Sport Coming to Life: The Roots and Evolution of Football

The Brazil football shirt, as well as the game itself, experienced many changes throughout the years and although one of the most popular shirt nowadays is known as Amarelinha (meaning “little yellow one”), it did not quite start like that.

The first football-like games are believed to have taken place in China and consisted in the simple movement of kicking a ball into a net. Historians have uncovered that throughout the world this game evolved according to the specificity of each region, often being played without a strict set of rules and an unlimited number of players. As evolution continued, the need for a more authentic and rigorous sport rose, therefore a great change happened in England in the late 19th century, when the game became more formalized, establishing a new kind of system.

The first set of rules and regulations first came to be in 1863 under the name of The Football Association and many British classes (sailors, workers, traders, etc.) started practicing this sport, which soon became spreading worldwide. In Brazil it became popular due to a Brazilian of British origins by the name of Charles Miller, who is regarded as the father of football ( https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-blog/debate-over-brazilian-footballs-british-origins#:~:text='Charles%20Miller%20is%20widely%20regarded,echelons%20of%20S%C3%A3o%20Paulo%20society. ) by the Brazilian people. Nevertheless, at the time, only elites were allowed to play the game, being considered an upper-class sport and, being inspired by the British clubs, wore black or white shirts.

Through time, the demand to become more noticeable and distinguishable was greater, thus the shirts industry took a great leap and is continually evolving.

Coloring the Game: The Heritage of the Brazil Football Shirt

If at first the equipment was wool-made, later it was revealed that synthetic fabrics were lighter and more breathable, and the Brazil football shirt made no exception. In the early days, the shirt had a blue collar with the rest of it being white and this kind of combination was used for a few decades. Brazil, being a spiritual country, when facing a great defeat in the 1950’s World Cup final, decided that the shirts were to blame, as the colors were thought to bring bad luck. Therefore, a great adjustment needed to be made regarding this aspect, giving birth to what is known as “The Golden Transformation” in 1953 – introducing the yellow (accompanied by green trims) shirts and blue shorts.

In the Brazilian culture, these colors had the most sacred significance:
• yellow (used as a primary color in the new Brazil football shirt ( https://www.soccerlord.se/product-category/international/brazil/ ) was considered a symbol for the country’s sunshine and good energy;
• blue was related to the sky in its infinity.

The kit overall (including the white socks) has represented the foundation of what Brazil stands for in its existence.

Coloring both inside and outside the lines proved to be a bold move, as it opened the path to winning many championships while creating a legend that Brazil’s football teams stand for nowadays.

The Importance of Great Fabric as a Result of Years of Evolution

Normally made of a polyester mesh that does not trap body heat and sweat, unlike natural fibers, the football shirts have numbers on their backs (from 1 to 11) in correspondence with their playing positions and the players’ names displayed above or below said numbers. Polyester is a polymer ( https://www.compoundchem.com/2022/12/15/football-shirt-2022/ ) that came to be standardly used in the 1990s by the majority of football clubs due to its many qualities, the most important one being its ability to absorb a very small amount of its weight, making it much less probable to get drenched in sweat during the game.

Another commonly woven fiber is elastane, which has the ability to stretch roughly five times its length before showing signs of fissure, while also being able to return to its primary shape.
If in the new days of football, the players used clothes made of natural fabrics, in this era, with the evolution going such high places, the game in itself became more enjoyable making it a worthwhile competition to be a part of.

Innovation Throughout Time: The Rising Stars

Brazil has introduced the world to many football legends, such as Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pele or Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, most commonly referred to as Ronaldinho, to name just a few; while these incredibly talented and hardworking players managed to put their country on the football map, a great deal of help also came from the energy they received from the cheering crowds. Every football match, big or small, is seen as a holiday and treated as such by the people who come in large groups to support their favorite team. As football became more popular, the stadiums larger and the public noisier, so did the energy that invigorated the Brazil football shirt, giving the players the stamina and vigor they needed to bring this game to life.

In the 1950s, Europe also went through a great football spurt, having Italy as a great and important representative in the field, which, at the time, decided to use stars as symbols of won games and championships. These starts, sewn into the shirt, soon became famous worldwide and many other countries adopted this approach in order to motivate and also show off their teams. Brazil began using them briefly in 1968, when they had two stars sewn above their badge and later removed them, but as they won the 1970’s World Cup (their third one), one more star was added and have used this kind of system ever since. Nowadays, the Brazil football shirt has five stars above their badge, standing for five World Cup wins ( https://footballeffect.com/why-are-there-always-stars-on-football-jerseys/ ).

Traditional Outlooks Pouring in the Modern World

Brazil has a history of showing a very traditional and conservative appearance, thus not being very receptive to the modern overflow of ideas. Through time, their football kit went through many changes, from colors to style, in an attempt to keep the interest, innovation and enthusiasm alive. Still, the color that passed the test of time is still yellow, a symbol of hope, sunshine and energy hemmed with green lines that represent growth and harmony, giving it a fresh yet conventional look.

Therefore, although recent versions of the kit have presented subtle motifs and designs, the result was not a very acclaimed one, thus deciding to have some help from famous football players, such as Neymar, who took it upon himself to bring the kit to the younger audiences.
Another interesting move has been the release of limited edition kits, in an attempt to cultivate enthusiasm and a sense of adventure in connoisseurs and fans; some examples of said kits are the all-black anti-racism ones or the retro ones.

Football is an ever-growing type of game that does not only require the stamina and great training of the football players, but also the voice of the crowd, the loud cheering that gives life to the game, making it an adventure of a lifetime with each goal and every hem on the Brazilian football shirt.