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“At first glance, the German World Cup 2010 uniforms did not entirely impress me. I thought they were plain and it seemed the small colored strip running vertically down the jersey’s left breast to be a photographic blip on the pixeled screen. However, after looking closely at the kits, namely as being displayed on four German players (Lahm, Ballack, Schweinsteiger, and Mertesacker), I found the kits to exude an air of humble professionalism. I like the subtle single stripe carrying the national colors on the home jersey. I also think Adidas did well designing the black away jerseys. Black is not a color easy to perfect or appreciate but in this case, the red trim outlining the black does the trick. I do not think Germany’s away jerseys deserve the criticism about which I have read, a subject I will return to later in this post.

Neither the home nor the away jersey is flashy, but they still carry a meaningful undertone of German heritage. The three stars positioned above the German eagle signify the three previous German World Cup Victories. Of note, the first victory occurred in Bern, Switzerland in 1954. It was the first time Germany was allowed into the World Cup after World War II and was credited to have a significant unifying affect on the divided nation.

Regardless of your opinion on their kits, I do not think they should be rated among the worst. I recently read an article on ESPN outlining the top ten worst jerseys of world cup history where the 2010 Germany away jersey fell into spot number two. I would recommend that you completely disregard this type of article as ESPN posted it based completely on opinion. Though some of the opinions might add up, ultimately some sports journalist’s boss needed material which sounded catchy and opted for another top ten list. When the sport of soccer boils down to the rudiments, it is about personal passion and national pride. If the team chooses to wear white tee’s with a flagged stamped on their back and yet can still carry their weight to the final, they should be allowed to wear what they please. Germany’s kits are, of course, much more substantial than white tees. Regardless, the performance is in the player, not in the kit.”

-Gus Bennett of Freiburg, Germany

The German home shirt can be considered one of football’s most refined kits. The TECHFIT technology is supposed to increase speed, strength, posture, jumping, oxygen efficiency and gullibility*.The home shirt recalls both the 1996 and 1998 editions. To us, it displays a dignified restraint not always covered when analyzing the pantheon of German jerseys. See: ’90 home, ’92 home, ’94 home. We’re not usually a fan of the three stripes on the shoulder’s but if anyone can pull it off it’s Germany. The badge, a monotone plate rather than a multicolored traditional patch, is literally reflective of a modern touch on tradition.
We started to write about the reference Gus made to the controversy surrounding the away kit. Eventually, it became long and complex enough to warrant it’s own article. We will use this space to discuss the composition of the kit which seems the logical conclusion to the away kit’s recent progression. Example: 2006, 2008. One of our favorite blogs, Football Shirt Culture, had this to say about the kits origins:

“The Adidas designers got their inspiration for the black shirt from the first unofficial international match, known as “Ur-match”. On 12 December 1898 – before the founding of the DFB, a German team played in Paris against the White Rovers Club.”

We also learned that the old green kits (’90 away, ’94 away, ’96 away, ’98 away, ’00 away) that Germany sported were done so because that is the official color of the German FA, the DFB. Apparently, that federation finally reconciled the fact the no one wants to buy ugly-ass shirts and started to move in another direction about ten years ago. Good decision.

*made this one up.