Sport

Barry Keoghan stars in ‘magnificent’ and nostalgic new Manchester United x adidas Originals advert

'You Can't Beat An Original'.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 14th August 2024

Manchester United have just released their new third kit for the 2024/25 season and the shirt itself looks to be going down a treat, but the new advert featuring none other than actor Barry Keoghan has proved to be the real star of the show.

The white adidas Originals kit actually debuted a day prior to the lengthy ad being rolled out, but United had already shared a teaser of Keoghan, a lifelong fan, last week after reports he had been picked for the lead role back in June.

Designed around the central feature of the familiar flag used by the Red Army and various other supporters’ groups around the club, the shirt and the retro tracksuit that has been released alongside it both revolve around adidas’ trademark three stripes and that iconic colour scheme: red, white and black.

Running for nearly two and a half minutes, it channels the magic of iconic footy adverts like Nike’s Joga Bonito, those noughties Pepsi ads, the best of Man United’s kit launch videos down the years, only with all the nostalgia of 90s Manchester scene. Safe to say people have fallen in love with it.

They saw similar success with their recent Stone Roses collection.

Regardless of whether you’re a Red or not, you have to admit it feels like a real throwback and the cameos alone make for a great watch.

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Filmed around the old Cliff Training Ground in Salford – where the team used to train before moving to Carrington – there’s all manner of references to the club’s history, and the filmic quality to the whole thing makes it feel like something pulled straight out of the era itself.

As Irish reporter Gavan Reilly wrote on X: “Barry at Fergie’s desk. The three lads sitting atop the dugout. Linesman Jaap. Mainoo and Robson. Højlund and Irwin. Amad’s celebration. Garnacho’s grimace. Luke Shaw (probably) getting injured giving fistbumps. A magnificent piece of work.”

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We have to say, the nod to Alejandro Garnacho’s wonderful overhead kick against Everton is a particularly well-done moment.

The outpouring of positive reactions online is endless; one person wrote: “Everything about this is class with the 90s feel to it and ‘Born Slippy’ [by Underworld] in the background over the commentary is chef’s kiss, while another joked: “If United can get Barry Keoghan to actually dress well, they can absolutely win a quadruple this season…”

A third person added: “Last big advert was Roy Keane, this time Barry Keoghan. The Irish lads are doing well out of Man United. I like the ad. Pulling on the history of the club.” We could go on but you get the gist – fans love it.

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You couldn’t put it better than the consensus has on social media, with, “They always drag you back in with stuff like this”, “Reminds you why you love football and why you love this club. Sensational”, and many other comments to this effect to be found in the replies.

United and several other big clubs such as Real Madrid, Arsenal, Juventus and more will be wearing special adidas Originals kits featuring the classic trefoil logo this season, but we dare say very few will be showing there’s off there’s with an advert starring Barry Keoghan.

Mixing nostalgia and football will always be a winning formula and even Manchester City revealed their throwback 99-inspired away kit earlier this month, but like any kid who watched the old-school campaigns on the telly, adverts like these always stay with you.

What do you make of the new third kit, Reds?

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — adidas/Manchester United (screenshots via YouTube)

Sport

The annual Manchester Remembers Foundation charity football match has shut down

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Remembers charity game 2025 cancelled

The annual Manchester Remembers charity football match has been cancelled for 2025, and unfortunately, the wider Foundation has also shut down for the foreseeable.

Set up back in 2020, the Manchester Remembers charity game was created to help raise funds for the families of those lost in the tragic 2017 Manchester Arena attack, raising nearly £200,000 in donations for multiple organisations.

It has been a truly treasured community event across Greater Manchester, welcoming thousands to the likes of Manchester City Academy Stadium and Oldham Athletic‘s Boundary Park, as well as spotlighting local musicians and notable figures volunteering their help for a deeply important cause.

However, the Foundation is now set to hang up its boots. Confirming the news over the bank holiday weekend, founders Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan shared “a difficult statement to make and a decision not taken lightly.”

As explained in the lengthy and emotional post, it is with a “heavy heart” that this year’s charity match has now been officially cancelled, and tickets already purchased up to this point are now being refunded.

Having played a small part in helping spread awareness around the game and the Foundation since it began, we were gutted to learn of this sad news.

The 2025 MCR Remembers game was scheduled to take place this June at a new venue for the event, Bury FC’s home ground at Gigg Lane, but following what they have labelled “a lack of support” from Greater Manchester leaders and “influential people needed to carry the event forward.”

Lee – a former police officer turned firefighter who was one of the emergency responders on 22 May, 2017 – went on to share a follow-up video reflecting on the announcement.

As he puts in the piece to camera, he says that even if those who had been reached out to in recent times were to suddenly respond, that it is “sadly too late.”

Taking time to thank not only past sponsors, managers, ex-pros and celebrity players who have been part of the event in the past, but everyone who bought tickets to the event(s) over the past few years, stating simply: “We cant thank you enough.”

Lee, who was given both a Chief Fire Officers Commendation and British Citizen Award in 2024, went on to address those “so-called leaders and influential people” in a subsequent post, adding: “All we needed was a bit of help. But we were ignored. Thanks for the memories.”

Unsurprisingly, the comments on social media have been awash with messages of love, support and sadness upon learning of this year’s cancellation and the end of The Manchester Remembers Foundation after more than half a decade.

There is some hope, though, as he ends the video by saying, “Who knows if this is the end or not? […] I dare say we’ll be back at some point.” We can only keep our fingers crossed he’s right and the MCR Remembers charity game won’t be shut down for good.

Manchester will always remember.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Remembers Foundation

Sport

25,000 free footballs are being given away across the UK

Danny Jones Danny Jones Barlcays bank giving 1000 free football across the UK

A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.

The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.

Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.

We’ve all seen scenes like these before.

barclays free footballs
lost ball project
Credit: Barclays (supplied)

Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.

Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.

Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.

The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One

They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:

Excellent song choice.

As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”

In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.

For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.

Important work done from the ground up.

Credit: Supplied

Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.

Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”

If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.

We quite fancy a kick around now.

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Featured Images — Barclays (supplied)

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