Chelsea’s recently released home kit for 26/27 season features their iconic blue colours with yellow accents and a refreshed crest.
The circular badge around the lion has been abandoned, thus giving a minimalist feel to the jersey.
The jersey is meant to honour the 75th year since legendary Ted Drake took over as club manager.
The striker was responsible for adapting ‘The Blues’ nickname as well as the lion crest for the club, while leading them to a maiden league title in 1955.
While all the fine details seem to have gone down well enough with the fans, some elements of their ‘Can’t Tame Us’ campaign have understandably left supporters perplexed.
Chelsea posted an image of an unknown Brazilian influencer modelling the new home kit on their official X account.
The move left fans with more questions than answers, “I know I am showing my age here but who is he? I genuinely have no idea”, wrote one user.
“I’m Brazilian and had no idea of who this fella was”, wrote another confirming the worldwide confusion.
Who is the Brazilian influencer modeling new Chelsea home kit
As it turns out, the influencer is Carlinhos Maia.
Carlinhos began producing humorous content online in 2016 centered around the lifestyle in the neighbourhood of Vila Primavera, in his native Penedo. He quickly gained popularity online and within a couple of years had become a household name in Brazil, currently amassing 35 million followers on Instagram.
The 35-year-old influencer capitalized on his fame by instituting and hosting the reality show Rancho do Maia from 2019, which continues to air exclusively on Instagram.
However, Carlinhos exclusively makes content in Brazilian Portuguese. In fact, he can barely speak English, making his reach extremely limited in the United Kingdom.
The club so far has ventured no explanation as to why they have chosen to be associated with him for a campaign that aims to honour the deep roots of the club.
The most likely logic is that Chelsea aims to target the Brazilian fanbase with the collaboration, considering their rich history together.
Renowned talents like David Luiz, Willian, Ramires, and Oscar have prominently featured for the Blues in the past. More recently, the legendary Thiago Silva was the backbone of their defence, providing stability in times of crisis.
Even last year, Chelsea’s highest goalscorer was the up-and-coming Joao Pedro with 15 strikes and eight assists in the Premier League. Estêvão Willian is another highly-rated winger currently plying his trade at the club, as is dynamic midfielder Andrey Santos.
All said and done, Chelsea fans are fervently hoping their on-field decisions under new manager Xabi Alonso make more sense than those of their marketing team!
