There was a ‘back to the future’ feel to Spanish football over the weekend, with players wearing vintage-style kits, referees dressed like it was the mid-1990s and pixelated TV graphics recalling early computer games.
La Liga’s first ‘retro matchday’ featured players from most top-flight and second-division teams wearing jerseys inspired by past designs and historic club crests. Spanish referees also wore shirts similar to the black gradient checkerboard pattern seen at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, along with old-style FIFA and Spanish FA logos on the pockets.
Teamsheet graphics broadcast before kick-off recalled 1990s visual styles, as did the on-screen match clock and scoreboard, while a pixelated letter R flashed in the bottom left corner of the screen during replays.
Many of the clubs’ social media teams also got involved in the fun — such as Real Sociedad when announcing their squad list for their match against Deportivo Alaves. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Getafe and Rayo Vallecano were the only clubs not to take part.
📂_REAL_MATCHDAY31_SQUAD LIST#LALIGARETRO pic.twitter.com/78I7ZYcBAy
— Real Sociedad 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 (@RealSociedadEN) April 10, 2026
A specially designed Puma football was used in matches, mixing the latest technology with a black-and-white geometric aesthetic inspired by late-1990s designs.
“It allows us to bring the past into the present while continuing to build experiences and strengthen the legacy that emotionally connects with supporters,” said La Liga’s clubs office director Jaime Blanco when the project was presented at Madrid Fashion Week last month.
At that event, ex-Real Madrid forward Fernando Morientes, former Espanyol defender Joan Capdevila and one-time Atletico Madrid midfielder Mario Suarez modelled the retro matchday jerseys on the catwalk.
The kits worn over the weekend still featured today’s club sponsors and a manufacturer’s logo. But TV cameras also regularly picked out fans in the stands wearing original vintage kits, including Barca fans wearing their 1996-97 jersey with Ronaldo on the back, and Valencia supporters in tops dating back to their 2001-02 title-winning season.
Among the most old-school jerseys over the weekend was Espanyol’s, helped by their sponsor Dani also having featured on their jerseys from 1994 to 2000. The shirts worn in Saturday’s local derby against Barcelona recalled an era long before Barcelona’s 18-year-old star Lamine Yamal was born in 2007.
Lamine Yamal scored Barcelona’s third goal in a 4-1 win over Espanyol (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The initiative also led to some amusing moments, such as Burgos striker Fer Nino celebrating scoring in their 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon by pointing to the spot on his shirt where the club crest normally is — even though the badge had been moved as part of the special retro design.
𝑳𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒅𝒐, 𝑭𝒆𝒓 😱🔥#BurgosCFRealSporting#BurgosCF pic.twitter.com/k7ZNFPCmlT
— Burgos Club de Fútbol (@Burgos_CF) April 11, 2026
Sources at La Liga — who, like all those consulted for this article, spoke anonymously as they did not have permission to comment — said there is already a plan to repeat the initiative again over another matchday next season.
Sources at Barca said they would be open to taking part next season, as they felt they did not have sufficient time to prepare this term. They ran their own commercial initiative on Saturday, using players’ names lettering on their kit to promote a new car model from club sponsor Cupra.
Madrid completely boycotted the idea, as they do with most of La Liga’s centrally-planned commercial initiatives, amid a long-standing feud between Bernabeu boss Florentino Perez and La Liga chief Javier Tebas.
Some Madrid supporters nevertheless claimed there was ‘retro’ refereeing in Friday night’s game at the Bernabeu, as there was no VAR intervention when a late Kylian Mbappe penalty claim was turned down in their 1-1 draw against Girona.
Referee Javier Alberola Rojas turned down Real Madrid’s penalty appeals on Friday (Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
In a message posted on X on Thursday, La Liga president Javier Tebas said the “innovative, coordinated action across would transform the experience over four days, highlighting the legacy of our teams and demonstrating that their history remains very much alive in professional football”.
The retro matchday idea fits with La Liga’s aim of differentiating itself from other competitions, especially the Premier League, through innovation in the audiovisual product it provides via broadcast partners to viewers all around the world.
Other recent initiatives have included having cameras in teams’ dressing rooms before matches, and integrating graphics from video games produced by the league’s title sponsor EA Sports into the TV product.
There is also a connection here with Tebas’ long-held conviction that La Liga should play domestic league games overseas. A plan for Barcelona to play Villarreal in Miami last December was shelved, but the idea is expected to return in future.