You know they wanted to change the Brazilian national team's uniform to red, right? That 's right. And it wasn't a parallel reality, it wasn't right here in Brazil.
But this crazy idea was enough to cause a real national uproar. Many people reacted with indignation, saying that red could never represent the Brazilian national team, especially because it refers to political ideologies, regional rivalries, and of course, because it completely strays from the identity built over the decades with green and yellow. The outcry was so great that the idea was quickly shelved.
But the most curious thing is that Brazil didn't always play in green and yellow, in fact, it used to wear red. So stay until the end of the video and I'll explain all the details of this curious story. And you've also noticed that most national teams use colors that represent their country, right?
In general, these colors are on the national flag, but what about when they're not? Well, there are well-known exceptions and others that you probably never stopped to think about. And so the question remains: how are the colors of the national team's shirts chosen?
The answer can involve everything from countries that no longer exist to national flowers and even symbols of royalty. Get ready, because today you'll find out why some teams don't use their own colors. By the way, if you enjoy curiosities like this, like the video and subscribe to the channel because here we always bring surprising stories from world football.
Perhaps the most famous example of a team that deviates from the colors of the flag is Italy. The Italian team is known as glizurri, or the blues. And this is, of course, because of the predominant color of the uniform.
But why blue and not green or red, which are the colors of the flag? To understand this, we need to go back in time to 1910, when Italy played its first official game, a friendly against France. On that occasion, the Italians were not wearing blue but white.
And why? Well, there is no official version, but there are some very interesting theories. One of them says that the team simply did not choose any specific color at that time, and white was the most common and cheapest to produce.
Another theory states that the choice of white was a tribute to the best Italian team of the time, Provertell, which had won five national titles playing in white uniforms. But white, despite being on the Italian flag, did not represent anything very strong for the Italian people. There was a lack of something that connected the country's identity with football It was then that, at the end of 1910, the idea of using Savoia blue as the main color of the national team's shirt arose.
And the reason: blue was one of the shades present in the flag of the House of Savoy, the Italian royal family that ruled the country at that time. The choice was strategic. Blue was not only linked to royalty but also conveyed an image of strength, tradition, and national pride.
A touch of class and history all together on the shirt. And look how curious it is: in addition to the blue shirt, the uniform also featured the coat of arms of the House of Savoy printed on the chest. The shorts remained white and the socks black.
The official debut of the blue uniform took place on January 6, 1911, in the friendly against Hungary. And it was on that day that the legendary blue shirt of the Azurra was born. Take advantage and comment below if you already knew this and which national team uniform you think is the most beautiful to this day.
But don't worry, the story doesn't end there. During the Mussolini regime, the dictator ordered the Italian team to play all in black. Yes, black from head to toe.
This radical change was inspired by the uniforms of the Ardit, a group of elite soldiers of the World War I. Furthermore, Mussolini ordered the inclusion of more authoritarian details in the uniform, such as a new version of the House of Savoy's shield adapted to the fascist regime, a true political use of football, something that unfortunately was not rare throughout history. The main symbol of fascist Italy was the faxes, a bundle of rods with an axe, an ancient symbol of authority and power.
But everything changed in the post-war period. With the fall of Mussolini and the abolition of the monarchy, the traditional shield of the House of Savoy was replaced by a new tricolor emblem representing the new Italian republic. And with this change, the traditional Savoy Blue also returned to being the main tone of the national team's shirt.
The color remained until the 1940s. Today, of course, with slight variations over the years, but always preserving the essence of the blue uniform that the whole world knows. By the way, stay tuned because there are many incredible stories from other national teams in this video.
You won't want to miss it. And just as Italy adopted the colors of a legendary team, Provertell, another country did something similar. We're talking about Uruguay.
The best-known version of this story says that in 1902, the Uruguayan national team entered the field for the first time. As it didn't yet have its own uniform, it used that of Albion FC, one of the oldest clubs in the country, just adapting it with the Uruguayan flag sewn on the chest. After this game, Uruguay spent almost 8 years without a fixed uniform, alternating between different shirt colors and models.
Until in 1910, something remarkable happened. The Riverplate club from Montevidel, not to be confused with River from Buenos Aires, defeated the powerful Alumi from Argentina, which was the greatest South American team at the time. As a way of paying tribute, the Uruguayan national team decided to adopt the sky-blue color used by Riverplate in that historic game.
And thus was born the legendary sky-blue shirt of the Olympic sky-blue. But is it really true? In recent years, photos have emerged.
From the time that shows the national team already wearing the 1902 sky blue shirt. This puts the Riverplate theory in doubt. In other words, the exact origin is still a mystery, but the fact is that sky blue has become part of the Uruguayan soul.
In the case of the next national team, there is no doubt . We know exactly why they use the colors they use. Let's talk about Germany.
The German flag is black, red, and yellow, but the four-time world champion enters the field in a black and white uniform. And the explanation comes straight from history. It all started in 1908 when Germany played its first match.
At the time, the country was still part of the Kingdom of Prussia, which lasted until 1918. The Prussian flag had a white background with two black stripes and the Prussian coat of arms on the left side. These white and black colors were chosen for the national team's uniform.
