Nike announced their sponsorship of the England national football team back in September 2012, and now they have officially unveiled what the "Three Lions" will be wearing. Unlike the patriotic United States men's and women's national team kits from Nike, these jerseys are pretty boring. They do feature the team's crest on the right side of the chest with a gold star to signify their World Cup win, a traditional shade of blue to match the all-navy shorts, and branding to commemorate the Football Association's 150th anniversary. Is it just us, or did we just see the same jerseys unveiled for the US soccer team with a different patch? Umbro had such a great track record, this is just disappointing.
All in all, the technology and process are more exciting than the kits themselves. The attention to detail that Nike employed is cool (like the St. George crosses hidden in the side vents) but otherwise they could have kept these. We've seen more exciting jerseys on thrift store mannequins. Former national team member Gary Linekertook to twitter and said what others were thinking, and that is that the "new" kits look a lot like the West German kit from 1966: "Smart move by @FA and @nikefootball to go slightly German with the strip. If you can't beat 'em.......” We say if NikeSoccer can't come up with a better kit, they should pass it back to the people who can.
Those who still care can check out the official promo below, but be prepared for a stoneface:
