Colours
Home: white shirt with black/red trim and three-tone red chest chevron, white shorts, white socks
Away: black and red hooped shirt with white/silver trim, black shorts, black socks
Overview
Coach: Joachim Löw.
The 2013-2015 home Nationaltrikot would be the subject of much controversy before and after its release in November 2013 for the friendly in Milan against Italy, both for the design itself and the fact that for the first time an official Germany strip would not consist of white shirts and black shorts. In a break with tradition, the new white shirt was paired with matching white shorts – giving the team a new and somewhat unfamiliar all-white look.
This colour combination had been used previously on the pitch – the last occasion being the memorable second phase meeting at the World Cup finals in 1974 against Poland in Frankfurt – but never before had the official first-choice colours been anything but Schwarz und Weiß. Unsurprisingly, both the colours and the core design of the shirt itself would be met with a number of negative reviews from both commentators and supporters.
The white Adidas shirt is markedly different from previous designs; while it retains the essential white colour and mainly black trim including the famous three shoulder stripes, it features a chevron on the chest composed of three shades of red. Since the introduction of colour to the traditional outfit in the 1980s, there had been nothing but Schwarz-Rot-Gold, but this new design actually contains very little gold. Indeed, it is barely noticeable as a very fine line at the bottom of the chevron.
Essentially, the shirt is built on the foundations of a classical V-necked design; take away the chevron, and you have the classic look – with the black v-neck lined with a subtle dark-red trim. The chevron itself is composed of three colours – a dark red which is almost burgundy, a slightly lighter shade and a more standard bright red. At the top of the red panel is a thin black band, and at the bottom another thin band in old gold – as opposed to the brighter colour found on the German flag and on previous designs. There are slightly thinner old gold lines above and below the main design, with what can best described as a “fade in, fade out” design, and the red panel itself contains thin black pinstripes.
The Adidas logo that can be found to the left of the chevron is stitched in silver thread, while the DFB eagle roundel is of the same plastic construction as the 2012 and 2010 designs. As it is sitting on a darker background, the colours of the national crest have been reversed – as was the case on both the 2010 and 1996 Trikots – with a silver eagle and “Deutscher Fussball-Bund” sitting on a black circular background. Above the crest are the three championship stars in silver.
The 2013-2015 Heimtrikot, sported by World Cup winning goalscorer Mario Götze
There are a number of other design features to complete the overall design. In addition to the traditional three shoulder stripes that end partway down the sleeve to accommodate the tournament and Fair Play logo patches, the cuffs are black with a thin red lining – much like the neck – and on the sides there is a stylised 2cm black and silver stripe composed of a silver background and sixteen very fine black pinstripes. The security hologram features on other more recent designs no longer features, and a very simple “Climacool” logo is silver lower case letters can be found on the base of the shirt on the right.
The reverse of the 2013/15 Trikot is simpler than most previous designs, with a line composed of very fine black, red and old gold pinstripes running horizontally over the the shoulder blade area. Between this design and the bottom of neck are the legend “Die Nationalmannschaft” in silver printing.
In contrast to the 2011/13 kit, the 203/15 design would be associated with a number of wonderful memories, all during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. There was Thomas Müller’s hat-trick against Portugal in the group phase and Mats Hummels’ towering header in the quarter-final against France, but there is little doubt that the “chevron” shirt will always be associated with the young hero of Rio, Mario Götze.
Following on from the launch of the new-look all-white Heimtrikot, the design for the away kit would be just as innovative with another new style previously unseen on any Germany shirt – red and black horizontal stripes.
Looking a little like QPR’s away shirt from 1982-82 and Dennis Menace’s famous outfit, the design for the 2014 Auswärtstrikot would clearly be chosen as a nod to Brazilian club side Clube de Regatas do Flamengo – a sneaky attempt perhaps by the DFB to pick up some additional support from the World Cup hosts.
There is an unmistakably classic look about the new design, from the six alternating black and and dark red hoops through to the circular neck with a stylishly retro button-up collar. This bold combination is uncomplicated, with the only additional feature being a number of very subtle thin horizontal pinstripes on the red panels representing team spirit and integration on the pitch.
Unlike the plastic/polymer application on the home shirt, the national eagle crest and the three championship stars are stitched in fine silver thread on the black hoop running across the upper chest of the wearer, complementing the Adidas logo on the other side. Running partway down the shoulders to accommodate the tournament and FIFA Fair Play logos are the three trademarked Adidas stripes in silver, and located on the lower right is the printed “Climacool” logo, also in silver.
It is the amount of silver – as opposed to the traditional “German gold” – which is arguably the only negative aspect to this stylish and eye-catching design. Rather than being Schwarz-Rot-Gold, it is clearly Schwarz-Rot-Silber.
There is quite literally only a sliver of gold on this Trikot, which can be found in the same pinstriped line running across the shoulder blades that can be found on the home shirt. Even then, it is not the gold found in the German flag, but the paler old gold first used on the 2010 design.
Miroslav Klose, scoring his record-breaking goal in the historic game that would make this Auswärtstrikot a classic
The 2014 Auswärtstrikot shares two other shared features with the home design: the same 2cm black and silver stripe running down the sides and the printed legend “Die Nationalmannschaft” at the nape of the neck in silver, which stands out far more prominently on the top black panel underneath the collar.
The shirt would be worn for the first time by the team for the friendly international against Chile in Stuttgart in March 2014, but perhaps the best memory would be the famous World Cup semi-final against hosts Brazil in Belo Horizonte. In fact, for this very reason it is likely to be remembered as one of the most famous German Trikots of all time.
Many players would get on the scoreboard in what was a historic day for German football. Müller got things underway, Toni Kroos and André Schürrle both bagged braces and Sami Khedira’s finish was delightful. But for me, both that wonderful game – and the black and red shirt – will always be associated with one man: goal-scoring record-breaker Miroslav Klose.
World Champions
After Germany’s triumph in Brazil, necessary amendments were made to the two designs. The first – and permanent – addition was the fourth championship star, which was added above the national eagle and suitably realigned. For the length of their reign as world champions, the adapted designs also had to accommodate the gold FIFA winners shield.
On the white home shirt (technically, what could be called the 2014-15 design), the machine-stitched FIFA champions patch was added to the centre of the chest, just above the point of the chevron design.
The Auswärtstrikot, on the other hand, was given a significant makeover. Rather than having the FIFA shield positioned in the middle where it would have looked a little out of place under the Auswärtstrikot’s buttoned neck, it was placed on the left (the wearer’s right), replacing the Adidas logo – which was moved to the centre, slightly below both the badge and shield.
The examples from my collection, illustrated here, carry the names and numbers of two of Germany’s World Cup winning squad. The white home shirt has the number thirteen worn by Thomas Müller, while the red and black away design is printed with Miroslav Klose’s number 11.
Tournament Record
2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil: winners
Shirt Debuts
White: v Italy, 15.11.2013, Milano
Team: Neuer – Höwedes, Boateng, Hummels, Jansen – Lahm (c), Khedira (67. S. Bender) – Müller (87. L. Bender), Schürrle (59. Reus), Kroos – Götze (59. Özil)
Score: 1-1 (Hummels 8. / Abate 28.)
Black/Red: v Chile, 05.03.2014, Stuttgart
Team: Neuer – Großkreutz, Mertesacker, Boateng, Jansen (24. Schmelzer) – Lahm (c), Schweinsteiger – Götze (83. Podolski), Kroos, Özil (89. Ginter*) – Klose (46. Schürrle)
Score: 1-0 (Götze 16. / -)
Shirt Images
