WORDS BY KEANU ADORABLE
Right now the World Cup fever has gripped the nation as England have reached the semi-final stage since that tearful night in Turin during Italia 1990. Today, the new England heroes are trying to emulate the heroes of 1966 and bring the World Cup home, and they have been donning the classic white home kit and red away kit in Russia. But today, we’re looking back to the past, and there have been so many great World Cup jerseys in the tournament’s 88-year history. And we here at CMTM we chose some of the most stunning kits, for each taking into consideration its originality, beauty and representation of a country’s culture and football tradition.
PERU 1970
1970 has been Peru’s best performance at the World Cup so far. In that year’s competition, the Peruvian side reached the quarterfinals. You can see this World Cup jersey has a very clean design, with a twist. Peru’s kit is striking in that it is one of the few World Cup jerseys ever to have used a diagonal stripe across the chest.
ARGENTINA 1986
Need a more emblematic and iconic kit than this one? Diego Armando Maradona won the 1986 World Cup in this stunning jersey. It was the away kit that Maradona wore when he scored two of his most famous goals against England: one dribbling past the entire defence and goalkeeper, the other scored with the hand, the notorious “mano de Dios” (“hand of God”). However, it is the home kit that he wore in the final.
ITALY 1982
Marco Tardelli and THAT celebration. Not only is it one of the most iconic Italian football images of all time, it’s one adored by fans of the beautiful game the world over. So it’s little wonder, therefore, that the 1982 Italy World Cup-winning jersey is recognised as one of football’s most iconic tops.
WEST GERMANY 1990
Adidas reimagined the 2018 World Cup kits for Germany which is reminiscent of 1990’s designs, though their success did not live up to expectations in Russia, it is impossible not to feature Germany’s 1990 uniform Geometrical patterns in black, red and yellow contrasted beautifully with the white in the background. An absolute 90s classic!
FRANCE 1998
France won the 1998 World Cup wearing this amazing uniform. In this jersey, Zinedine Zidane lead “Les Bleus” to their one and only World Cup title so far. It has a V-neck, predominantly blue background, and red and white stripes that beautifully evoke the French flag. In the jersey, you can also see the lingering 90s designs giving way to the new millennium fashion standards.
Brazil 1970
Brazil’s squad, loaded with the finesse and explosive firepower of Pele, Gerson, Rivelino and Jairzinho, was one of the finest ever assembled. Its stylish, flamboyant play style was as if choreographed by Cirque du Soleil. This was the first World Cup to be broadcast in colour, lending the television footage an evocative quality which captured the warmth of Brazil’s classic golden shirts in all of their finery.
England 1966
It’s only appropriate to close this list with what is, without a doubt, the most iconic kit of all time (not biased, promise). The red England Away kit from 1966 remain veritable grails for British football fans and sports memorabilia collectors around the world.
For one, England won the World Cup on home soil in 1966 and that victory stands as the country’s last silverware in international or European competition. That alone should be enough to elevate the kit worn to grail status. But it’s the simplicity of the kit, a plain red cotton shirt with the England crest on the chest and white numbers on the back, that makes it stand out.
p.s – IT’S COMING HOME