milan is the nice addition to the uppermost back area. Just at the back of the neck, all three new jerseys have the text “ASSOCIAZIONE CALCIO MILAN”, the full Italian name of the club. Below that is a smooth gold line, like the text and the emblem, containing a linked series of Italian flags. It is a very cool addition that adds a lot of finesse to a part of the jersey where most kits have little or nothing at all. Lastly, this new jersey has what the other two are lacking, a collar at the neck. The collar is thin and silky smooth; it does not impede any movement of the neck or head and is in no way uncomfortable. As such, it’s the perfect jersey for any AC Milan fan, regardless if they are playing some recreational football, or sitting down and enjoying a match. There will always be those with collar prejudices but Adidas continues to roll out various world-renowned clubs with collared variants, it will only become more common, and that’s a good thing for the diversity of football club kits, as well as those looking for a more stylish option.
The Fit
Like most Adidas “Climacool” products, this jersey is no disappointment. My particular product was a large size jersey and it was a perfect fit. Occasionally jersey’s run too large or too small for particular sizes, usually because of different builds or templates, but the AC Milan Third Jersey for 2011/2012 has
been optimized for the size ranges and does not disappoint. The polyester fabric is stellar and you will not find many products that last as long as well-kept Adidas jerseys or have as much value. There are no complaints here, the fit is perfect, the collar is almost unusually comfortable, and the material maintains a nice balance between athletically tight and casually loose.
The Extras
Jerseys are always the ultimate product for supporting your team, but there are always more ways to add both authenticity and support to a product. AC Milan’s jerseys, like other clubs, allow customization to add badges and player names and numbers. In this case, I received, for review, an AC Milan Third Jersey with the name and number of Swedish Super striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. What makes name and number customization so special is that you can either select an existing player that may be your favorite or you are highly supportive of, or you may even put your own choice of a name or number in most cases. Here, the arctic white font of the text “Ibrahimovic” along with his number “11” add a lot of authenticity to the jersey. Customizations like this lets fans connect with the team even more. Down the road, you will see that jersey as representative of the player, just as much as it is of the club. In this case, by selecting a player such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the jersey has much more value because it represents a player that has made a huge difference to both Milan’s performance and legacy. For the reasonable price of customization, I assure you that it is worth adding that much more value, appeal, and the authentic touch to the jersey.
Overall, AC Milan’s new third jersey is a great success, improving upon the newest looks of their kits and keeping the traditional styles of Milan up to date with the latest attractions. Best of all, black goes well with anything! So if you’re a fan of the Italian super-champions, find a player you can stick with, and get this authentic jersey with customization for a great value, you can even get a variant with the “Scudetto” patch to represent the recent league title!