With much of the focus being on the higher profile Brazil and Argentina, it is often forgotten that fellow South Americans Uruguay are one of the most successful international teams, having won two World Cups in their history. The first came in 1930 when, as hosts, Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2. Their second triumph came in 1950 in Brazil and they have also won 14 Copa America championships.
In 2010, Uruguay came close to adding a third World Cup to their honours list. Arguably the most exciting team of the tournament and inspired by record cap holder Diego Forlan, they eventually bowed out after a thrilling semi-final against eventual runners-up Holland. In 2014, Uruguay eliminated England from the group stage before eventually bowing out to Colombia amidst a biting scandal involving striker Luis Suarez.
Sporting a beautiful sky blue home jersey, the Uruguayan shirt is instantly recognisable to football fans around the world and is a personal favourite of this blogger! The home strip of La Celeste is completed by black shorts and socks and is usually contrasted by a white away jersey.
The original Uruguay shirt was created in 1910 and was in tribute to the now defunct River Plate FC, who were one of the four great clubs of early Uruguayan football. The early shirts of the 1930 and 1950 World Cup victories had a thick white trim around both sleeve and collar. However, by the 1950 World Cup, a traditional style collar has been replaced with a V-neck.
Uruguay have been spoiled by high quality forward players throughout their history, with Alvaro Recoba, Diego Forlan, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani all staring for the national team in recent years.
This has led to a surge in popularity for the jerseys and sales of Uruguay shirts have rocketed in response to their exciting style of football and progress in major tournaments.
Puma have been long-term manufacturers of the Uruguay football shirts having taken over the contract from Uhlsport. As part of the Puma range, they also made the shorts and socks available for sale to the public for the first time and sales of Uruguay kits have been very strong to both adult and kids alike, with many choosing to add official name and numbers for the top Uruguay stars.
