Creative Soccer Culture

Our Top 10 Nike Man United Kits

With Nike ending their partnership with Manchester United at the end of the upcoming season we're taking a look back at our top 10 United kits to feature the Swoosh. Perhaps not as nostalgic as the Umbro, adidas and Admiral kits of old but here are our favourites to don the Swoosh in order from ten to one...

The more you look at the old school draw-string Umbro jerseys, classic Admiral designs and retrolicious adidas drops from the 80's the more you realise that the move away from Nike might not be a disaster for United. But in general those classic designs have faded out across all brands and Nike have still whipped up some memorable kits for the red half of Manchester.

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10 | 2007-09 Home : The 2007-09 home shirt is arguably United's most successful in recent years. They lifted the Champions League and Premier League in 2008 as well defending the Premier League title in 2009 wearing the same shirt. The kit itself was simple but featured a neat looking white stripe above the players' names on the back and below the numbers.

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9 | 2013-14 Away : A shirt that split United fans, the 2013-14 away design was a follow on from the previous season's home shirt. The Gingham styled pattern created an alternative design but that's what away kits are all about, the canvas to design something different.

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8 | 2010-11 Away : Black shoulders, red sleeves, white body. The 2010-11 away kit is one of the slickest Nike United change shirts, simple and with a nod to the traditional red and black of the home colours. A kit in which they wore on their travel to pick up their 19th league title.

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7 | 2006-07 Home : Another home kit another league title and a shirt which United fans will fondly remember the 7-1 drumming handed out to Roma in the Champions League. The kit had a 1950's style feel to it (a tribute to the busby babes) with the large crest and smaller sponsor with classy gold finishing on the shoulders.

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6 | 2003-05 Third : The 2003-05 third kit was accused of being a copy of Barcelona's away strip. Most remembered for the 2004 FA Cup semi-final win over Arsenal at Villa Park, the all white kit featured thin black and red stripes running horizontally across the shirt. It was different, and different's good.

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5 | 2004-2006 Home : Wayne Rooney's first season at Old Trafford delivered one of Nike's best United home shirts. For fans of a certain age the Vodafone sponsor brings back good memories of some more recent United legends. Based on the Total 90 Euro 2004 templates it would probably feature higher up the list if it wasn't for the centered club crest.

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4 | 2013-14 Home : You don't have to dig far into the archives to find our number 4. Last season's home shirt was all about that sleek, black, small-collared design. We've always liked a bit of black on the United shirt and last season's was modern in both visuals and technologies. 

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3 | 2002-2003 Third : United are familiar to a blue alternative strip and Nike's best take on it, in our opinion, was the 02-03 third kit. All blue with silver sponsor and Swoosh. Beautiful stuff.

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2 | 2003-2005 Away : We love an all black kit, that stealth, mean look says we're here to do business. Suited Roy Keane perfectly. The back to black was a result of a player vote calling out the 1993 away kit as their favourite of all time. Black kits, can't beat them. Well, one can...

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1 | 2002-2004 Home : Don't get us wrong, this isn't the greatest United kit of all time, but as far as kits sporting the Swoosh go, the 2002-2004 home shirt tops the charts. The first ever Nike Manchester United shirt after a £100 million sponsorship deal had the perfect blend of black, white and red. Worn in United's last FA Cup winning season. 

Got a favourite Nike Manchester United kit? Let us know. Shout out yours in the comments.

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