NY City FC 2016/17 Away - Pirlo 21 (Large)

The circles on this NYCFC shirt are not random graphics. When the club introduced its new secondary kit for 2016, Adidas created a dark navy design covered in electric-blue ripples. According to MLS, the pattern represented the energy of New York’s five boroughs, with the NYCFC crest sitting right at the centre. 

The launch was unusual too. Instead of simply releasing campaign photos, NYCFC sent Andrea Pirlo, David Villa and Kwadwo Poku to surprise supporters at their workplaces, where the players personally revealed the new shirt. 

Pirlo then wore the design for real in NYCFC’s opening game of the 2016 season against Chicago Fire. He started in midfield wearing his familiar number 21, and New York won a chaotic 4-3 match. 

That season was also when Pirlo’s celebrity really translated into American football culture. By July, his NYCFC jersey was number one in MLS sales, ahead of names including Clint Dempsey, David Villa, Steven Gerrard, Kaká and Didier Drogba. 

On the pitch, NYCFC improved dramatically under Patrick Vieira, finishing second in the Eastern Conference and reaching the MLS playoffs for the first time. 

So this Pirlo 21 version combines a genuinely distinctive New York-inspired design with the period when one of Europe’s most famous midfielders became MLS’s best-selling shirt name.