Given that the country won the World Cup for the first time, it’s safe to assume that Spain’s 2010 kits are looked upon with fondness. The fact that the navy strip was worn in the final win over the Netherlands adds to its cachet.
However, something that has always troubled us with this set of kits is the the designation of the socks. On the home strip, the shirt and shorts had three yellow stripes while the socks – red rather than black or blue – had red-yellow-red striping on the tops, which were a mismatching navy rather than royal blue.
Then, the change kit had red-yellow-red on the shirt and shorts but three yellow adidas stripes on the sock turnovers, though there was a red-yellow-red motif around the calves.
One theory that we had is that the original plan was for the socks to be reversed – i.e. the home to be red shirts, blue shorts and navy socks, resembling the classic red-blue-black look, while the striping on the red socks would have matched the away shirt and shorts, pre-dating the Nike Vapor approach by six years – but that that would leave ambigiuity as to which was the ‘dark’ kit and which was the light one.
It’s perhaps unlikely, as the red socks were with the home kit for the launch in the autumn of 2009 and there was sufficient time to fix things for the World Cup if necessary.
In any case, when change shorts and socks were worn with the navy shirt at the World Cup, in the 2-1 win against Chile, they were white sets, albeit both with red-yellow-red striping.
Having won the World Cup, Spain’s first game in the qualifiers for Euro 2012 was away to Liechtenstein in September 2010. The principality’s home strip was blue shirts, red shorts and red socks and Spain wearing their default home would have been a bad overall clash.
If there was a white shirt available at the time, it was eschewed and instead the navy shorts were worn. Then, in October, there was a trip to Hampden Park to face Scotland, whose red socks presented an issue.
This time, the navy socks were used with the red shirts and royal blue shorts, creating a satisfying classic Spain look.
In September 2011, Spain hosted Liechtenstein and this time the visitors created a shorts-clash as they removed the red from their kit.
By that stage, Spain had released a new home shirt which featured more blue, but the 2010 style was still seen on a new white change kit, worn in the final away qualifier against the Czech Republic. Given that it used the same shorts and socks as seen against Chile in the World Cup, it’s possible that it was available to use in South Africa (albeit without the ‘World Champions’ patch on the right breast).
It would get one more outing, in a friendly against Costa Rica late in 2011, but Spain’s next game, a friendly with Venezuela in February 2012, would see unveiling of a new sky-blue change shirt. Interchangeability was on the way out.
Was the post-World Cup Final mash-up (home shirt and navy shorts and socks) never worn in a match then? Growing up in the 1990’s means Spain in navy shorts and socks seems a more traditional look to me, even though I do prefer lighter blue shorts.
You wouldn’t believe how many people try to tell me that white kit was their change strip at the 2010 World Cup. I show them a picture of Spain wearing navy in the final and they still don’t get it…
The red one has been the most difficult shirt for me to buy. After winning the world cup, the shirts with the star were impossible to find, as much you would find boy size… funny that i found it at hampden before the game you mentioned in the post.
Looks like a pattern as i was in Germany after they won the 2014 and i could not find their shirt with all their stars