On 25 May 1901, two Buenos Aires clubs called Santa Rosa and La Rosales merged to form Club Atlético River Plate. On 25 May 2026, exactly 125 years later, adidas released a shirt to mark the occasion. The timing was deliberate. So was the design.
The design
The base is off-white, not the bright white of a standard home kit. Against it runs the diagonal red sash that has defined River Plate's identity for over a century, in Team Power Red, crossing the chest from right shoulder to left hip. The sash appears on both front and back.
The modern crest is gone. In its place sits an embroidered interlocking RP monogram, a reproduction of the emblem the club used in 1918, positioned within the sash. On the right chest, the adidas Trefoil replaces the standard three-stripe performance logo: a deliberate choice, the Trefoil being the mark adidas uses for its heritage range rather than its current sportswear line.
Near the hem, a woven patch reads: Club Atlético River Plate — 25 de Mayo de 1901 — 125 Aniversario.
The collar is a fold-over polo with a short button placket. It is a styling choice that removes the shirt from the present entirely. The fabric is a double-knit construction with adidas Climacool technology. The full kit pairs with dark charcoal shorts with tonal branding, and socks with red and white hoop detail.
The background
River Plate are one of the two dominant clubs in Argentine football, alongside Boca Juniors, and one of the most decorated clubs in South America. Their stadium, El Monumental in Núñez, holds over 80,000 people and was the venue for the 1978 World Cup final.
The diagonal red sash has been there since the early years of the club. It is one of the most recognisable shirt designs in world football, borrowed repeatedly by other clubs and manufacturers, never quite replicated. An anniversary kit built around it makes sense. The 1918 monogram and the Trefoil logo give the design a coherent historical argument: this is what the club looked like before the modern era, and adidas has framed the shirt accordingly.
The release date aligns exactly with the foundation date. River Plate were founded on 25 May 1901. The shirt was released on 25 May 2026.
