WHEN CHEVRONS RULED FOOTBALL

Now, I’ve got a little social experiment for you. The next time you’re in your local, sit down with your pals or even approach that old bloke who’s always at the bar and somehow strike up a conversation about the European Championship of 1988. I’ll lay a small wager with you here and now regarding which topics will come up in that discussion.

Tournament logo? Not a chance. Mascot? Ditto. Official theme music? You’re having a laugh. Some things did stand out, and they were mainly on the pitch: it’s likely that you’ll reminisce about Ruud Gullit’s dreadlocks and Marco van Basten’s glorious volley in the final, and if your local happens to be an Irish pub, then Ray Houghton’s goal to defeat England will be mentioned within seconds.

However, there’s one component of Euro 88 I can guarantee will come up. It’s the one way in which that year’s European Championship was truly a landmark tournament – a Rubicon moment in football. Its kits.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘game changer’ as “a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way”. In the world of football kits, then, those