To wear soccer uniforms, it doesn’t matter where you were born for soccer stars.

The thrill of representing your country and wearing your national soccer jersey with pride is something that is a dream for many soccer players but sometimes, players play for a country other than the one they were born in. The vast majority of international players turn out for their country of birth but there can be many reasons why they play for another and the laws make this perfectly.

Some players may think that their chances of playing for their own national team is limited so decide to play for another team in order to gain more caps and get the chance to play at a major tournament. It is obvious that Brazil has an abundance of great players and not everyone can get their way into the squad and some top class players are an example of this. Soccer fans the world over will recognize Deco as a Portugal player and Marcos Senna was a major part of Spains Euro 2008 success but both players were born in Brazil. Perhaps both believed they would stand a better chance of being picked by another nation but it goes to show that even great players can use the ruling to play for another nation.

Other big nations like England, France, Italy and Germany have also benefitted from the rules that allow players to play for a nation other than their country of birth. England fans would agree that Owen Hargreaves was the best player in the England soccer uniforms at their last major tournament but he was born in Canada. France have long picked the best players from their colonies around the coast of Africa to play for them and the backbone of the team, like Patrick Viera who won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championships in 2000 hailed from outside France. The history of Germany shows strong links to Poland and Turkey which means that many players have switched their allegiances. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podoski were both born in Poland but have starred in the white soccer top of Germany as opposed to the red kit of Poland.

Italy not only have Giuseppe Rossi who was born in America and could be playing for the USA national team. Italy also two Argentinean born stars, Mauro Camoranesi and Pablo Danial Osvaldo, in their line-up so although the rules of who a player can play for can really help small nations get some great players, it can also be of benefit to the major nations as well.

One player who has thrilled fans in the green and white soccer kit of his club and country is Aiden McGeady. The Celtic wide man was born in Scotland but choose to play for the Republic of Ireland through links on his grandparents side but this move has not been without controversy. McGeady opted for the FAI after the SFA made no moves to select him and even though he was well within his rights to opt to play for another national team, McGeady is subjected to racial and sectarian abuse at away grounds throughout Scotland.

No matter the reason a player chooses to play for another national team, there is a fair amount of controversy and not every fan believes the rules are right. International soccer is an exciting proposition though and anything which ensures more talented players are able to play is better for soccer fans everywhere. Read More!

The History of Soccer Uniforms.

The origin of soccer is a hotly contested topic but the game took a professionalshape in the United Kingdom in the late 18th century but a team uniform was not of the early innovations of the new sport. A similar colored shirt or cap or scarf was worn to differentiate teams but around the 1870s, steps were taken to move soccer uniforms to what they are commonly known as today.

Even then, matching shorts and socks were not considered part of the team uniform until the early 1900s. Long trousers or pantaloons were common features of early soccer games and the earliest version of shin guards made an appearance before shorts and socks were properly introduced.

However, as soon as the traditional top, shorts and socks uniform was established, its popularity spread like wildfire and soccer teams around the world were noted by their particular uniform. As soccer spread around the world with travellers and former UK citizens introducing the game to new countries, a similarity in kits grew.

This has led to the familiarity between strips of teams around the world. One example would be Juventus from Italy wearing the sae strip as Notts County, black and white stripes. As time has moved on, Juventus have become far more famous around the world but at the start of the 20th century, Notts County were one of the biggest clubs in English soccer and therefore the world of soccer at the time.

With two world wars spanning the next few decades, any developments in soccer fashion was mainly cosmetic with the few changes focusing on moving away from a proper shirt to the style of top that is more commonly associated with the modern era of the game.

As the advent of European Cup and the rise of television, soccer fans around the world became more aware of teams from other nations and the different styles of kit started to create new influences. One of the most important influences came from Real Madrid, European Cup winners for the first five years.

Real Madrid wore a striking all white kit, most notably copied by Leeds United who changed their blue and yellow kit, and sported a smaller pair of shorts than the baggy efforts that were common in Britain. The 1960s not only brought about a revolution in the world of music, there was a fashion change in the world of soccer as button collars and long shorts went out of style and circle and v-neck collars with smaller shorts.

The 1970s saw even further fashionable changes but the next revolution in soccer uniforms came with the selling of replica shirts and then the addition of sponsors’ logos on the kit. Soccer clubs realised they could make money by selling copies of their strips to fans and as televised soccer grew more popular, companies were eager to have their name positioned on the team kit.

original soccer uniform Although the 1980s were memorable as the era when soccer shorts were at their smallest and tightest, the most important changes in soccer uniforms since then have revolved around the technology. Sportswear technology has allowed kit manufacturers to make uniforms that are lighter, cooler and draw sweat

away from players’ bodies.

All of these innovations are designed to give an edge to the top players in a sport where the slightest advantage can make all the difference.
Fashion trends and styles come and go but the demand for soccer uniforms has never been higher than it is today. With new technologies making the kit even lighter and more suitable to the quickening pace of the game, soccer uniforms will continue to keep evolving and fascinating fans the world over.

Read More!