Spanish giants FC Barcelona have had a season of highs and lows that ultimately improved as the months wore on. Their away kit for 2022/23 is reminiscent of a shirt from their last period of re-growth in the 2000s – worn by the great Ronaldinho.
Following the arrival of Xavi as manager, the Catalan side have turned around a disastrous season. Previous head coach Ronald Koeman left the club in ninth place in La Liga and struggling in Europe. To make matters worse, Barca’s dire financial situation made squad changes incredibly difficult.
Despite this, Xavi began to re-install the culture that had led Barcelona to incredible success in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Buoyed by January signings such as Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Barca slowly improved their form.
Although they still dropped into the Europa League, the Catalan giant’s league form was impeccable. On the back of an impressive win streak, Xavi’s side climbed up to second in La Liga. Sadly for them, success in Europe did not follow – Frankfurt knocked Barca out of the Europa League.
Barcelona sealed their place in the Champions League for next season with a win over Real Betis at the weekend. The sharp rise up the table and impressive performances from a youthful squad leave Barca fans excited about what next season may hold.
Now, their gold 2022/23 away kit will give supporters memories of a certain entertainer who used to light up the Camp Nou.
Barcelona 2022/23 away kit leaked
According to leaks from Footy Headlines and Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona will be returning to gold for their away kit. A simplistic design, the shirt has a round collar and neat trim on the sleeve cuffs and top of the socks.
The trim takes inspiration from the ribbon used on medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics – and features the Olympic ring colours.
As well as Barca’s previous use of it, the gold colour is also a nod to the thirtieth anniversary of the Olympics held in the Catalan city.
Finally, the Barca badge and Nike logo are a deep navy colour. Leaked images do not include the heavily rumoured Spotify shirt sponsor. However, this may be on the official kit in a similar navy colouring.
Read: Barcelona Spotify deal: How much Barca made, and why it wasn’t more
Seeing a Barcelona shirt in a gold colour can only remind football fans of the days of Ronaldinho.
Barcelona gold of the past
The Spanish side utilised gold in their away or third kits from 2001 to 2005. In this time period, Barca went through something of a trophy drought. To stop this, they signed Ronaldinho from Paris Saint-Germain. Following his arrival, the Catalan giants experienced a turnaround in fortunes.
Ronaldinho proved to be an instant hit in Barcelona; he quickly established himself as the star of the team, dazzling fans with his skills and technical ability. The Brazilian maestro helped to end Barca’s six-year trophy drought as they won the 2004/2005 La Liga title.
His impact in re-establishing Barca as a European giant led to some memorable moments in the gold away shirt. For instance, most football fans will never forget Ronaldinho’s iconic goal against Chelsea in the Champions League.
Faced up by blues defenders, Ronaldinho shuffled from a standstill to create a small opening. He then incredibly jabbed the ball through the gap, which flew into the back of the net and left goalkeeper Petr Cech frozen to the spot. His unique and brilliant finish is often remembered as an all-time great Champions League goal.
Barcelona fans will hope that a similar resurgence in a gold away kit can happen in 2022/23 so the nostalgia trip can keep running.
Featured image credit: Getty
