Once FC Barcelona's new contract with Nike has been resolved, which will leave the club with record dividends in the order of 1.7 billion euros, news about the next culés kits is beginning to be revealed. In 2025, there will be a very exclusive special collection under the Kobe Bryant label.
According to the 'X' account @memorabilia1899, Barça will wear the 'Black Mamba' logo that distinguishes the basketball legend on some of its kits. In principle, the second Barça shirt, which in 2025/26 will be a pale ocher color, will carry this insignia instead of the classic Nike pipe, like other training garments.
In addition, the jersey will have some details in purple, the characteristic color of Bryant's longtime team, the Los Angeles Lakers. In that sense, the clothing line is part of the 'Mamba Collection', an exclusive collection that pays tribute to the former player who died in a plane crash in January 2020.
Other clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain have a similar collection in their contract with Nike. In the case of the Gauls, it is the 'Air Jordan' collection, under the seal of the legendary Michael Jordan. Since 2017, PSG has had several exclusive shirts from this collection.
Kobe Bryant, a culé for eternity
Nike has chosen Barça to launch this division of the 'Mamba Collection' due to the public admiration that Kobe expressed for FC Barcelona. The American star shared several opportunities with the Barça squad during the team's visits to Los Angeles, as part of the preseason.
In an interview for the 'ESPN' network, Bryant said that, at the time, Ronaldinho introduced him to a young Leo Messi, assuring that 'La Pulga' would be the best in history. Later, the man from Rosario was able to share with the basketball star again in 2011, already the undisputed best soccer player in the world at that time.
In this way, in 2025/26, Barça will pay tribute to one of the stars of world sport who, unfortunately, unexpectedly left for eternity in 2020, a couple of months before the start of the covid-19 pandemic.