Throw it back with the Socceroos Retro range
Tue, Sep 13.22
The Australian national team has showcased some memorable jerseys over the years. They have been very daring at times, while at other moments they've worn classy and scaled back designs. Particulary from the likes of adidas and Umbro.
Like all jerseys there's always healthy debate on what's hot and what's not. The one that caused the most outcry at the time is now a cult classic. Some of the cleanest designs are deemed boring. Everyone's got their say which is why we love them. It's a jersey we all want to succeed because we all love the Socceroos.
The Football Australia retro jersey collection pays homage to some of the famous (and infamous!) designs of yesteryear. We'll take you through all of them below so read on if you're interested. With the new Nike World Cup collection not far away, this drop is sure to get the football community talking.
First we go back to 1980. The original Umbro kit with the centred crest was clean. It's a design we'd love to see worn by the national team again one day. It's classy and on trend - just look at some of the World Cup jerseys starting to drop for the 2022 campaign.
This retro jersey will bring back good memories for older fans of the Socceroos who remember the OFC Nations Cup. Australia went to New Caledonia for the tournament and ended up beating Tahiti 4-2 in the final at the Stade de Magenta.
Paul Kay scored a double with two more goals coming from Danny Moulis and Vic Bozanic. The squad featured some of our brightest young talents like Alan Davidson and Eddie Krncevic, just to name a few.
For this one we enter the adidas era of Socceroos kits; and what an era it was. The 82-84 Away Jersey was successful on pitch. After four straight friendly wins in 1982, Australia won the Merlion Cup in 1983.
It was a slow start with a 2-1 loss to China, but then the Aussies picked up 3 straight wins against Thailand, South Korea and then Singapore in the final. Watson, Kosmina, Campbell and O'Connor were on the scoresheet. The second time Australia had won the tournament.
This one throws it back to the 1984-86 home jersey from adidas. The Trefoil logo in green on the original matched with the crest and three stripes was an instant classic.
After finishing top in the 1985 Oceania Group, fans were hoping this jersey would be seen at the World Cup. Scotland were the team Frank Arok's men had to face to realise their dream.
After a 2-0 first leg loss at Hampden Park in front of 60,000, Australia had it all to do in the return leg. 29,500 turned up to support the Aussies at Olympic Park in Melbourne, but it wasn't to be. 0-0 was the score meaning our hunt for another World Cup appearance continued.
The infamous jersey from Kingroo. Easily the most iconic jersey is the history of the Socceroos. Whether you were a fan of the garish "spew" design or not, you definitely remember it. We happen to love it.
The likes of Ned Zelic, Paul Wade, Alex Tobin and Tony Vidmar wore this classic which is still talked about today. In recent years the Matilda's wore a similar design and going by how many flew off our shelves, we know it's a favourite among fans.
The second era of adidas and the Australian national team kicked off in 1993. Most football fans love a sash jersey and adidas used their iconic Three Stripes to help create their own.
Unfortunately, this was another classic which saw some similar heartbreak. The Socceroos got past Canada in an epic two-legged tie in 1993. Mark Schwarzer was the hero saving two penalties which set up a clash against Argentina for a place in the finals. Then it was on to Argentina.
The Argentina team featured players like Maradona, Redondo and Batistuta so it was always going to be a challenge. The team gave it their all though in one of their greatest perfomances against stellar opposition. Thet managed to come away with a 1-1 draw thanks to a goal from Aurelio Vidmar after Balbo scored the opener.
In the second leg in Beunos Aires the team matched their opponents for most of the game but came up short. Pushed on by their intense home support, Argentina found a way. It was a cruel deflection that cost Australia with Argentina heading to USA 94.
We're looking forward to a future 2005 retro remake so we can really go to town on one of the biggest moments in Australian sport. For now though let us know what your favourite is from the bunch. Shop the new Football Australia retro jersey collection in store or online now.
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