Arsenal’s one-off jersey worn in 1998

The one-off jerseys’ trend has become a staple in contemporary football, with clubs eagerly seizing any opportunity to commemorate anniversaries with unique shirts. We have seen jerseys released for Anniversary, milestone birthdays, notable sporting achievements, social initiatives, and collaborations with technical sponsors or partners. Additionally, some jerseys have been designed to celebrate holidays, from Christmas to Halloween and carnival festivities. However, the landscape of football fashion at the end of the 90s was vastly different from today’s environment. Back then, very few clubs had more than two kits, and the concept of one-off jerseys was largely unexplored. It was in this context that Arsenal's 1998 jersey story unfolds. This particular shirt was not originally conceived as a marketing strategy, but more on that in due time. Let’s take it one step at a time.

A bit of context. In the 1998/99 season, Arsenal made a notable return to the Champions League following their Premier League title victory the previous year, marking their first participation in the prestigious tournament since the 1991/92 season. In a surprising move, the club's management opted to leave behind Highbury, their historic home ground, in favor of Wembley Stadium, despite Highbury still hosting the Gunners' matches at the time. Antonio Cunazza reveals in his Italian book “Wembley, la Storia e il Mito” that the decision to relocate was influenced by regulatory factors from UEFA. The organization mandates standard dimensions for advertising billboards, and Arsenal reportedly faced challenges placing these in the limited spaces between the pitch and the stands at Highbury. However, Arsenal's shift to Wembley was also part of an experiment intended to gauge fan attendance during Champions League matches in a larger venue. The club aimed to assess whether the increased capacity would draw more supporters, which would ultimately inform their decision about constructing a new stadium. The results of this venture were evidently favorable, as Arsenal now calls the Emirates Stadium home, an impressive 60,000-seat facility that cost 390 million pounds.

During the 1998/99 Champions League campaign, Arsenal was drawn in a group alongside Dynamo Kiev, Panathinaikos, and Lens. The unique clash with the latter prompted the design of the aforementioned one-off jersey. Specifically, during the 1998/99 season, Arsenal had only two kits at their disposal: the traditional red and white home kit, and the yellow away kit. This posed a challenge against Lens, whose home strip featured vertical yellow and red stripes, rendering both Arsenal's kits unsuitable for the matchup. For the first leg, held in France, Lens opted for their dark blue third kit, allowing Arsenal to don their iconic red and white jersey. Interestingly, while Arsenal wore their standard red socks, they featured a subtle variation, white bands at the upper part instead of the usual ankle position.

The aesthetic concern resurfaced for the second match, but this time, Nike stepped in to support Arsenal. In a gesture of goodwill, Arsenal allowed Lens to don their home kit while playing away at Wembley. Nike responded by designing a unique jersey specifically for this occasion: a dark blue shirt featuring a light red v-neck and polo collar, complemented by white sponsors and numbers. However, there was no specific production for shorts and sock as the shirt was paired with the white shorts from Arsenal's home kit and white socks, an alternate version still available for the home kit. This particular match, held at Wembley, marked the sole instance when Arsenal wore this specially designed shirt. It was never made available for purchase or mass production. Despite Arsenal's defeat in that game, the shirt has left a lasting impression on fans, who remember it fondly. As is often the case, the rise of online shops specializing in football merchandise has reignited interest in this rare collector's item, a prototype for nowadays one-off jersey, fetching prices that can soar up to £6,000.