BRUSSELS – Belgium’s away kit is a tribute to a much-loved and almost century-old cartoon character, Tintin. The Croatia shirt will not go unnoticed. Germany’s home shirt is classic white, but the away shirt is pink and purple.
Ahead of the European football championship starting on June 14 in Germany, the Associated Press takes a look at some of the kits that are sure to catch the eye of football fans and fashionistas around the world.
FRANCE BECOMES RETRO
Led by new Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappé, France are among the favorites to win the tournament. Their shirts, both home and away, also deserve a place at the top of the charts.
The away shirt combines a white base with royal blue, with stripes ranging from blue to red reflecting the colors of the national flag. The home shirt is simple, featuring a striking bright blue. The only downside, perhaps, is the huge Gallic rooster – a national symbol of France as a nation. It is printed on the shirt and can be very large and would be more appropriate on a rugby shirt. But because of the XXL emblem, the shirts resemble the uniform that the French team wore in the 1984 tournament, when the Tricolores, coached by Michel Platini, won their first major title.
TRIBUTE TO TINTIN
Belgium’s home uniform has the traditional red color used by national teams, whose players are nicknamed Red Devils and Red Flames.
But Belgium is the land of surrealism and likes to do things differently, with humor.
The alternative kit is a tribute to the great Belgian cartoonist Hergé and the character that made him famous in 1929: Tintin, the intrepid reporter. It consists of a blue shirt with a white collar, brown shorts and white socks. The light blue of the shirt will please Manchester City fans who love Kevin De Bruyne. Brown shorts, however, can result in arrest by the fashion police.
CLASSICISM? MODERN THEME? GERMANY HAS BOTH
Germany’s new home shirt is a classic and will go perfectly with the resurgent mullet haircut that so many German players have sported in the past. It is mostly white, with the black, red and gold of the national flag on the shoulders in the shape of an eagle’s wing.
The away kit, with its pink and purple colors, is a bold move unprecedented in the history of the Mannschaft. The German federation claims to represent the new generation of German football fans, as well as the country’s diversity.
The look is complemented by shorts and purple socks. This made Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz very excited: “The away shirt is really cool! It’s something different and it really stands out.”
NUMBER 44 CONTROVERSY
The German FA, however, made headlines for all the wrong reasons after some social media users pointed out that the font of the two fours together on the number 44 shirts was reminiscent of the stylized SS worn by the Nazi Party’s Schutzstaffel group. Subsequently, Adidas stopped offering customization of jerseys with names and numbers, and the federation suspended the delivery of jerseys with the number 44 in its own online store.
Commonly known as the SS, the Schutzstaffel group included police units, combat forces, and others who ran the concentration camps that carried out the mass murders of Jewish civilians during World War II.
EXTRA LARGE CHECKS
The French are not the only team following the oversize trend.
Croatia’s home shirt will feature an extra-large red and white check. Critics say players now look more like jockeys on a racetrack than football players. But the larger squares give it a modern, relaxed look.
KEEPING IT SIMPLE
Portugal’s home kit should age well. Its designer didn’t take many risks, opting for elegance and a classic look. The shirt is mainly red, with hints of black and green on the black collar and sleeves. The Dutch shirt also maintains the traditional look – bright orange with a blue collar.
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