What next season's jerseys will look like according to Pantone

Officially, the colour of the year for 2023 is Viva Magenta 18-1750. This is what Pantone has decreed, calling it "a natural hue that comes from the red family and shows off new signs of strength. Viva Magenta is bold and fearless, a pulsating colour with an exuberance that encourages joyful and optimistic celebrations for a whole new history". The fashion collections for 2023, however, pointed to another winner: orange. Different shades and nuances have dominated the catwalks anticipating next spring's trend and defining a new trend in the world of show business: at the last Grammy's, Lizzo wore an orange dress entirely embroidered with degradé silk flowers paired with a silk corset with Swarovski crystal mesh details by Dolce&Gabbana. The dictates of fashion are now also expected on the football pitch. According to first rumours Nike is working on an orange third jersey for Inter for next season and it cannot be excluded that other teams/brands might follow this example.

Not many clubs have orange as their corporate colour but, nevertheless, looking back one can find examples of shirts in this colour that can fit the style concept. The largest catalogue concerns the Netherlands and the iconic oranje uniform. There is something for all tastes, starting with the jerseys used at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, two solid-coloured uniforms that differ in the amount of black detailing. For lovers of the classic there is the one worn at the 1992 and 1996 European Championships, both made by Lotto with white details and polo collar. For lovers of the Bloke Core there is the first version made by Nike on the occasion of the 1998 World Cup, again with a polo collar but this time with a brighter shade of orange and black details with white trim, while for those who want to be daring there is the uniform seen at the 2022 World Cup with two shades of orange that intertwine with each other. Then there is the Holy Grail of all oranje jerseys: the 1988 European Championship uniform, the edition won by Marco Van Basten and his teammates wearing a geometrically patterned jersey in which orange and white fade into each other. A jersey that cannot be found in its original version and is only available in replicas on specialised sites.

The big clubs and their technical sponsors have not been immune from the use of orange over the past few years. Having said the design for Inter Milan, Nike already this season made a light orange uniform for Atletico Madrid while in the 2017/18 season they dared an orange and purple outfit for Manchester City in which the two colours were mixed with an ever finer horizontal striped pattern. Adidas made an entirely orange jersey with black details for Real Madrid in the 2013/14 season while for the 2020/21 season they made an orange-black camouflage model for Juventus. New Balance for this season made an orange kit for Roma's goalkeepers just as they made a phosphorescent orange model for Liverpool's third kit in the 2017/18 season. And then there is PUMA, a brand linked to the Ivory Coast national team, which has created several outfits in these years of partnership playing on the contrast between green and different shades of orange.

Then there is a whole undergrowth of little-known or completely unknown teams that have orange as their social colour. In this category, the most aesthetically successful example is that of Udon Thani FC, a team from Thailand's top league, who in 2021 wore an electric orange outfit made by Kelme with black details, including the lettering Chang, the club's main sponsor and Thai beer with the iconic logo with the two elephants also seen on Everton's shirts. Finally, for the jersey enthusiasts always on the lookout for cult uniforms there is one model that stands out more than others: it was made by Umbro for the Irish national team in 1997, a phosphorescent orange jersey with green and black inserts, polo collar and button fastening also available in a version with the Opel inscription on the chest.