adidas football shirt real or fake? This is how you check it

1. Find the article number and keep the whole label

Ask for a sharp photo of all the inner labels present. Write the code down literally, including letters and numbers, and search for it together with adidas and the club name. Make a distinction between an article number, a size and other numbers on the label: not every row of digits identifies the model.

A concrete example is the Arsenal 24/25 Home Authentic shirt with article number IT6140. The archived official product page links that code to that model. Use this as an example of the method, not as a fixed code structure for every adidas shirt.

2. Compare the same version

Record which shirt the seller is offering: club or country, season, home/away/third and the version. A retail version for supporters and a performance-oriented Authentic version can differ from each other. A photo of a player is therefore not automatically the right reference for a shirt from retail.

For an old shirt, a modern product page is not a conclusive comparison. Look for a catalogue, club archive or saved product page from the relevant period. If you cannot substantiate the exact version, note that as an uncertainty.

3. A badge does not have to be embroidered

For IT6140, adidas describes a heat-applied cannon logo and HEAT.RDY. So for that model, the absence of embroidery is no reason to reject it. Conversely, a neatly embroidered badge does not prove that another shirt is original.

Compare shape, placement and attachment with the same model. Also look at the collar, panels and the inside. Use technology names as extra information about a version; do not treat them as a universal stamp of authenticity.

4. Ask for these photos

A photo of only the chest logo gives too little information. Ask the seller to photograph the same physical shirt from several angles.

• The whole shirt from the front and back, without filters.
• All inner labels, with the code fully legible.
• Club badge, adidas logo and sponsor up close.
• The inside behind the badge and sponsor, plus the collar and seams.
• Damage, repairs and any later printing.

5. Investigate what does not match

A different sponsor, print or badge may raise questions, but is not by itself proof of a fake. First check whether you are not comparing another market, match variant or a version that was printed later. Then ask specifically about the discrepancy.

A missing label makes checking harder; it does not turn an unknown point into a negative verdict by itself. For an expensive shirt with insufficient documentation, have a specialist take a look or wait before buying. Keep the photos and the sources you used instead of just a loose search result screenshot.