Man City have a habit of releasing quirky and eye-catching Premier League kits and their new strips for the 2025-26 campaign have certainly generated a discussion.
City’s new home kit has a huge white sash running diagonally across the middle of the kit, with white details on the collar and sleeve.
Their new away kits has been leaked online – though they have not been officially confirmed. The regular away kit is all black with white trim on the collar.
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The reported third strip has caused a bit of a stir, however. An alleged design features a grey and silver base colour with bright green edges on the sides of the shirt and on the sleeve and collar. In the middle, designers have incorporated water droplets to mimic rain on a window.
But it’s not the first time City have sought to stand out with interesting designs on their shirts. With that in mind, Squawka has taken a look back at some of the best City kits in the Premier League era.
10 – 2000-02 away kit
This one will go down as a cult classic strip with the club’s old-school red and black striped design shown off prominently.
This design makes you think of the legendary teams from the 60s that won the First Division in 1967-68 and the FA Cup the following season.
It turns out the idea for the design came from legendary manager Malcolm Allison, who had seen the success of AC Milan wearing the same colours.
9 – 1995-97 home kit
This is a beloved kit by supporters due to its classic look from the 90s, with the club’s badged encased inside a shield.
The design is decidely plainer that most City home kits but there is something alluring about it – from the striped collar and black detail by the neck to the faint chequered pattern on the base of the shirt.
It might have made it higher on the list, but City were actually relegated wearing this kit – finishing 18th in the 1995-96 campaign.
8 – 2012-13 third kit
City rarely wore this third kit but it really was a lovely design with tones of grey, black and blue – the latter of which was showcased on the manufacturers logo, club badge and Etihad sponsor.
The grey and black streaks were shown in a pinstripe design which really just popped. It was a smart kit and it’s a shame that City didn’t get to wear it more often.
7 – 2020-21 home kit
This was definitely an eye-catcher. Does it look like smashed glass? Or is it a swimming pool effect? You decide.
Either way, this plain blue design with jagged white lines covering the front of the shirt stands out and looks unique. It’s not the sort of shirt you see on every football team but it went down a treat with fans and on the pitch it was the kit that saw City win the league and cup double.
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6 – 2023-24 third kit
They’re called the Sky Blues as a club and this shirt design played on that idea but took it up a level as manufacturers Puma created a stunning shirt that primarily black with light blue streaks of lightning.
The kit then made the logos stand out by using a fluorescent pink colour, including the shirt sponsor Etihad along the middle. The same light blue colour was also found on the collar and sleeves.
Some might have seen this kit as an eyesore, but it was certainly one you won’t forget in a hurry.
5 – 2019-20 away kit
Another fun design from Puma, which has an unusual colour pattern that features a blue colour on the right sleeve and pink on the left sleeve.
On the right shoulder, you have a striped yellow and black pattern. The same colour sequence is seen on the logos – with the sponsor in yellow and the Puma logo in pink – on top of a mainly black base colour.
It was labelled as the ‘Disco Kit’ because it was influenced by a Manchester nightclub and the city’s cultural scene, celebrating the ‘Madchester’ years in the 1980s and 1990s.
4 – 1993-95 third kit
This was another fan favourite right at the start of the Premier League era. It’s a classy looking one with thick blue pinstripes on top of a white base colour with a collar.
The shirt was probably made more famous by Liam Gallagher often being pictured wearing it to promote his Oasis artwork from a memorable photoshoot.
3 – 2009-10 home kit
This was the first kit City wore since being taken over by their Abu Dhabi owners as we went from Thomas Cook to Etihad on the shirt sponsor – signally a changing of the guard.
It was the season City started spending big on high profile signings as fans were treated to stars like Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure and Patrick Vieira wearing the kit.
This was a really clean design that signalled a new era for the club as then-designers Umbro went for a plain light blue base colour with white trim on the collar. Simple but effective.
2 – 2022-23 home kit
Who could forget the kit for the treble-winning season? This design, while simple and elegant, will be etched into the memories of fans after they claimed the historic achievement of winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
For this kit, the club badge and manufacturer’s logo were both pushed into the centre and piled on top of each other.
On the sleeve and colour, Puma incorporated a maroon and white striped pattern that gave off a sleek and professional look – just as City were on the pitch that season.
1 – 1998-1999 away kit
Made by Kappa, there is a special place in City fans’ hearts for this era of kits but the 1998-99 appears to be the supreme favourite due to its wacky and colourful design.
City fans will also remember the team wearing this during their incredible and memorable Second Division play-off final win over Gillingham, which they secured on penalties after a 2022 draw.
This design was all over the place – just like that dramatic win over Gillingham – but that’s exactly why it became so iconic. The main colour feature was a fluorescent yellow with blue stripes. The edges of the blue were coated with light blue, with the same colour pattern seen on the collar.
