Real Madrid played with a jersey from last season

The triple whistle of Gil Manzano arrived fractions of a second before Jude Bellingham's header in the center of the area could turn the tense game at Mestalla against the home team Valencia. It was the undisputed protagonist of the last match played by Real Madrid. But the choice of the Madrid team to take the field with last season's away jersey, light purple with geometric motifs, to give movement to the design, did not go unnoticed. A forced decision for the Madrid kit supplier, given that the three jerseys made by adidas for this season use two main colors, white and dark blue. Two colors very similar to those also used by Valencia for their PUMA branded uniforms, which for the home game opted for a broken white jersey and black shorts.

If the game had been played according to UEFA or FIFA directives, Valencia would have had to choose a single color, while LaLiga allows home teams to choose their own uniform. And if a monochrome outfit would have allowed Real Madrid to use the opposite color, Valencia's decision forced the Blancos to not be able to use any of their three seasonal options. The choice then fell on last season's away jersey, which was worn by Bellingham and his teammates during the tough away game at Mestalla. A match, as usual, full of twists and moments of extreme tension, like Vinicius Jr.'s clenched fist shown to the opposing fans after scoring his first of two goals that allowed Madrid to equalize before the decisive incident in the 97th minute of the game.

It is not the first time this season that teams have been forced to use unusual jersey and shorts combinations to avoid color clashes. Just think of what Roma or Inter Milan did in Serie A. However, on this occasion, it seems that Valencia has taken advantage of the regulations to create an additional problem for their Madrid rivals. In fact, until a few seasons ago, similar shorts did not create a kit clash, but the introduction of even stricter regulations is now creating new problems for both teams and kit suppliers. And with the increasing number of jerseys and colors throughout the season, we will see if this turns out to be the right choice.