Serie A Classics – Hellas Verona, 1984-85

• Like so many other Italian clubs (and not enough English-speaking ones), there is a magnificent book all about Hellas Verona kits

In the history of Hellas Verona, one season stands above all others.

The 1984-85 Serie A win wasn’t as much of a turnaround as that achieved by Leicester City in 2016, say, given that they had finished fourth and sixth in the two seasons before, having come up from Serie B in 1982. They had also reached the Coppa Italia final in 1983 and 1984, losing to Juventus and Roma respectively.

Nevertheless, to reach the summit in an era when those two teams that beat them in the cup deciders had also reached the European Cup final in the same season – and Juve had won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1984 – it was no mean feat.

Osvaldo Bagnoli’s side recruited well, adding Danish striker Preben Elkjaer and German defender Hans-Peter Briegel to the ranks which already included the likes of Italian midfielders Pietro Fanna and Arturo di Gennaro.

In an era when it was still two points for a win, a record of 15 wins, 13 draws and just two losses meant that Verona finished four points ahead of Juventus, who would beat Liverpool in the European Cup final. Most importantly, they looked magnificent in doing so.

We always like a largely blue kit with yellow trim, like Boca Juniors or Sweden’s 1990 change kit, and Verona’s shirt was a beauty, featuring pinstripes, though their inclusion on the shorts was perhaps the only questionable element.

There was a socks variation too, with unusual vertical adidas striping, similar to that which would be a feature of the firm’s 1998 kits.

The change kit, worn in the penultimate game away to Atalanta, when a 1-1 draw secured the title, was a straight reversal, albeit without the pinstripes on the shorts.

Goalkeepers Claudio Garella and Sergio Spuri were seen in a rare design, similar to that used by Brazil at the 1984 Olympics, but without the lower narrow stripes.

Unfortunately for Verona, the kits wouldn’t really reach a wider European audience as, having beaten PAOK in the first round of the European Cup, they drew Juventus and lost 2-0 on aggregate.

They would finish that season in tenth place, 17 points off champions Juve, and while they would bounce back in 1986-87 to come fourth, placings of tenth and 11th preceded 16th and relegation in 1989-90.