Manchester City host Inter Milan in a re-run of the 2023 UEFA Champions League final on Wednesday.
The opening fixture of the new league phase is a mouthwatering one for Pep Guardiola, Simone Inzaghi and their respective sides after they played out a suffocatingly tense affair in Istanbul 15-and-a-half months ago.
Rodri dispatched the only goal as City finally conquered Europe in their traditional sky blue, while the Nerazurri were decked out in their famous blue and black stripes.
However, fans will notice an unfamiliar look to City this Manchester evening as they take to the field in a light yellow shirt featuring turquoise sleeves and trimmed with pink.
Looking for someone to blame? Well, it’s Noel Gallagher’s fault.
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Why are Man City not wearing blue against Inter?
City chose their Champions League opener to launch their special edition fourth kit, which has been designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of “Definitely Maybe” the seminal debut album by Manchester rock royalty Oasis.
The band is fronted by recently reconciled brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, both of whom are lifelong City fans.
Guardiola’s team will wear the shirt against Inter and in select European away games this season. The new league phase guarantees at least four of those, with City widely expected to go much deeper into the competition as one of the favourites for glory.
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Who designed the new Man City kit?
The kit was created by Puma in collaboration with Noel Gallagher and draws upon the colour palette from the Definitely Maybe album cover.
Gallagher, whose recently-announced reunion with his brother will be marked by a series of gargantuan UK stadium shows next year, said: “I loved City before anything, I was into City before I was into music, I was into City before I knew what music was.
“Definitely Maybe is what set us on our way, the record lasting as long, you can’t predict that kind of thing. It’s a great working class, Mancunian record – it’s real.
“When Puma approached us at one of the games about designing a kit it took about five seconds to agree to it. It’s unique but it’s definitely striking, and I think it looks great. When you see people representing your club, it’s important that they look good.”
He added: “Definitely Maybe has never lost its magic to me, I just think it’s an amazing snapshot of what we were about. With the anniversary, I’ve been listening to it a lot more than I would ever listen to it, it makes me smile – they were great times. It’s spawned a great football kit, its legacy lives on.”