Even after the end of the Kingdom of Prussia, with the new flag being adopted in 1918, the national team maintained the traditional colors as a way of preserving the identity built since the early days. And even with the tragic events of World War II. The tradition remained.
After the war, Germany was divided into two states: West Germany and East Germany, but the white shirt with black details remained the symbol of German excellence in football. West Germany then maintained the traditional combination of white and black in its uniform. The East German national team followed a different path.
They chose blue as their main color to clearly differentiate themselves from their, so-called, sister country. With the reunification of the two Germanys in 1990, the teams became one again . However, the chosen uniform was that of the former West Germany, a symbol that still represents the four-time world champion.
Take advantage and comment below. Did you know this story about Germany's colors? Let's see who really understands football and history.
Another curious example is that of the Netherlands national team. For me, one of the most beautiful shirts in world football. They are known worldwide as the "mechanical orange" both for their style of play and for the shirt's banner.
But their flag is not red, white, and blue. Well, let's go back in time with another history lesson. During the 80 Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands, the so-called Prince's Flag emerged in honor of William of Orange, who are actually several members of the House of Orange, Nassal, the Dutch royal family.
This flag had three horizontal stripes: orange, white, and light blue. When the Netherlands gained its independence, this was adopted as the country's official flag. Over the years, orange was eventually replaced by red and light blue by a darker shade of blue.
Still, orange remained a symbolic color of the Netherlands and that is why it was chosen to dress the national team since 1905. Are you enjoying these curiosities? Leave a like and subscribe here on the channel.
There is much more history coming in this video. And look at Japan. Although the Japanese flag is white with a red circle, the blue samurai, as they are called, enter the field wearing blue.
But where are they from? There is no exact date when blue began to be used. Some sources indicate 1917 when Japan played its first match.
Others claim it was at the 1930 Far Eastern Games. What is known is that at that time the Tokyo University team represented the country and the university's color was precisely light blue. At the 1936 Olympic Games, Japan returned to using light blue.
After that, the team went through some changes between 1968 and 1970 and also from 1975 to 1980, blue gave way to white. In 1980, blue returned, but now with a darker tone similar to what we know today. But history still has a twist around it.
In 1988, with the arrival of coach Kenzu Yokuyama, Japan decided to change again. For the first time, the team played in red and white in the qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup and for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, the result was a total failure in the classifications. The response was quick.
Red was retired and blue came back with everything. becoming the definitive identity of the Japanese national team Which do you prefer Japan in blue or that brief period in red And to close we have Australia the famous Socceros team They wear yellow and green very different from the country's flag which is blue, white and red Curious right? Originally the Australians played in light blue with red details on the socks representing the states of New South Wales and Queensland It was only in 1924 that the definitive change came They started using yellow and green colors that became the trademark of the team Cool right?
Share this with a friend who is a fan of football and history And which of these stories did you find most surprising so far? And calm down there's more And if you haven't signed up yet now is the time These colors green and yellow represent none other than Australia's national flower the Acacia a plant with green leaves and vibrant yellow flowers But do you know who else enters the field with these same colors? Brazil Light The difference is that in the case of the Brazilian team green and yellow are indeed present in the national flag Now hold this For many years the Brazilian team did not play with these colors That's right, as strange as it may seem today the famous The yellow jersey was neither green nor yellow, it was white.
Initially, the Brazilian national team's main uniform was completely white with small details in other colors, such as blue or green. In 1917, there was even a game in which Brazil wore a green-and-yellow striped shirt. On another occasion, a completely red shirt.
In the 1917 South American Championship, the Brazilian team, wearing a white shirt, faced Uruguay and Chile, who also wore white. Since the teams did not have a reserve or alternative uniform, Brazil was forced to wear the red shirt in a draw. In 1936, a similar situation also occurred.
In the South American Championship, the Brazilian team, wearing white, faced the Peruvian team, who also wore white. In a draw, it was up to Brazil to change its shirt and use the uniform borrowed from the Independente de Avejana, which was red. But these were exceptions.
In general, white reigned supreme in the Brazilian uniform until 1950. That's when everything changed. In 1950, the famous Maracanazo took place.
Brazil was the big favorite to win its first world title playing at home. Correio da Manhã newspaper had a bold idea. It launched a public contest to choose the national team's new uniform.
The only requirement: the design had to incorporate the colors of the Brazilian flag. Guess who won? A young man of just 19 years old named Aldir Garcia Cli.
He created a uniform that would become a true icon of world football. Yellow shirt with green details, blue shorts and white socks. A design that remains practically the same to this day.
The new green and yellow made its official debut in March 1954 in a friendly against Chile. And since then, this color combination has accompanied Brazil in all its greatest football achievements. Five World Cups, dozens of legendary stars, and a visual identity that no one else dares to copy.
By the way, leave a like here on the video if you also think that the Brazilian shirt is the most beautiful in the world. And if you enjoy these curious and surprising stories from the world of football, subscribe to the channel because There's a lot more coming And since we're talking about shirts, tradition, identity in football, let me ask you a question: Is the Ballon d'Or really fair? There are many stars out there who shone and enchanted the world, but never won the most talked-about trophy in football.
Do you want to know who they are? Then click on the video that's appearing on the screen now and discover the biggest injustices in the history of the Ballon d'Or. I guarantee there's a name there that will surprise you.
See you there.
