By Chris Wright
It’s a given that replica football shirts have always come at a nigh-on exploitative premium given they cost pennies to produce, but Nike have seemingly pushed it too far with the disclosure that the new England World Cup shirt – just the shirt – will retail for a ridiculous £90…NINETY sodding QUID.
Social media circles quite understandably erupted this morning when fans realised that Nike’s “match” version of the new England shirt (i.e, an identical shirt to that which the players themselves will wear) will be priced £90 when it goes on sale in the Nike store.
To put it in some kind of perspective: with replica shorts costing £25 and socks costing £12 a pop, the little stash you see Wayne Rooney and co. up there wearing would cost you about £635 in total – and that’s assuming that the goalkeeper kit is the same price as the outfield stuff.
Apparently there will also be “stadium” version of the shirt on sale too – a non-identical, knock-down (used in the loosest possible terms) edition which will retail for £60, which is still, of course, completely and utterly unreasonable.
Parents who want to buy the new England shirt for their children will have to spluff £40 if they are after one in 3-8 years size, and £42 for one in 8-15 years size.
Aye aye aye.
Yes, £90 is jaw-droppingly galling and the price of replica shirts these days (and for many years hence) absolutely boils our piss too – but frankly, if you’re silly enough to part with £40+ for what is essentially a few quid’s worth of gossamer-thin polyester then more fool you.