Click here for all in the “Retro Shirt Reviews” series, including Shelbourne FC and 1.FC Koln specials, but now on with a fresh look at another classic from the POTP collection.

• Club: unknown, French
  
• Year: circa 1979
  
• Make: Adidas
  
• Template: “Santos/National”
• Sponsor: Flymo Clementz
  
• Number: 9
• Similarly Worn By: France; Nantes; RC Lens; Wrexham

Oh my days! Yes it’s another Adidas long-sleeved wonder (club unknown). But unlike our two “Tischler” shirts seen previously, this one may date as far back as 1979 when the template, known as both “Santos” and “National” (again thanks to world-renowned kit expert John Devlin‘s great guide), was used by the likes of France, Nantes and Lens:

It is perhaps no coincidence that those three are our most prominent examples, as from the label of our version we can see that the shirt was produced in France by Adidas Ventex, as opposed to Adidas Ermia of Germany:

One non-French side to adopt the template in 79 was Wrexham, but theirs differed thanks to the larger “sliced” trefoil with Adidas workmark. The Gallic versions feature the then-futuristic trefoil with only one sliced line in the middle and no wordmark, the latter being typical of France shirts in the era:

Of course you have to have noticed the great, felt sponsor by now, for which we can’t find any info on online apart from the fact that “Clementz” is French. But Flymo Clementz will definitely be this writers’ alias if I ever end up in the rap game:

Going back to the template aspect, the trademark of the Santos/National is the large and beautiful wraparound collar:

Interestingly the sleeve-stripes are slightly thinner than with most of our other Adidas shirts of the era. Again this is clearly a feature of Ventex, and can be attributed to the fact that the material of the shirt is stitched to each side of the stripes, as opposed to the more common method of a “stripe patch” sown on-top of the material (we upturned one sleeve so you can see the stitching):

Finally, as always, we turn things around literally to look at the back, and what a back it is. Putting aside the goalkeeper shirt’s slightly different no.1 in RSR#12 and the “Swiss numbering” in RSR#13, this is our first instance in the series of that legendary Adidas striped number style, with a classic no.9 to boot:

Again in a nice felt print, doesn’t it just make you feel good? Top shirt:

*****