Any football fan over thirty will remember the Champions League finals of 2005 and 2007, whether or not they have any particular connection to Milan. The Rossoneri faced Liverpool in both. The first remains one of the competition’s most extraordinary reversals: Milan were 3-0 up at half-time, saw the Reds level the game in the second half and eventually lost on penalties. Two years later came the answer, with Filippo Inzaghi scoring twice and Kuijt adding a late goal. Those two finals, unforgettable for opposite reasons, provide the starting point for Milan’s new Away shirt for the 2026/27 season. Twenty years after the club’s last Champions League triumph, the shirt looks back to Athens through the memory of Istanbul. The campaign’s line is clear: “After Istanbul, there is always Athens.” It is only natural that Filippo Inzaghi, now head coach of Palermo, features among the faces chosen for its launch.
Created by PUMA, the shirt carries the idea of turning defeat into a new beginning. The gold details and the laurel surrounding the crest recall Milan’s history, a history written through victories on the pitch and on Europe’s biggest stages. Inside the collar of the Authentic version, the contemporary Greek inscription “Δύναμη Ψυχής” — “Dýnami Psychís” — appears alongside the phoenix wing emerging from the fabric pattern. The phrase “After Istanbul, there is always Athens” is embroidered at the back of the collar, alongside further references to the Rossoneri story: the white base worn in almost every European Cup and Champions League final played by Milan since 1962, the red and black details on the collar and cuffs, the star above the crest marking the club’s 19 league titles.
Maikel Oettle, Chief Revenue Officer of AC Milan, said: «This shirt captures in every element the identity and mentality that the club has expressed for more than a century. White is the colour through which this essence has been shown to the world for years, and wearing it today means carrying a story that is still being written. It means recognising yourself in a way of being that belongs both to those who experienced our greatest nights and to those who inherit them». For Dominique Gauthier, VP Teamsport at PUMA, «the story told by this shirt is one of the most powerful in European football. Milan have always found a way to rise again when it mattered most, and we wanted this shirt to carry that spirit forward. The phoenix wing, the laurel, the inscriptions: every element has a reason. We are proud to have created something that honours what this club has shown itself capable of being». The new Milan Away shirt will be available from 21 July at AC Milan Official Stores, on store.acmilan.com, puma.com and through selected retailers worldwide.
