While some kids get new pajamas for Christmas, players on Italian Serie A side SSC Napoli had new kits waiting for them under the tree this week.
Napoli broke out their new Christmas-themed kits, made by Emporio Armani, for a friendly match against Turkish Süper Lig side Antalyaspor on Wednesday, December 7, as both teams looked to stay fresh during the World Cup break.
The base of the jersey is Napoli’s signature shade of light blue, while the crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs are solid red. At the bottom of the front of the jersey is a graphic of a red-nosed reindeer wearing a Santa hat and bells.
But, as Footy Headlines points out, it looks like whoever designed the kit pulled the top two results from a Google Images search of “Christmas reindeer” and mashed them together for the graphic at the bottom of the shirt.
This isn’t the first holiday for which Napoli has created special kits. They’ve also worn Halloween-themed kits in Serie A matches in both 2022 and 2021.
RC LENS – Fourth Kit
French Ligue 1 side Racing Club de Lens is hoping for a little divine help with their new fourth kit, made by Puma. The gold jersey is a tribute to Sainte-Barbe (Saint Barbara), who is the patron saint of miners, among many other professions. The area around Lens has a rich mining history, which was also referenced in the black stripes on RC Lens’ 2022-23 away kit.
The kit features a tonal pattern of mining wheels and headframe structures, as well as the names of several mining pits in the area. Black striping appears on the collar and sleeve cuffs. A retro crest is placed in the center of the chest, with a black Puma logo underneath.
RC Lens will wear the gold Sainte-Barbe kit on January 1, 2023, when they host Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 action.
ACF FIORENTINA – Fourth Kit
Back in April, Italian Serie A side ACF Fiorentina launched a contest for fans to design their fourth kit for the 2022-23 season. Now, that contest has a winner.
The winning design was unveiled by the club and manufacturer Kappa in late November. It’s mainly a very dark grey with “fading purple diamond-shaped inserts” and geometric lines that are inspired by the shape of the club’s new crest, unveiled in March 2022. Purple trim appears on the sleeve cuffs and the hem. A purple insert on the back collar contains the club motto “PLAY TO BE DIFFERENT.”
Out of 700 entries, the club selected six finalists, which were put to a public vote. The winning designer is a local and die-hard Fiorentina fan, Fabrizio Bartoli. “Seeing my favourite team wear a shirt designed by me is a dream come true and fills me with pride,” he told the club’s website.
VfL BOCHUM – Special Edition Kit
German Bundesliga side VfL Bochum looked to send a message with their special edition fourth kit, made by Mizuno, which they launched in early November. The mainly black kit featured a rainbow gradient across the club crest, sponsor logos and stripes over the shoulders to convey a message of inclusion and support for the LGBTQ+ community and against the poor human rights record of World Cup host nation Qatar.
Along with the message of inclusion, the design harkens back to 1997, when VfL Bochum wore a rainbow away kit in the UEFA Cup.
VfL Bochum wore the new rainbow shirts in a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Tuesday, November 8. Match-worn shirts were auctioned off, with proceeds benefitting Kindernothilfe, a charity promoting children’s rights.
Gladbach did something similar before the World Cup break, replacing the white printing on their third kit with a rainbow print for a match against Borussia Dortmund on Friday, November 11.
TOULOUSE FC – Third Kit
French Ligue 1 side Toulouse FC has teamed up with fashion brand Visionnaire for their new third kit, made by Craft. The design on the front and back of the shirt consists of overlapping geometric shapes of various shades of purple, Toulouse FC’s signature colour. The raglan sleeves are solid purple, while white and black trim appears on the crew neck collar and sleeve cuffs.
Toulouse wore the new kits with the Visionnaire logo replacing their usual sponsor logo in a 2-0 loss to AS Monaco on Sunday, November 6. They wore them again, this time with the logo of LP Promotions, in a 2-1 loss to Stade Rennais on Saturday, November 12.
US SALERNITANA 1919 – Fourth Kit
Italian Serie A side US Salernitana 1919 is shooting for the stars with its 2022-23 fourth kit, made by Zeus. Dubbed the “Galaxy Kit,” the shirt features a blue base with white dots connected by diagonal lines. This is not only a reference to the night sky, but also to Luci d’Artista, a festival of lights that takes place in the city of Salerno each year around Christmas. The collar, sleeve cuffs and side inserts are US Salernitana’s usual shade of maroon with tonal slashes.
US Salernitana wore the Galaxy Kits in a 2-2 draw with US Cremonese on Saturday, November 5. Cremonese wore their third kits in that match, which recreate the club’s first-ever away kit with a white base and a lilac polo collar and placket.
