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The hour has cometh and it did not disappoint, certainly in terms of the kit reveal.
Here they were, already lined up and waiting for the masses to arrive at 9am sharp, local time.
The kits looked beautiful in the leaks already. The real deal only upped that.
That Nike kit is the best #CFC home kit in ages. Proper shade of blue. The white detail on the shorts from the 1970s kit. Looks amazing.
— J. Tweeds (@JoeTweedie) July 1, 2017
The white detail down the side of the shorts that Joe’s referring to has been a regular feature of the home kits since Chelsea switched to blue shorts in the mid-60s, though in recent years, they were replaced by the stereotypical adidas stripes instead.
#Chelsea New Kit looks Mint, Proper Shade of Blue & White Strip on the Shorts throwback 70s Old & Bold will love that... pic.twitter.com/D6enbn1cMN
— MrBridger1905 (@MrBridger1905) July 1, 2017
Nike’s offering certainly has a more than just a touch of that classic ‘70s Chelsea look, with an essentially solid, dark blue shirt, matching shorts with the white side detail, and the white socks. In fact, according to Nike’s official press release, “an original shirt from the early 1970s was used to define the desired blue”, with their technician matching that shirt’s color exactly to come up with this authentic shade of Chelsea Blue.
Willian in the Official Nike Chelsea home kit for the 2017/18 season. #CFC pic.twitter.com/ES8Gu4YFDt
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) July 1, 2017
It’s gorgeous, really. Can we keep this for a while? (I know we can’t because merchandising... but you know...)
New Home and Away #CFC #Nike pic.twitter.com/3TdRVSBGcq
— Dániel Katona (@DanielKatona17) July 1, 2017
Here’s the full away kit as modeled by Gary Cahill.
Gary Cahill in the Official Nike Away Kit for the 2017/18 season. #CFC pic.twitter.com/zA6Q2Ai11o
— Absolute Chelsea (@AbsoluteChelsea) July 1, 2017
This had been teased for some time, and by the time it arrived, it was basically Christmas in July. Even the online store reveal was exciting, which replaces the Chelsea Megastore with a much better Nike version instead. Seriously, check it out, it’s fantastic.
Also, 2-D from Gorillaz is there. Come on, that’s pretty cool.
I see ya, 2-D! pic.twitter.com/hELkY5xT8F
— Dávid Pásztor (@D_Peezy) July 1, 2017
More 2-D from Chelsea’s announcement Instagram story. And David Luiz of course.
Chelsea and Nike getting 2D in on their kit launch is different class... pic.twitter.com/s63O0634AL
— Joe Crann (@YesWeCrann) July 1, 2017
(Though it would appear that 2-D replaced Chalobah in that lineup on the actual store page. Make of that what you will.)
#WeAreThePride! Introducing the new 2017/18 @ChelseaFC@nikefootball home kit made for the pride of London.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 1, 2017
Shop: https://t.co/IDb8kxcqGs pic.twitter.com/F7qfadOFx5
Anyway.
Here’s to our new Nike-fied Chelsea life. Shop til you drop!
BONUS: The goalkeeper kit is dayglow neon orange. Hellz yeah!
New Goalkeeper kit. #CFC pic.twitter.com/Xju4mNFFFo
— Chelsea News Indo (@ChelseaNewsID) July 1, 2017