Argentina, for a side with such a seemingly unmistakable and iconic look, have surprising variation in their sartorial past - as evidenced by this kit history produced by sportswear product and graphic designer Emre Gultekin.
The early days of the national team saw white shirts and shorts almost immediately replaced by the flag-inspired white and sky blue-striped shirt and black shorts. Stylish white and sky-topped black socks appeared from early doors, with button-up and lace-up collars being replaced in due course by a perhaps more familiar v-neck.
As time went on, navy shorts came and went, grey socks became first-choice, while the 1960s saw white and royal blue Away shirts, with (Brazil-like?) sky blue Away shorts popping up too. There was even - whisper it - a Home shirt with a white central stripe!
Come the 1970s, an Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (AFA) crest started to appear, but not before the adidas Trefoil and sleeve stripes, and it was a partnership which delivered a first World Cup win, on home soil in 1978.
Next up? The finest player, up until that point certainly, to ever pull on the Albiceleste shirt. Diego Maradona had a false start at Espana 82 - getting himself sent off against arch rivals Brazil - but the Le Coq Sportif years were coloured by El Diego’s talent, which delivered a second mondial title in 1986 - in another rare example of an Argentina shirt with a white central stripe.
The story - and video, if you look hard enough - of the shirt Argentina wore as Maradona first handled, then weaved, his country to victory over the English in the quarterfinal at Mexico 86 can be found elsewhere, but another iconic item was born there for sure.
View the: Boca Juniors Kit History - from 1905 to 2020
In this period, several (occasionally sky) blue change shirts were worn, including in friendlies against club sides. Argentina even pre-dated the long-sleeved-baselayer-under-short-sleeved-shirt trend by a decade and a half against Linfield, of all teams, wearing sweatshirts under their Netherlands 88-like shirts as they braved the Irish weather.
And the 1990s were all about adidas - another iconic Away kit as Maradona wowed and then prematurely departed at USA 94, and the heavily-branded outfit worn as Gabriel Batistuta and co eventually triumphed again against England at France 98 - before a brief dalliance with Reebok, and adidas returning for the current, Lionel Messi-infused spell.
In fact, despite the the likes of Sportlandia, Uribarri and Reebok having moments in the Sun of May, and Le Coq Sportif forever being associated with Maradona’s finest hour, the Argentina kit history can be seen as a history of adidas kits. From the subtle to the graphical, from the bold to the classic, and to the present, with the patterned shirts and varied stripe configurations we’ve seen recently, there’s something for any lover of The Brand with the Three Stripes - particularly if they’re a lover of white and sky blue too.
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