Time for a new Nationaltrikot already? Germany have in recent years launched a new kit every tour years, usually in the November before a major tournament the following year. This year, they have bucked the trend by launching a new white home kit for next year’s Confederations Cup in Russia – replacing the current design after less than a year.
In 2005, Adidas launched a new red design for the German national team for the Confederations Cup, but it was based on the existing template. It was more of a third kit, an addition rather than a replacement. National team football shirts used to be simple uniforms for the players, but in recent years have become much more than that. In line with the modern marketing approach, the new kit was unveiled with no little razzmatazz in Düsseldorf, sported by a group of players including İlkay Gündoğan and new boy Benjamin Henrichs.
Like the previous design, the 2017 Heimtrikot is simple with a number of classic features. The black retro round neck of the Euro 2016 design is replaced by an equally classical white v-neck with Schwarz, Rot, Gold trim – a design that harks back to the first-ever introduction of colour to the age-old white and black design in 1986. The three Adidas stripes return to the top of the design after a season down the sides, but instead of running all the way down the arm stops at the end of the shoulder. The balance is perfect.
The crowning glory, of course, is the watermark. The now cult “patchwork” pattern was used in the late 1980s and early 1990s by a number of international teams including the Netherlands and the Soviet Union, but German fans will always remember the green kit sported by the team in the famous penalty shootout victory over England in Turin. The spirit of that wonderful shirt (and with it, the grinning Olaf Thon) is transported into this new design with artistic subtlety.
Olaf Thon and Jürgen Klinsmann wearing the green Auswärtstrikot in Turin in 1990. A classic shirt for a classic team.
Unlike the original 1990 layout, the subtle “patchwork” pattern is only applied to the front and cuffs of the shirt, with the back and sleeves in plain white. If you had asked me (or any other fan who was around in the 1990s, for that matter) to design a kit, I would have arrived at something close to this. It has all the hallmarks of a modern classic, and will surely be a fan favourite.
The Adidas logo and the national eagle symbol are both in black – machine-stitched for the replica and in high-grade lightweight plastic for the “pro” kits – and between these is the gold FIFA World Champions shield. Apart from a very simple “Climacool” logo in small black lettering at the bottom of the front of the garment and a simple “Die Mannschaft” in black just below the nape of the neck, that’s it.
Clean, simple, and very German.
The perfect complement for this shirt is, of course, the traditional black shorts – again, a simple design with the three Adidas Streifen piped in white. Even the socks are back to normal, with the black ones used with the Euro 2016 kit replaced by the more traditional white with black three-stripe trim.
The “1990” Trikot will its debut in the upcoming World Cup qualifier against San Marino in Serravalle, before making another appearance in the prestige friendly against Italy in Milan. There are no plans to replace the existing grey and khaki away kit, which will used alongside the new white outfit until the end of 2017.