Released in August 2021, Ajax's Bob Marley influenced Third shirt was an instant hit with football and music fans across the world.
Inspired The Wailers' song "Three Little Birds" which has become Ajax fans' unofficial pre-match anthem, the shirt is in the Rastafarian colours of Black, Red, Gold and Green. Black symbolises the people of Africa who founded Rastafarianism, Red for the blood spilt in the cause of the black community, Gold for the wealth of Ethiopia's natural resources and Green for the vegetation of Jamaica.
The print on the nape of the neck has the titular Three Little Birds sat on the three Andreas crosses of the Amsterdam flag. It's said each cross represents the three plagues of the city, water, fire and the Black Death - either that or the three fords on the river Amstel.
"I am beyond touched that Ajax has taken Three Little Birds and made it their anthem. Stories like this warm my heart and show how impactful songs like Three Little Birds can be. Soccer was everything to my father. To use his words: football is freedom”, says daughter Cedella Marley.
Marley himself was a huge football fan and would often request to train with or play against pro-teams in the cities he was touring, famously stating "If you want to get to know me, you will have to play football against me and the Wailers."