Was Brazil’s shirt always yellow?

Entering the field with the traditional green and yellow uniform, Brazil beat Switzerland by 1-0 this Monday, the 28th, thus conquering the awaited place in the round of 16 of the world Cupand generating a lot of celebration on and off the field after a sweaty match.

With the victory secured through the goal of casemiro, the colors of the flag present on the selection’s uniform shone on the lawn again, bringing hope that the yellow shirt that carries the 5 world football titles, will receive its sixth this year. But, did you know that the players’ uniforms did not always have this color?

I can not remember it

The first football match played by the Brazilian team was held in 1914, shortly after eight associations came together to create the Brazilian Sports Federation (FBS). However, instead of taking the field with the already known colored uniform, the players used shorts, socks and shirts of a single color: white.

Although, two years later, the FBS was renamed the Brazilian Sports Confederation (CBD), the new institution did not make major changes to Brazil’s shirt over the years, including only a few colorful details from time to time.

new uniform

However, in the 1950 World Cup, Brazil failed to beat Uruguay at the Maracanã stadium, intensifying the belief that the white shirt brought bad luck to the Brazilian team. So it was decided that the coloring should be changed.

To this end, in 1952, the Brazilian Sports Confederation (CBD) teamed up with the newspaper Correio da Manhã to create a contest that would bring more of a national identity to the uniform, with the rule being to send sketches using the four colors of the Brazil’s flag.

the winner was Aldyr Garcia Schlle, a resident of Rio Grande do Sul who, at the time, was only 19 years old. The young designer suggested that the shirt be yellow with green details, while the colors blue and white could be used for the shorts and socks.

The idea was approved and soon gained momentum, starting to be seen in all international competitions from then on, and becoming a national symbol for about 70 years.

What do the colors mean?

The colors present in the uniform and in the flag of Brazil were chosen at the time of the Empire, where green represented the color of the house of Bragança (family of Dom Pedro I) and yellow the color of the house of Lorena (belonging to the archduchess Leopoldinewife of Dom Pedro I🇧🇷

However, the meaning of the color was changed after the Proclamation of the Republic, as green came to represent the vast national nature and yellow the mineral wealth present in Brazilian soils.