Lazio Jersey 1939-40
The 1939-40 season saw the Lazio shirt take on a slightly deeper shade of celeste, moving towards a more distinctly blue tone. The shirt was produced in a solid celeste colour, with the shade noticeably darker than the traditional pale blue associated with Lazio. The collar appeared in white, with two versions documented during the season: a simple round neck and a wider V-neck. Both featured a ribbed, knitted finish.
But the most significant change was not the colour or the collar.
For the first time, Lazio players wore numbers on the backs of their shirts.
The change came as part of a major development in Italian football. In September 1939, FIGC president Giorgio Vaccaro issued a circular making shirt numbers compulsory in Serie A, Serie B, Serie C and Prima Divisione, following the British model. The Italian national team had already begun using numbered shirts, but the 1939-40 season marked their introduction into the domestic championships.
The numbers were large, made from felt or cloth and sewn onto the shirts by hand. They were intended to make players easier to identify, particularly for radio commentators, at a time when football broadcasting was becoming increasingly important. The federation even established a direct relationship between the number and the player's position: No. 1 for the goalkeeper, Nos. 2 and 3 for the full-backs, No. 9 for the centre-forward and No. 11 for the left winger.
For Lazio, the first numbered match came on 17 September 1939 against Modena. The game ended 1-1 and entered club history as the first time the Biancocelesti took to the field wearing numbered shirts.
One number, however, would quickly become particularly significant.
No. 9.
It belonged to Silvio Piola.
Piola had joined Lazio in 1934 and had spent his first five seasons in Rome playing without a number on his back, as was customary in Italian football. From 1939 onwards, the No. 9 became permanently associated with him. It was the number worn by one of the greatest goalscorers in Italian football history and would remain an enduring symbol of Piola's Lazio career.
A simple celeste jersey, a white collar and a piece of white cloth sewn onto the back — yet together they marked the beginning of one of the most recognisable traditions in Lazio's history.
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