Lyon 2018-19 Long Sleeve Adidas Vintage Jersey

OL 2018-19 Long-Sleeve Adidas Jersey — The Era of Dembélé, Aouar, and Lyon's Re-conquest

The 2018-19 season at Lyon: Bruno Genesio on the bench, a squad undergoing a complete identity reconstruction, and this Adidas long-sleeve OL jersey perfectly encapsulates this pivotal period for the Rhone club. A long-sleeve version is already rarer than the standard model — and that's precisely what makes it a unique item for any Ligue 1 vintage jersey collector.

Jersey details

Season: 2018-2019
Club: Olympique Lyonnais
Manufacturer: Adidas
Condition: 9/10
State: LITTLE PULLS — authentic wear of a worn vintage jersey, a few small pulled threads without major snags, which gives it that irreplaceable vintage character

What this jersey represents

The 2018-19 Olympique Lyonnais season was one of a club in motion, looking to return to the forefront of the national scene after several years without a Ligue 1 title. Jean-Michel Aulas pushed hard, the sporting project was structured, and OL finished third in Ligue 1 — securing direct qualification for the Champions League group stage the following season. It was an ambitious transitional season, not perfect, but full of positive signs.

On the pitch, it was the Houssem Aouar generation that truly began to assert itself as one of the best French midfielders of his generation. Nabil Fekir, still with Lyon that season, contributed his dribbling genius and flashes of brilliance, before his departure to Real Sociedad. Memphis Depay continued to be an offensive force, and the young Moussa Dembélé — who arrived from Celtic — quickly established his physicality and goal-scoring prowess up front. A squad with character, talent, and a desire to bite again.

Moments etched into this jersey

The OL-ASSE derby, always a war
In 2018-19, as every season, the derby between Lyon and Saint-Étienne was a stand-alone event on the Rhone calendar. OL never needed extra context to raise their intensity against their Saint-Étienne neighbours — and this jersey experienced that unique atmosphere.

Parc OL as a fortress
Since the inauguration of Groupama Stadium in 2016, Lyon has had a European-class venue, and the 2018-19 season confirmed that this stadium could make a difference on big nights. Every home game in this jersey meant 59,000 seats behind the team.

Adidas continuity, a strong signature
Adidas has supplied OL for many years, and the 2018-19 collection is part of a period when the German manufacturer was particularly meticulous with its templates for top clubs. The long-sleeve version of this jersey is designed for autumn and winter Ligue 1 matches — it's functional, technical, and much more exclusive than the short-sleeve version.

Authentic vs Replica

An authentic vintage jersey is not the same as a mass-market replica. The authentic jersey from this era is cut for real athletic performance: technical material, a fitted, close-to-the-body cut, meticulous finishes designed to be worn in training or matches. We're talking about a jersey that existed in real football, not in a souvenir shop.

With its 9/10 condition and "little pulls", this 2018-19 Lyon jersey is honest: it has been worn, it has lived, and that's exactly what we expect from it. These few small pulled threads compromise neither the structure nor the general appearance — they simply attest that this jersey is a real on-field item, not a piece taken out of a cellophane-wrapped box.

Vintage size guide

Vintage Adidas jerseys from this era are sized according to standards that do not correspond to current cuts. A vintage S is often the equivalent of a modern XS in terms of shoulder width and chest circumference. The cut is narrower, more technical, closer to the body — this is the norm for authentic match jerseys. Do not order your usual size without checking the measurements.

Before buying, take a tape measure and measure your chest circumference and torso length. Then compare with the actual jersey measurements available in the product sheet. This is the only way to avoid unpleasant surprises — and to truly enjoy this long-sleeve OL collector's jersey as it deserves.

Why have it in your collection

The long-sleeve version of a Ligue 1 jersey is structurally rarer than the standard edition. Clubs order fewer, fans buy fewer, and therefore far fewer circulate on the secondary market today. For a serious collector of vintage Olympique Lyonnais jerseys, this 2018-19 season also represents a pivotal era to document — that of Nabil Fekir's last season in Lyon, Aouar's emergence, and Dembélé's establishment as the reference number 9.

In 9/10 condition, there really aren't many in this state on the market. The vast majority of authentic jerseys from that era that have circulated now have stains, peeling flocking, or much more pronounced wear. This one has remained clean, structured, recognizable — it is precisely this level of preservation that makes the difference for a demanding collector.

To go further

• Lyon — Wikipedia
• Football Kit Archive — Jersey History
• Ligue 1 — Official Website
• UEFA — European Football

This 2018-19 OL long-sleeve jersey is a piece for those who know what they're looking for — rare, in very good condition, and representing a Lyon era that we're starting to look back on with nostalgia. It's up to you to see if you have room in your collection.