The Humble Origins of the world’s most famous football shirts

Dear all,

It’s been Spanish Enrichment week and in Monday’s assembly we learned about the humble origins of the two most famous football clubs in Spain.

If you were to ask 100 people what they know about Spain, many will reply by referring to their most famous two football clubs: Real Madrid and Barcelona, whose rivalry is regarded as one of the most intense and politically charged in the history of the game. I doubt many will know, however, that the reason they play in their world-famous colours links both clubs back to England.

Real Madrid is one of the most famous clubs in the world and any football fan will tell you they play in an all-white kit that has been worn by some of the greatest players in history. When the club was founded in 1902, however, the world’s most famous club was Corinthian FC of London, an amateur team who refused to play competitive matches and would only play friendlies. Despite their amateur status, Corinthian FC provided most of the English national team’s players in the late 19th century and they had a worldwide reputation for their exciting style of play and their sporting conduct. Such was their focus on fair play that the term ‘Corinthian Spirit’ is still used to describe the highest standard of sportsmanship. This approach was famously summed up in their attitude to penalties. As far as they were concerned, a gentleman would never commit a deliberate foul on an opponent, so if a penalty was awarded against the Corinthians, their goalkeeper would stand aside, lean on the goalpost, and let his opponent tap the ball into an empty net. Conversely, if the Corinthians themselves won a penalty, their captain would take a short run-up and kick the ball over the crossbar.

Despite – or perhaps because of – this approach, they had an outstanding record, beating teams from around the world including an 11-3 victory over Manchester United in 1904. Corinthian FC wore white and the founders of Real Madrid chose the same colour for their club, presumably to replicate their ethos, fame, and success.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s kit is arguably even more famous than Real Madrid’s, with its blue and red stripes being synonymous with the club’s identity, even going so far as being reflected in their nickname Blaugrana: ‘blau’ the Catalan word for blue, and ‘grana’ the word for a deep red. When the club was founded in 1899, two sport-loving brothers – Arthur and Ernest Witty, sons of a British businessman who had settled in Barcelona – became heavily involved. Sourcing balls, whistles, and nets to help establish the game in Spain, the story goes that they also imported a set of blue and red rugby shirts from Merchant Taylors’ School in Liverpool, where they had both been students. Whilst other theories have been suggested, the official position of Barcelona FC is that this is the most likely explanation as to why they have always played in those colours.

We talk a lot nowadays about living in a globalised world that is so much more connected and interdependent than that of our ancestors, but it’s fascinating to learn how it has long been the case that simple – and sometimes quite random – connections between people in different countries can lead to customs and traditions so well established that people around the world will recognise them. I wonder what the founders of Corinthians or the Witty brothers would think if they knew how much money the football shirts of Real Madrid and Barcelona had made over the years, or what they had come to symbolise for supporters of each club.

Have a great weekend, and I hope you enjoy the half-term break.

Best wishes

Michael Bond