In modern football, retro remakes and special edition kits have become a common sight. Multiple variations of a club’s traditional colours are almost a given, and fans often expect a special edition to come out sooner or later.
A much rarer sight, however, is watching a shirt sponsor feature variations, something which perhaps hasn’t been replicated since Atletico Madrid’s efforts during the 2003/2004 season.
Los Colchoneros signed a deal with film production studio Columbia Pictures.
The 1-year sponsorship deals saw the studio promote various films on Atletico’s kits.
The Rojiblancos saw 16 different films be promoted via their kit, examples include the likes of Spider-man 2, Hellboy, Peter Pan etc.
Bad Boys 2 and White Chicks were displayed with their Spanish translations on the shirt.
Who remembers when Atlético Madrid signed a deal with Columbia Pictures which led to them having different films as their shirt sponsors!
— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) January 19, 2022
Every time a new film came out, their sponsor changed.
🍿🎬 pic.twitter.com/NIamzndR6i
The kits often found their way to press events for these movies, where Hollywood’s biggest stars would hold it aloft during press events.
Spider-man 2’s release even saw the creation of a separate kit altogether.
A dark blue base was emblazoned with a web carrying the logo for the film, a design which one can perceive to be either genius or just plain terrible.
The pictures invoke a sense of nostalgia and serve as a reminder of the glamour which surrounded La Liga at the time.
Real’s Galacticos were no less than movie stars in terms of fame, while La Masia’s talents grabbed the limelight under Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona.
Despite all the stars at the heavyweights, it was Valencia who won the title that season, while Atletico Madrid finished 6th.
Aside from the poor finish, the kits remain iconic.
And considering their rarity, they’re essentially a collector’s item at this point.