Manchester City’s new third jersey appears to have been leaked online - and the reaction has been less than flattering.
Images of Manchester City’s third kit for the forthcoming 2025/26 season appear to have been ‘leaked’ online ahead of the official launch – and based on the initial reaction, the new shirt could go down in infamy.
Initial reviews of the neon lime green and grey jersey have been scathing, to say the very least, with one online commenter describing it as “one of the worst kit designs in recent history”.
Does it deserve such strong distaste? We suspect quite a few fans will find themselves in agreement…
Manchester City’s awful 2025/26 third kit finally leaked
The above image, which derives from kit leak specialists Opaleak, has not yet been confirmed but does line up with previous leaks of the club’s new home kit which were eventually proven to be accurate by the official launch in May. That suggests that Manchester City really will head into the new campaign wearing a grey ‘molten metal’ pattern with neon lime green trim on the collar, inside sleeves and sides alongside white shorts.
It’s not a colour combination many fashionistas would immediately run to for their clothing choices, although current kit manufacturers Puma do have a certain track record of choosing bold designs for City, including the ‘lightning’ shirt from the 2023/24 campaign, while former manufacturer Nike used a pale lime green and dark grey combo for a change jersey back in 2015/16.
Still, this lurid design, with its seemingly barely-visible centred club logo picked out in teal and lime green, is certainly a brave step in a new direction – if it proves to be accurate. A competing leak, which is also unconfirmed, has previously suggested a rather more subtle and simple dark grey design.
Fan backlash over ‘worst’ Premier League shirt ever
If the design is indeed genuine – and as is often the case with change kits, it may be much later in the summer that the shirt is officially unveiled and we get confirmation – the Puma may have to prepare for a pretty strong backlash.
The response from Manchester City fans and the wider footballing community has been less than generous so far. One comment from YouTuber and Arsenal fan Rory Talks Ball sums up the prevailing sentiment rather well: He opines that the new kit is “the worst Premier League kit I’ve ever seen”.
Other similar verdicts on social media include descriptions of the kit as “horrible” and “one of the worst kit designs in recent history” – while others are simply less printable on a family website, and there doesn’t appear to be much love for the alleged new design. We should have the new shirt confirmed or denied later in the summer, well after the new home jersey’s release – which drew mixed reviews on its official launch in May while being rather more warmly received that the supposed new third kit.
Should the leak indeed prove to be accurate, then Manchester City may well find themselves aiming to reclaim their lost Premier League while wearing of the most controversial shirts ever seen in the top flight.
READ MORE:Every leaked Premier League kit ahead of the 2025/26 season.