Adidas unveil first Italy national football team kits in over 40 years

Adidas have dropped the new kits for the Italy national football team, their first offering of their new partnership with the Azzurri.

The launch coincides with a campaign that Adidas are running with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) called “The Search – La Ricera”.

The sportswear giants say that the series will tell the story of Italy’s football heritage, showcasing symbols of Italian identity. This campaign will point to the national team’s past, present, and future, whilst featuring appearances from the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alessandro Del Piero.

These new kits also mark the beginning of a deal between Italy Football and Adidas. In March 2022, the FIGC announced a “long-term” partnership with the German kit maker, starting in 2023. All Italy national teams – including the men’s, women’s, youth, and futsal squads – will wear Adidas gear.

Per Reuters, this sponsorship will earn the Italian Football Federation €35 million a year.

So, what do the new jerseys look like?

Adidas release brand new Italy kits

Both the home and away strips that Adidas released are built on the theme of marble. A staple of historical Italian architecture and monuments, the “marble effect” is a nod to Italy’s history. It also makes for a beautiful kit design.

The home kit, in traditional blue, sees marble veins run across the design in a slightly different shade of the same colour. Meanwhile, gold accents on the shirt sleeves and collar add a touch of class to the strip. Gold continues on the shirt’s reverse, where “ITALIA” is written at the top of the neck.

This new kit also utilises the famous “Tricolore” flag in an understated manner. Firstly, the Adidas stripes on the shoulders feature Tricolore detailing. Then, Adidas have used the flag design as the trim on the side of the shirt, plus continued it to the base of the top and shorts.

Traditional blue shorts and white socks finish off what is a classy and stylish strip. Similarly, the away kit is easy on the eye, too.

The away strip

Adidas used marble patterning on both the Italy home and away kits. However, it is much more pronounced on their alternate effort.

Featuring an off-white colour base, navy marble veins provide a stunning design to the front of the shirt. The German manufacturer continued this navy contrast in the trim of the kit, featuring on the cuffs and side of both the jersey and off-white shorts.

Adidas’ traditional three stripes are also navy, although the ones across the shoulders have Tricolore detailing – like the home shirt. Another similarity to the home strip is “ITALIA” in Roman numeral font on the neck. This time, though, the text is in navy.

Both kits feature Adidas’ new logo, as well as FIGC’s updated crest.

These fresh designs mark a triumphant return of the Adidas-Italy partnership. Considering that the German brand have not made FIGC kits in over 40 years, it’s like they’ve never been away.

Italy’s shirt history

Adidas first made Italy shirts back in 1974. They produced the Azzurri’s kits at both the 1974 and 1978 World Cups. Interestingly, though, the iconic “three stripes” were absent from the kit design.

Following this, in 1980, Italy switched to French brand Le Coq Sportif. They wore this for six years, winning the 1982 World Cup during this period. Despite the success in French gear, the Italians returned to a brand from their homeland in 1986.

The Azzurri had Diadora strips from 1986 all the way through to 1995. This included a run to third place at their home World Cup in Italia ’90 and a runner-up spot in 1994. But, maybe looking to banish memories of Roberto Baggio’s penalty miss, the FIGC changed to Nike in 1995.

Three years with the American giants preceded a further three with Kappa before Italy switched to Puma in 2003. This partnership proved one that stuck; Italy donned Puma kits for 19 years before their deal with Adidas.

During this period, the Azzurri enjoyed success at the 2006 World Cup and EURO 2020. However, low points such as failing to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups mean that their partnership ended on a sombre note.

Maybe, with Adidas providing kits, the Azzurri can return to the big stage in 2026.

Featured image credit: Twitter/Pro:Direct Soccer

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