Three little birds on the Andreas crosses
Ajax and Adidas turned a fan anthem into a jersey. The 2021-22 third kit is what happens when a club listens to its own stands.
In August 2008 Ajax played a friendly away at Cardiff City. The traveling supporters were kept in the stands after the final whistle, and the stadium DJ played records to pass the time. One of them was Bob Marley Three Little Birds. The Ajax end adopted it on the spot and has sung it at matches ever since.
Thirteen years later the club and Adidas made it official. The 2021-22 third kit is black with red, yellow and green details, designed together with the Bob Marley family. Below the collar sit three little birds, perched on the Andreas crosses of Amsterdam.
I am beyond touched that Ajax has taken Three Little Birds and made it their anthem.Cedella Marley
There is a detail only owners tend to notice. For European nights UEFA made Adidas take the three birds off the back of the shirt, its rules bar non-standard imagery there, so the Champions League version runs plain black behind the collar. Two editions of the same grail, one louder than the other.
Culture drops like this are why special editions are first-class records in this catalog, not footnotes. The jersey is the artifact of a story that started with a bored away end in Wales and ended with a family blessing in Kingston.
