Brazil will more than likely line up in their traditional yellow shirts later today for their semifinal against Germany. Without Neymar and Thiago Silva, they hope history and precedents can give them a push towards a highly anticipated final. The Canarinho shirt, in fact, has become synonymous with success over the years, as Brazil can boast more world titles than any other nation with five to their name. For this reason, the Selecao’s attire could arguably be considered the most iconic piece of clothing in world football. Whatever corner of the globe one goes, it is easier to find the Amarelinha sold on street corners and kiosks or sporting good stores than any other football shirt. It has become a national symbol of pride, but its origins stem from Brazil’s greatest footballing tragedy. This is the story behind the evolution of the Brazil shirt and the reasons behind the changes, which occurred throughout the years.

A brief history: pre-1950. Brazil played its first ever match as a national side against Exeter City in 1914 in an all-white kit with a blue stripe on each sleeve. They won 2-0 behind the great Artur Friedenreich, who some claim to this day scored more goals than Pelé. Two years later, the Brazilian Sports Federation (FBS) gave way to the Brazilian Sports Confederation (CBD), which remained until 1979. CBD didn’t make drastic changes to the national kit, with white being the predominant colour and blue filling in the details. There were however circumstantial situations where the team was found playing in other colours. For example in 1916 for the South American Championship they played with vertical green and yellow stripes and white shorts. Also the following year in the same tournament, they lost a draw and had to wear a red shirt to face Argentina and Chile who also donned white shirts at the time. Beginning with the South American Championship in 1919, the uniform maintained itself with very little changes – white shirt with minimal blue details.

The CBD emblem was added to the shirt, which now had a laced collar. This was bar a few minor details, the shirt used in the first World Cups in Uruguay and Italy, 1930 and 1934 respectively. Brazil however, continued to struggle when they had to play in a reserve shirt. In the 1937 South American Championship held in Argentina, they twice had to borrow and play in Argentinean club shirts, facing Peru and Chile with the red of Independiente and the blue and yellow of Boca Juniors! For the 1938 World Cup, the V neck was introduced in place of the laced collar and the now familiar white shirts with blue details and blue shorts were maintained. 

Maracanazo puts an end to the white shirt. Brazil hosted the fourth World Cup in 1950 and played with its traditional white shirts – this time with a collared V-neck. The tragic defeat in the final match to Uruguay, which emphatically punctuated their dream to become world champions also brought repercussions to the national kit. It was deemed a symbol of the Brazilian defeat and the following year a contest was launched by the Rio de Janeiro newspaper Correio da Manha welcoming suggestions to choose the new Brazil kit. Aldyr Schlee, then 19 years of age won the contest suggesting a golden yellow shirt with green details around the collar and at the end of the sleeves, blue shorts with a white stripe on the sides, and white socks with green and yellow stripes at the top. This was about to become the blueprint for the most iconic shirt in world football.

The Emergence of the Reserve Shirt. From the 1954 World Cup, Brazil started playing with the current Canarinho shirt. But it was in 1958 where the shirt truly rose to its mystique. Pelé, Didi, Garrincha and co. dazzled the Europeans with their brilliant attacking play and innovative tactical concepts. In the final, against hosts Sweden, Brazil lost a draw to play in their now-traditional yellow (since both teams wear yellow) and Brazilian superstition played an integral part in choosing the alternate one.

Legend has it that the first option had been to revert to the old white shirts, but when the players were presented the idea, they seemed discouraged with their thoughts still on the tragedy of 1950. So a solution was needed. Carvalho was a very superstitious man. During the team’s matches, he always held with him an image of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil’s national patroness, whose robe is blue. Additionally, he remembered that of the five previous World Cup winners, four had worn blue. It was decided. He motivated the players telling them they would be wearing Our Lady of Aparecida’s robe.

He ordered a team physio to rush to a local shop in Stockholm and buy blue shirts. They then unstitched the emblem and numbers off the yellow shirts and stitched them onto plain blue ones just in time for kick off.