World Cup Winning Shirts: Introduction
Celebrating the iconic jerseys that have graced the greatest tournament
N o sporting event can truly equal the circus that surrounds the football World Cup. In many ways it is a athletic version of Christmas — a prolonged wait that culminates in excess and hope of a fairy-tale ending: that the event occurs every four years only serves to heighten expectations. The frenzy is whipped-up further still by the best marketers in the business, the big sports brands. Nike, adidas, Puma, et al, recognise this to be a moment of unrivalled commercial opportunity — supported by two pillars of tribalism, one’s country and one’s favourite player — and look to distill every drop.
This week saw the first sneak-peeks of the official team jerseys that will be worn in Russia this summer (step one before boot collections are launched), an event that fosters reams of PR-blurb about ‘wicking qualities’; hyper-stylised Instagram posts; and of course, sales. Yet strip-away the hyperbole and occasionally a diamond remains lying in the guff.
Often divisive, with the occasional disaster –USA 1994– some kits have attained far-reaching popularity, nestling comfortably into the instant-recall of fans across the world: the pride of one nation and the mild envy of others. This series will celebrate those iconic few.
