Manchester City begin their defence of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, as Pep Guardiola’s treble winners take on Red Star Belgrade at the Etihad Stadium.
It will be a momentous occasion as the Citizens step out onto the pitch as UEFA Champions League holders for the first time in history.
However, some fans watching Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash may find themselves asking why Manchester City‘s sleeve badge differs to what they’ve seen adorning the kit of previous European champions…
Why UEFA will not allow Manchester City to wear the Badge of Honour in the 2023/24 Champions League campaign
Well, you may have seen the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid wearing a sleeve badge in previous UEFA Champions League campaigns which displays the famous trophy, along with the number of times they’ve won it inside.
You can see an example of what we mean below.
UEFA themselves describe this as a Badge of Honour.
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On UEFA’s official website, it is stated: “Clubs who win a fifth European Cup/UEFA Champions League title or three in a row for the first time receive a badge of honour. Provided by the UEFA administration and added to the left sleeve of the club’s shirt, the badge features an image of the European Cup.
“Usually inscribed inside is the number of times that club have won the trophy. Barcelona in 2015 became the latest side to receive a badge of honour, joining Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern, Liverpool and Ajax as recipients.”
Therefore, Manchester City will not have this badge on their left sleeve this season with a number one inside, as the Citizens have only one the European Cup once.
After Manchester City recorded that famous 1-0 win over Inter Milan in Istanbul last season, a number of supporters began to discuss how this campaign’s kit would look, which led to an incorrect post going viral displaying the number one inside the UEFA Champions League trophy.
You can see that tweet below.
Stunning 💙 pic.twitter.com/HVmlIRmMHP
— Robin (@mcfc_robin2) May 19, 2023
It was viewed almost 20m times, and led to many being educated on what is actually required for a club to wear UEFA’s badge of honour.
Of course, Manchester City are talented enough to win the next two editions of the UEFA Champions League and secure the badge of honour early.
Therefore, Guardiola’s side may not even need to wait until five European Cups return to the Etihad Stadium until they can proudly wear UEFA’s esteemed badge of honour on their shirt.