Do you still remember the friendly match between the German national team and Mexican club Atletico Morelia in May 1986? No? That’s annoying, after all, it was the only game in which the DFB team played in blue jerseys – so far.

Joshua Kimmich, David Raum, Jamal Musiala and Co. will also be wearing deep blue shirts at the upcoming World Cup – a color choice that is causing irritation, especially among fans.

New Germany jersey compared with pajamas

Nordbayern.de took a look at the mood on Facebook about the new away jerseys, and the tone is sobering. Some fans compare the jersey to “pyjamas” and say: “Adidas is just off the mark in terms of design.”

Other than that, most of the criticism focuses on the color. History, the experiences before the home European Championship, when the pink shirt triggered a gigantic hype, and Florian Wirtz speak in favor of the deep blue. The Liverpool star is quoted on the DFB website as follows: “I find a Germany jersey in this color unusual – but really good.”

The Franconian supplier Adidas argues that the German field players will play in blue in the future with history: The basic color is intended to be reminiscent of the DFB team’s historical training tops, the diagonal jagged stripes are inspired by the classic look of earlier Adidas shoe boxes.

“It has nothing to do with Germany”

It’s just stupid that these days hardly anyone remembers these references, which were certainly well thought out but probably overreaching. At least that’s what the comments on our Facebook post reflect.

“It has nothing to do with Germany,” writes one user on Facebook. Another rumbles: “Totally meaningless, no connection to Germany. You might think we have to hide.”

“How long have we been Les Bleus?”

Many users even associate the jersey with other nations such as France or Argentina. On Instagram, fans ask “How long have we been Les Bleus?” or comment “Great Argentina jersey! I’ll order it with Messi on it.” A user raises a question: “What kind of country is this?”

The users hardly leave anything good about the new jersey in their comments. The highest of all feelings: A user finds the deep blue shirt “better than the pink one”.

What is interesting is that the comments on Instagram, for example on the DFB profile, are overall more benevolent. “Very successful jersey styles for the farewell. Thank you, Adidas. I won’t buy any more national team jerseys until you get back,” writes one user. Others see “Adidas cooking” and describe the shirt as “abnormally cool”.

“Misses any connection to Germany or the DFB”

Nevertheless, discussions about the unconventional color choice also dominate on Instagram. “While the home jersey is a hit with many historical references, this away jersey lacks pretty much any connection to Germany or the DFB. For me, the least successful jersey ever.”

Ultimately, one user sums it up: “In the end, it’s just a matter of taste and luckily it’s just a piece of fabric.”

And: More important than the piece of material is that the German national team plays more successfully and better than in their only appearance in blue so far. Back then, Lothar Matthäus, Rudi Völler and Co. won 2-1, but they didn’t come close to earning this win against Atletico Morelia after a weak performance against a superior opponent.

From sara.denndorf@vnp.de (Sara Denndorf)