Top 10 Nike Socceroos jerseys of all time
Fri, Nov 04.22
Nike became the Socceroos' official uniform provider in 2004. Since then, we have witnessed the progression of the Socceroos in green and gold, constantly leaving supporters excited and curious about what they will see next!
We are celebrating 100 years of the Socceroos with the recent unveiling of the 2022 Socceroos shirt, with the new kit honouring the past while looking forwards into the future.
10. 2018 – 2020 home jersey
The jersey, which was mostly gold, was inspired by Socceroos icon Mark Viduka. In 2005, he urged Australian football fans to form a "sea of gold" to represent pride and solidarity ahead of Australia's World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. Nike drew inspiration from this for the design of this kit, accentuating it with a wave motif etched in dark green over the sleeves and shoulders. Thus, supporters relied on this inspiration to unify and gather to support their beloved Socceroos in the Russian World Cup finals, despite being in “the group of death” alongside eventual winners France.
9. 2012 – 2014 away jersey
This away jersey was inspired by the previous year’s home jersey, which featured the Socceroos' first-ever stripe along the whole left side of their shirt. Nike's daring choice of putting a stripe through the national coat of arms sparked some popular controversy. The blue body, in contrast to the yellow, made it more visually attractive, symbolising Australia's modernism and Australian landscapes.
8. 2008 – 2010 away jersey
This away kit witnessed the continuance of Australia's strong dark blue coloration, and it most definitely started a positive pattern of results, with the Socceroos beating opponents such as high-ranking Holland, Denmark, and Ghana. With matching-coloured socks embracing a sparkling gold band at the top, the athletes looked sleek and stylish.
7. 2014 – 2016 home jersey
The new Nike uniforms for the 2014 FIFA World Cup featured a basic yellow shirt with a green collar, green shorts, and white, iconic socks - a nod to the 1974 Socceroos team. The slogan "we Socceroos can do the impossible," from Peter Wilson, captain of the 1974 squad, was also woven into the back of the neck. Famously, Tim Cahill scored a thrilling volley, one of his most memorable, world-class goals against the Netherlands while wearing this shirt at the Brazilian World Cup finals, and we also saw the Socceroos wear it as they won the Asian Cup after defeating South Korea 2-1.
6. 2006 – 2008 away jersey
In the 2006 World Cup finals, the Socceroos debuted their stylish, no-nonsense away shirt against the legendary Brazil, in one of their most famous and proudest performances within the cauldron of Munich’s Allianz stadium. The all-navy blue uniform set the tone for a challenging night of football, with Mark Viduka almost scoring against the legendary Brazilians, and eventually Australia being incredibly unlucky to lose 2-0 despite having numerous chances and battling hard throughout.
5. 2004 – 2005 away jersey
The Socceroos' first Nike away jersey had deep green as the predominant colour, with gold lining on the torso and sleeves. Green shorts matched the shirt and were combined with gold socks to complete a highly underappreciated, vintage-looking Socceroos outfit.
4. 2004 – 2005 home jersey
This was the first Australian Nike kit, and it was best known for having players' numbers on the front of the shirt with a trademark circle around them, inspired by the 2004 Nike football design. The jersey was mostly gold, with green streaks on the sleeves accompanied by a delicate slimline white lining across the neck and chest.
3. 2010 – 2012 home jersey
The Australian national football jersey was created using recyclable material for the first time. While the jersey's basic colours were green and yellow, it incorporated one horizontal white stripe across the chest to give the Aussies a distinct look. This uniform was notably worn by Brett Holeman, who scored an amazing winning goal against Serbia, giving the Socceroos their second World Cup finals victory.
2. 2006 – 2008 home jersey
As we witnessed the Socceroos gold be proudly displayed at the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, this kit had to be one of everyone's favourites. The true gold was complimented so perfectly with its subtle traces of green via the numbers and sleeves. This shirt will be remembered by every Socceroos supporter as Tim Cahill scored the country's first ever World Cup finals goal against Japan.
1. 2005 – 2006 home jersey
Our favourite Nike Socceroos jersey of all time is undoubtedly Australia's most iconic shirt, which was made famous when John Aloisi removed it after the Socceroos secured a spot in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Uruguay. This legendary game was hosted in Sydney, with 80,000 Socceroo supporters on the verge of qualifying fever, hoping to qualify for the World Cup finals after 32 years of drought. Australia had managed to keep Uruguay to a draw in the first leg and now for the decider with history awaiting. With the whole of Australia, it seemed watching at home, in pubs and anywhere they could, the game was locked at 1-1 after 120 minutes. As John Aloisi walked into the box and calmly stepped up to score the game-winning penalty, the crowd and nation burst into celebration, and Aloisi personified that joy by memorably celebrating in the clean-cut Nike shirt, with all of Australia's football fans watching in admiration.
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