Middlesbrough Away Adidas 2017-18 Vintage Jersey - Collector's Item

Middlesbrough Away Shirt 2017-18 Adidas — The failed Championship comeback, immortalized in fabric

Middlesbrough 2017-18 was a season of rebuilding after the relegation to the Championship that followed their brutal return to the top flight. This Adidas away shirt, sponsored by Ramsdens, perfectly captures that suspended moment between past Premier League glory and the fight to climb back up. A battle shirt, not a parade one.

Shirt details

Season: 2017-18
Club: Middlesbrough FC
Type: Away
Manufacturer: Adidas
Sponsor: RAMSDENS
Size: L
Condition: 8/10
State: LITTLE DIRTY — authentic wear of a vintage worn jersey, light marks that bear witness to a real life on and around the pitch

What this shirt represents

In 2017-18, Middlesbrough played their first season in the Championship after being relegated at the end of the 2016-17 campaign, failing to stay in the Premier League despite the long-awaited return to the top flight two years earlier. The Teesside club had to rebuild, with Garry Monk then Tony Pulis at the helm, in an ultra-competitive English second-tier division where matches are won through tackles, attrition, and hostile away trips across the country.

It's in this context of reconquest that this away shirt takes on its full meaning. Players like Britt Assombalonga, recruited to challenge opposing defenses in the Championship, or Martin Braithwaite, who brought his speed on the wings, wore these colors with the ambition of a quick return to the top. Adama Traoré, always devastating with the ball at his feet, was also in the squad that season, terrorizing opposing defenses before moving to Wolverhampton.

Moments etched in this shirt

The 2017 summer transfer window and the arrival of Britt Assombalonga
Middlesbrough broke the bank in the summer of 2017 to sign Britt Assombalonga from Nottingham Forest for around £15 million — a club-record transfer. This strong signal showed that ambitions for an immediate return were real, and this Adidas away shirt was the one Assombalonga donned to score away from Teesside.

The change of manager mid-season
Garry Monk, who had taken the reins in June 2017, left the club in December of the same year, replaced by Tony Pulis. These kinds of mid-season turbulences always mark an era — and this 2017-18 away shirt spanned both eras, both playing styles, both philosophies.

Adama Traoré, last season at Riverside before the explosion
The 2017-18 season was Adama Traoré's last in a Middlesbrough shirt before his transfer to Wolverhampton in the summer of 2018, where he would explode onto the European scene. Owning a shirt from this season means having a direct link to Boro in the pre-superstar Traoré period — a collectible in its own right.

Authentic vs. Replica

An authentic vintage jersey is a piece designed to be worn — on the field or in the stands — not to remain under plastic. The Adidas finishes of that era, the internal labels, the season-specific cut: all these details immediately distinguish a real jersey from a soulless copy or re-issue. This is not a mass-produced item from a 2024 factory trying to capitalize on nostalgia.

This one shows a condition of 8/10 with the mention "Little Dirty" — an honest translation: there might be a slight mark here or there, nothing obvious, nothing that compromises its wearability. That's exactly what you expect from a jersey that has lived. A too-perfect vintage collector's jersey raises questions. This one has a story.

Vintage Sizing Guide

Vintage jersey sizes from the 2010s — and even more so Adidas ones from that period — often run smaller than the modern oversized fits we're used to today. A vintage L will correspond more to a current M/L depending on body types. Don't rely solely on the label: the cuts were more fitted, closer to the body, designed for the field.

Before confirming your order, measure your chest circumference and compare it with the flat measurements of the jersey if they are available. The golden rule: take your tape measure, measure flat from left armpit to right armpit and double the number. If you hesitate between two sizes, take the larger one — it's better to have a slightly loose jersey than one that's impossible to put on.

Why have it in your collection

The Middlesbrough away shirt 2017-18 by Adidas is a piece that ticks all the boxes of a serious vintage collector's jersey. A historic Premier League club during a pivotal period of its history, a world-renowned kit manufacturer, a local sponsor — Ramsdens, the Teesside pawnbrokers and jewelers chain — which anchors this jersey in a strong and authentic regional identity. Nothing generic about it. It's pure Boro.

And in 8/10 condition, that's not common. Most jerseys from this season circulating on the vintage market have suffered — stains, peeling flocking, distorted fabric. This one is still in a state to be worn proudly in the stands, in town, or displayed in a showcase. There aren't many in this condition, believe me. Once it's gone, it's gone.

To go further

• Middlesbrough F.C. — Wikipedia
• Football Kit Archive — Kit History
• UEFA — European Football

If you have a soft spot for English football, clubs fighting in the shadow of the big teams, and Adidas jerseys with character — this Middlesbrough away 2017-18 deserves a place in your collection. It's up to you.