March 20, 2019 – The historic national team kit of Croatia is making a buzz in the football world yet again.
Spanish national daily sports newspaper Marca announced an online vote to determine the most beautiful football kits in the world. They’ve selected 50 of the best, and have left the rest up to readers, encouraging them to “vote with the head and not with the heart” so that the final ranking is fair.
Not surprisingly, the national team jersey of Croatia, which was released by Nike ahead of the historic 2018 World Cup, is currently in first place, taking over 59,300 of the vote. Better yet is that the kit of Nigeria, which also made a buzz in Russia last summer, is in second place with only 19,200 votes. It’s interesting that the current top two kits played against each other in the group stage of the World Cup, too.
Somewhat surprisingly, the national team kit of Spain is in third with 16,500 of the vote. You can still vote for your favorite here (hint: Croatia).
Funnily enough, Croatia’s national team kits were released on March 21, 2018, exactly one year ago today.
Croatia captain Luka Modrić commented then:
“Every Croatian player is proud to wear one of the most beautiful and recognizable jerseys in the world. I like the big red and white checks because it reflects our ambition and potential. For the first time in my career, I will lead the Croatian national team as captain of the World Cup and this jersey will be of the utmost importance to me.”
The recognizable checkers are an indispensable element on the home and reserve kit and symbolize national pride, said Nike.
“The checks are bigger than ever, even two to three times in comparison to the previous ones, and they reflect dignity and beauty, the pride of every player on the field,” said Pete Hoppins, the senior creative director at Nike Football. “In addition to excellence in football, Croatia has one of the most visually appealing teams in the world today. Croatians are extremely proud of their legacy, which is manifested through these checkerboards, inspired by the Croatian flag.”
Nike’s Vaporknit technology makes the jerseys light and airy so that the players can move without any interference. The jerseys are made from the same material as t-shirts and do not have seams, and thus eliminate any additional obstructions while allowing players to perform better on the pitch.
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