Black and white stripes symbolise some of the most decorated teams in the world of football - be it Juventus, Notts County or even Newcastle. However there is one team that may not be as familiar to the average fan. Botafogo are not a household name for the average British football fan. Hailing from Rio De Janiero, the Brazilian Serie A outfit are not as fashionable as neighbours and deadly fellow city rivals Vasco de Gama and Flamengo, however some of the finest names in football have donned the black and white Jersey of Botafogo including the legendary Garrincha, Jairzinho and Gerson.

Drawing comparisons from what Juventus did with Notts County, Botafogo took inspiration from Juventus in deciding their colours. Their new 2009/2010 kit is supplied by Fila which offers a change from Kappa who have produced Botafogo’s shirts for several years, much similar in style to those worn by Italy at Euro 2000 and the World Cup in 2002. As a result there is a much looser fit, but maybe a loss of that unique appeal so iconic of those Kappa designs! The shirt retains the famous thin black and white strips with are displayed in a simplistic yet somewhat stylish way with the design following onto the sleeves unlike 08/09 jersey. Furthermore kit suppler Fila have incorporated a collar making the football shirt perfect for both football and socialising. On the left there is Botafogo’s badge - the lone star or as they say in Portuguese ‘Estrela Solitária‘- which was designed in 1942 and has stayed synonymous ever since. To the right the Fila logo continues the tradition of the shirt and is written in black and white and not the traditional red and blue. The sponsor - Liquigas - may not be as iconic as that of Zup used in the 1990’s, however in much the same way, the green does seem to contrast well with the black and white stripes.

The back of the jersey is predominately one colour - black, in much the same way as teams that play in hoops and stripes contest the Champions’ League, for example Bayern Munich or Barcelona. Also worth a mention is that in tradition with most shirts from Brazil, the Botafogo shirt comes with a randomly assorted number, plus the name of the sponsor and kit supplier on the top and bottom of the jersey respectively.

Jack Hughes