The jerseys of the World Champion National Teams in the 21st Century

It is less and less until the start of the World Cup in Qatar, which will see the first ball roll on 20 November with the match between the hosts and Ecuador. The 32 participants are ready to do battle, with the usual national teams of Brazil, France, Argentina and Germany vying for the trophy and the outsiders ready to give us some surprises. And although the selections have already presented their official uniforms, between innovation and references to tradition, how can we not remember the shirts of the national teams that have lifted the recent World Cup to the sky.

Five World Cups have been held in the 21st century, six with the one just around the corner in Qatar, where we have seen five different national teams triumph. In 2002 in Korea and Japan Ronaldo's Brazil triumphed; in 2006 in Germany it was the turn of Cannavaro's Italy; in 2010 Spain in South Africa; Germany in 2014 in Brazil; and France in 2018 in Russia. Five teams that wore shirts that have irrevocably passed into history and that we still see worn in the stands around the world.

2002 - Brazil - Nike

A classic bright yellow jersey, signed by Nike, that of 2002 World Champion Brazil in Korea and Japan. The peculiarity is the squared green inserts on the sides and the horizontal stripe on the sleeve. A historical uniform for a Greenoro national team that ended that World Cup undefeated, winning in the final against Germany thanks to Ronaldo's double, who on that occasion presented himself with the iconic, as much as questionable, 'half-moon' cut. The away uniform, however, was the same as the first but blue with white inserts. Brazil wore it on only one occasion: the quarter-final against England, which they won 2-1.

 2006 - Italy - PUMA

The shirt Italy wore in the triumphant 2006 World Cup in Germany was not without its share of criticism, before becoming legendary thanks to its unhoped-for success. The kit of the Italian national team has historically hardly ever abandoned the uniform blue colouring, in that case, however, Puma decided to dare and change by also inserting navy blue shaded inserts along the sides and under the sleeves. Numbers and letters, in gold, also had a totally tiny font. Novelties that made some people turn up their noses, then forgotten after Fabio Cannavaro raised the World Cup to the sky following the penalty shoot-out victory in the final against France. In the course of the event, Italy always played in blue, never wearing and showing the Away uniform.

2010 - Spain - adidas

For the Spain jersey that would later become World Champion in South Africa in 2010, adidas decided to stick to the classic with a very bright red compared to the darker red of the previous jersey and inserts of an intense yellow on the shoulders and sleeves. The finishing touches on the collar and sleeve edging were instead blue. The old Roja logo was also still present on this jersey; that is, the one rich in colour and finishing compared to the current more minimalist one. But Spanish fans will remember with particular affection the Away jersey, the one in which Iniesta scored the decisive goal in extra time in the final against Holland. A dark blue jersey with yellow and red inserts (the colours of the Spanish flag) on the shoulders and sleeves.

2014 - Germany - adidas

For the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, which Germany went on to win in the final against Argentina thanks to Gotze's goal in extra time, adidas stayed true to tradition. The white base remained intact, while what was new was the wing-shaped band on the chest in three different colours, red with a black stripe above and a gold stripe below. The V-collar and sleeves then had black piping, enhanced by a red insert. The Away shirt, on the other hand, was made up of four large horizontal red and black stripes and is remembered for one match in particular: the 7-1 thrashing of hosts Brazil in the semi-finals. A match that has remained in the history of both national teams.

2018 - France - Nike

The latest, at least for the moment, to stick in the minds of fans is the jersey designed by Nike for France, which lifted its second World Cup to the sky in 2018. The colour is a very dark navy blue, while on the sleeves and shoulders was a much lighter blue. The square collar is closed by a button bearing the national motto 'Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité'. The colours of the French flag are reproduced through the composition of the entire kit: blue for the jersey, white for the shorts and red for the socks. The away jersey is also nationalistic, white being the main colour with red and blue lines also representing the national flag.