Lazio Jersey 1989-90
- Simon Basten
- Apr 29, 2024
- 2 min read
The 1989/90 season marked the beginning of a new era in Lazio's history, at least as far as the club's shirts were concerned. After several years of wearing kits from other manufacturers, Lazio signed an agreement with Umbro in the summer of 1989, bringing one of the most recognisable British football brands to Serie A for the first time.
The home shirt was predominantly celeste, with a subtle geometric pattern running continuously across the fabric. The pattern consisted of overlapping triangles, which became visible through the use of two different shades in the weave of the material. This gave the shirt a textured appearance without compromising its traditional Lazio identity.
The design was based on a template also used by Manchester City, although Lazio's version featured its own distinctive details. The collar and cuffs incorporated white and blue, contrasting with the celeste body of the shirt, while a small clip button on the collar added an understated touch of elegance.
The Umbro logo and Lazio crest were both embroidered onto the match shirt, giving the jersey a premium appearance. The club's long-standing sponsor, Cassa di Risparmio di Roma, remained on the front, with its logo applied in blue flock material.
The shirt's most unusual feature, however, was its numbering.
The original numbers supplied by Umbro were produced using a striped horizontal pattern rather than a solid colour. Although this created an interesting visual effect up close, the numbers proved extremely difficult to read from the stands at the Stadio Flaminio. The combination of the celeste shirt and the striped lettering meant that spectators and journalists struggled to identify individual players during matches.
Following complaints from supporters and the media, Umbro was forced to modify the shirts during the season. The original numbers were not removed; instead, new solid numbers of the same size were placed directly over them. This produced a curious layered effect, with the original ribbed pattern remaining visible underneath the solid numbers.
The result was a unique detail that can still be observed on surviving match-worn shirts from the season.
The away shirt followed the same basic template as the home version but adopted a striking yellow colour. The geometric pattern remained embedded in the fabric, creating a visual connection with the first-choice kit. Unlike the home shirt, however, the away jersey contained almost no white or celeste detailing. Apart from the Lazio crest, there were few elements that immediately identified the shirt with the club.
This was an early example of the increasingly standardised approach to football kit design that would become more common during the 1990s. The same basic template could be adapted for different clubs simply by changing the colours and adding the relevant badge and sponsor.
Image Sources: Football Kit Archive
Umbro also supplied Lazio's goalkeepers with designs based on those worn by England's national-team goalkeepers. Valerio Fiori and Fernando Orsi had several colour combinations available, including black and fuchsia, black and yellow, blue and white, and black and green.
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