HOW ICONIC SHIRT HAS CHANGED

ENGLAND shirts have come a long way since the first international match in 1872. On the afternoon of that first game, England’s Arnold Kirke Smith wore a white woollen jersey with a diamond motif etched into the chest. It is unknown whether all the team had the same shirt or had been told to bring their own. Players also wore knickerbockers and blue caps. The team have consistently worn white apart from a short period in the late 1870s when players would sew England badges on to their own shirts. It was not until 1935 that England needed to play in any other colour. Other countries began to wear white, such as Germany and Austria, so England produced their first change strip — in blue! Red became the change colour in the 1950s as shirts got lighter, the long rolled-up sleeves cut shorter while collars and buttons became V-necks as the England kit became closer to what it is today.

Admiral became the first manufacturer to be displayed on the shirt in 1974, before Umbro and Nike followed.

The turn of the century marked a new era in both team and kit. The Golden Generation were decked out in white with a red stripe on the front, made of ‘moisture-wicking, 26 per cent lighter fabric’.

It was in 2009, when Nike bought Umbro, that the most significant design change. The shirts were made from lightweight cotton, tailored by Savile Row and included a brief return of the collar.

Nike’s tick went on the front in 2013 and it has been there ever since. The current shirt can set fans’ back up to £90.