Until the middle of the last century, the football uniform, especially in the countries of Eastern Europe, looked, from the point of view of modern fashion, baggy and not too aesthetic. And in the 70s of the 19th century, when it first appeared in England, and then in the rest of Europe, it was completely funny. Modern football clothing and footwear is distinguished from its British predecessors by great comfort, design and bright colors that delight the eyes of fans.
T-shirts
Multicolored shirts made of synthetic materials, in which players enter the field, and called "shirts", appeared only in the modern history of the game, with the development of high technologies. Initially, especially during the time of the British Queen Victoria, quite civilian shirts or even sweaters were used instead of T-shirts. It took quite a long time to consolidate the existing rule that players of the same team should have identical shirts, the color of which would be radically different from the color of the outerwear of their rivals. It was especially difficult for the goalkeepers. After all, their uniforms even in summer were black wool sweaters.
A serious problem for fans, referees, and the players themselves was the lack of quite familiar game numbers. They appeared on the eve of World War II and, by the way, were not immediately adopted. And starting from the 70s of the last century, clubs began to use T-shirts as advertising space, placing brands and sponsor logos on them. Today, when the myth of the possibility of playing sports professionally and remaining an amateur has disappeared along with the Soviet Union and its legends, this also does not surprise anyone. Only field players have the same top shirts with short sleeves (many wear a second, undershirt). The goalkeeper needs a T-shirt or sweater with long or also short sleeves. Moreover, the color should differ from the jerseys not only of rivals, but also of teammates.
Shorts
In everyday life, this type of professional football equipment has a more common name "shorts". And the set with it usually includes "undershorts" or "bicycles" - according to the rules, the same color as the shorts. They are sold together with T-shirts and are the main element of sportswear. Initially, again in good old Great Britain, football players played in trousers, and sometimes white (this was the distinction of high-ranking gentlemen). At the beginning of the last century, wide and long shorts that covered the knees appeared instead of trousers. Moreover, they were kept on the belt with the help of belts or even suspenders. The modern look of football shorts, in their length and cut, quite reminiscent of shorts, albeit sports ones, began to acquire in the middle of the last century. Goalkeepers sometimes play in shorts, especially in hot weather. But mostly they prefer tight goalkeeper pants with overlays that protect their legs during numerous jumps and falls.
Leg warmers and boots
Like T-shirts with shorts, leggings - high, knee-length, socks - come in a variety of colors. Most often, men's football teams use white or blue leggings, but girls choose brighter colors, albeit sometimes discordant with the rest of the uniform. The main task of the gaiters is to close the protective shields that are required for any football player. Goalkeepers playing in pants usually tuck their leggings. By the way, the first footballers also tucked their trousers into leggings. And only with the advent of shorts, they began to wear them on the legs and shields.
Used in football of the XXI century, lightweight and durable comfortable leather shoes of different colors with numerous spikes for all surfaces and seasons and called "boots" did not always exist. The ancestors of today's boots, in which it is easy to hit the ball and just run, were heavy and high English boots made of rough leather that covered the ankles. They can only be compared with army ankle boots. In addition, they were also very traumatic. Moreover, both for the opponent who got in the way, and for the owner of such sports shoes himself.
Hats and gloves
Unlike, again, from the nineteenth century, when hats and even top hats were an indispensable attribute of the game, the current headwear is not included in the mandatory set of football uniforms. But they are not banned, and sometimes even used. In particular, in late autumn, when cold weather sets in, many football players protect their heads from frost with sports caps. And in very hot and fraught with "sunstroke" weather, some goalkeepers seem to remember the times of the legendary goalkeeper of the USSR national team Lev Yashin and stand in the goal in caps. More precisely, in the so-called baseball caps.
The situation is approximately the same with gloves. The only difference is that if field players wear woolen gloves exclusively in the cold season so as not to freeze their fingers, goalkeepers use latex gloves to protect the same fingers from injury during training and matches on an ongoing basis.
