Sometimes, less really can be more. After experimenting with gold piping, wine-red colours and green stripes, Nike bring the Portugal kit back to it’s essence with the Portugal Euro 2012 Home Shirt and – boy – does it look good.
But that’s not to say it’s plain or uninspired, in fact, Nike have made sure the whole Portugal Euro 2012 Home Shirt is augmented with symbols from their glorious seafaring history.
The new Portugal Home Shirt is a classic design, featuring an all red body with an elegant green crew neck collar, whilst the sleeves are detailed with heat-transferred stripes.
On the sleeves are green crosses formed from thin stripes, with the horizontal lines extending around the entire cuff, to represent the revered Portuguese national symbol, which was emblazoned on the sails of the ships Portugal’s explorers navigated around the world.
Inside the neck is an Armillary Sphere, an astronomical and navigation instrument, which these explorers used to discover the world. It has been a national symbol for over 500 years, featuring in architecture, and most famously as the background to the Portuguese shield on the national flag.
The new home shorts are red, while the new home socks, now with improved cushioning for greater comfort, are also red with a thin green stripe at the top and a small green cross on the back of each calf.
In line with Nike’s commitment to combining athletic performance with lower environmental impact, fabric for the new kit’s shorts is made with 100% recycled polyester, while the shirt fabric is made with a minimum 96% recycled polyester. Each kit is made using an average of 13 recycled plastic bottles.
The kit is constructed using Nike Dri-FIT technology to wick moisture and are made out of 23 percent lighter fabric with 20 percent stronger knit structure than Nike’s previous kits. The shirts also feature laser-cut ventilation holes to promote localized cooling, to help regulate player temperatures during a match.
What do you think of the Portugal Home Shirt for Euro 2012?
Let us know in the comments!
Hate this… Guys from Nike really need to know that the portuguese flag has two colours and not just one…
all red is much  cool
Worst Jersey of the year, Brasil.
seems like no different to me