Intro: Have you heard the story of the invisible shirt?
The 1995 away shirt with Sharp sponsor, is one of the most infamous in football shirt history, let alone United history. In an astonishing series of events, the kit was worn for a first half and then spectacularly substituted for another shirt.
Condition: Mint - This shirt is as good as new, with no damage and all the original labels intact.
Condition details: This 90s icon looks and feels superb, with all the details in excellent condition. It would be odd to call a grey shirt ‘bright’, but the colours are indeed as vibrant as they would’ve been in the 90s.
The official Umbro flock print, of none other than “King Eric” himself, is also in mint condition.
Things to look out for: The year is 1996.
are making the long trip down to the south coast to face Southampton. United are on something of a hot streak with 11 wins from their previous 12 games. The Saints by contrast are struggling with the fear of relegation hanging over them.
Things did not go according to script.
In an astonishing first 45, Southampton plundered the United ship with 3 goals. As if the events on the pitch weren’t notable enough, the events in the dressing room somehow raised the bar.
According to United player Lee Sharpe, manager Sir Alex Ferguson stormed in and said “Get that kit off, you're getting changed”. In an unprecedented move, Man United did indeed replace their grey away shirts with their blue and white third shirt. Though the team ‘won’ the second half thanks to a late Ryan Giggs finish, the audacious move was ultimately fruitless as the Saints prevailed to win 3-1. All the talk was about the shirt sub though.
Ferguson told the press that his players were struggling to pick out their teammates, with the patterned grey shirts blending in a little too well with the crowd. Though some players later denied the claims, the story has gone down in kit folklore. United went on to pip Newcastle to the league title and all was forgiven. The grey shirt wouldn’t be seen again after that first half at The Dell though, and its legend has been passed down ever since...
Size: XL
Who made it: Umbro
Who wore it: Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Lee Sharpe
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