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Can We Just Appreciate How Good Umbro's 2002 England 'Reversible' Kit Was

Can We Just Appreciate How Good Umbro's 2002 England 'Reversible' Kit Was

All this talk about Adidas' World Cup kits, but this is the daddy...

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare

In all my years supporting the England national team, the iconic reversible kit worn by many supporters at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan was my favourite for a number of reasons.

For one, this kit saved me on a number of occasions, especially when Mum's finest Bolognese sauce managed to find itself on the red side.

A quick trip to the bathroom to reverse it was a saviour for many. You'd simply turn it inside out and nobody would ever know.

It was a fantastic invention - don't let anybody tell you differently.

Image: England/Twitter
Image: England/Twitter

It's a crying shame these kits aren't readily available in the modern game. This Umbro kit was the first reversible jersey made for an international team, and are fondly remembered by a large section of England fans.

There's a real gap in the market for one of these, in my opinion.

Image: England/Umbro
Image: England/Umbro

In 1990, there was a penalty shoot-out defeat to Germany. 1992 is worth forgetting, as is '94.

'96 was another shoot-out loss to the Germans - so these kits don't really hold good memories, but there was something about the year Ronaldinho knocked us out in 2002 with that infamous free-kick.

For me, it was one of the best World Cup's in recent memory.

England
England

It was back when England produced the 'Golden Generation'. The likes of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand couldn't stop Brazil - not even this shirt could.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was a special tournament. From South Korea's incredible journey to the semi-finals to Ronaldo's eight goal haul.

Brazil were deservedly crowned world champions for the fifth time after beating Germany 2-0, with goals from who else - Ronaldo. But that didn't stop Olivier Kahn receiving the 'player of the tournament' award.

Despite their historic win, only four Brazilians made the squad of the tournament. Of course the likes of Ronaldinho and Ronaldo deserved their place, but looking back, some unusual names made the team.

Goalkeepers: Oliver Kahn (Germany); Rustu Recber (Turkey)

Defenders: Roberto Carlos (Brazil); Sol Campbell (England); Hong Myung Bo (South Korea); Alpay Ozalan (Turkey); Fernando Hierro (Spain)

Midfielders: Rivaldo, Ronaldinho (Brazil); Claudio Reyna (United States); Michael Ballack (Germany); Yoo Sang Chul (South Korea)

Forwards: Ronaldo (Brazil); El Hadji Diouf (Senegal); Hasan Sas (Turkey); Miroslav Klose (Germany)

Do you remember this jersey?

Let us know in the comments below.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Football News, Football, Kit, England, Shirt, World Cup