Words: Connor O'Halloran
If there’s one criticism of Argentinian football, it’s how quickly they sell their heroes.
And River have had some legends: Aimar, Crespo, Di Stefano, Falcao, Saviola… But you can’t sell away culture.
And to celebrate their legendary Copa Libertadores win, here are seven of our favourite River kits:
1999-00—Home
Image: Classic Football Shirts
Saviola and Juan Pablo Angel lead the line. Aimar and Ortega, D’Alessandro and Ledesma in support. A shirt fit for kings. Everything’s there. The badge is present by the heart, and then again at the collar. The adidas logo is right in the middle. Your favourite Argentinian brewery as the sponsor. Get the Quilmes in and buy this from CFS.
1989—Home
Image: @GBatistutaOK
Sponsored, quite subtly, by France’s finest manufacturer of cars driven by your first girlfriend. The sash is there, of course, but with a twist: it’s incomplete. More renegade looking. And then there’s the small red collar. The classy kind you would find on your Sergio Tacchini polo. Typically River and yet doesn’t even have the club logo.
1996-98—Home
Image: Classic Football Shirts
What’s better than a kit with one badge?
1994—Away
Image: via Copa90
Look at it. It’s screaming: “THIS IS THE FUCKING NINETIES.” There’s so much going on. Arrows everywhere. Every direction. If you kinda squint it looks like lots of layers of parma ham piled up on top of each other. It’s work of art.
2012-13—Home
Image: Classic Football Shirts
The red sash means war: plain and simple. It’s military fashion: a sash of honour to wear as ‘La Banda’—meaning ‘the stripe’—march out from the tunnel. Ready for Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie to bomb your goal and take three points. The beginnings of the sash are likely far more humble than that. It was added due to a kit clash with Devoto FC, also sported a white-clad kit at the time. No shock that they did a league and cup double the year that the sash returned in 1932, at the request of club president Antonio Liberti: “Take care of it, boys,” he said, “because this is the River Plate jersey.” We’re not crying, you are.
2012-13—Away
Image: via @JulianGLage
Think red. Then think ALL red. As if it’s a lifestyle. That’s what the designer thought when he was deciding the colour of the sash on the away strip. It wasn’t a great season for them, no titles to take home. But their souvenir of that year was made before it even started. That kit is a beauty.
2017/18—Fourth
Image: Classic Football Shirts
Does any team need four shirts? Up for debate. But what isn't is this absolute cracker of a shirt available from your mates at, yep, you guessed it.