Real Madrid unveil new 2022/23 away kit, follows a long line of purple classics

Real Madrid have officially released their away kit for the upcoming 2022/23 season, returning their alternate strip to a classic colour.

Although their nickname is ‘Los Blancos’, Madrid have a strong affinity with purple in their kits. If you think about it, Fiorentina is arguably the only club more strongly associated with the colour than Real. And that’s because ‘I Viola’ use this distinctive colour in their home kits.

But other than Fiorentina, purple was a colour that the football world rarely used. That is until Real adopted it as one of their unofficial colours.

Featuring in the trim of home shirts for decades, Madrid’s first iconic purple kit was an Adidas effort that they used in the earlier half of the 1980s.

Then, Kelme’s 1994/95 away effort popularised the colour further with the Madrid faithful. Michael Laudrup, Fernando Hierro, and a young Raul all donned this bold design, featuring two shades of purple and four diagonal stripes.

After this, Kelme and then Adidas used the colour in a variety of shades. Most recently, Real’s last purple shirt was the 2016/17 away strip. Fans may recall this as the kit in which Madrid won their twelfth Champions League title, beating Juventus 4-1 in Cardiff.

Now, Real Madrid are bringing back the familiar colour to their away kit for 2022/23.

Real Madrid returns to purple for 2022/23 away kit

This latest effort comes in a distinctive, light shade of purple – identical to the colour used for the trim on Real’s new home shirt. However, on the away kit, a cool diagonal geometric pattern gives a two-tone effect.

The light purple colourway is the main shade on the shorts and socks too. But, unlike the shirt, they are one shade and feature no graphic shapes.

Madrid’s website says that the angular pattern is “inspired by the stripe spanning the club badge”. Real used a similar shade in the stripe on their logo in the 1930s to represent the region of Castille. Therefore, the angular design may be a subtle nod to their history once more.

Speaking of the badge, this is not in its typical colours on the new shirt. Instead, Madrid have put it in black to make the logo stand out against the light background.

Similarly, the Adidas logo and Fly Emirates shirt sponsor are in the black colourway. This also appears on the trim of the jersey. The round collar and sleeve cuffs feature the dark shade, as do the Adidas stripes across the shoulders.  

Extra details

Regarding the shirt print, the name and number font is the same as on the new home kit. This cool stencil design pays homage to the ‘Galacticos’ era of the 2000s – a very nice touch. So, Adidas are not afraid to dip into nostalgia once more on that front, either.

Additionally, Real Madrid are selling their 2022/23 away kit to fans with the option of either La Liga or Champions League sleeve logos. This way, supporters can show off their team’s success in both competitions from last season while providing extra authenticity.

The new shirt has been launched on the club website in both short and long-sleeve options. But that’s not all; fans can choose between a ‘replica’ or ‘authentic’ option, which do have their price differences. Replicas start at £85. Meanwhile, the authentic option comes in from £130.

Adidas have made an understated yet quality design that will likely be a hit with Madridistas, who always buy any Real shirt offering in massive quantities. They will hope that their team lifts even more silverware whilst wearing it next season.

Featured image credit: Getty