Les Bleus, Oranje, La Furia Roja: The Stories Behind Football's National Team Nicknames
, by Football Kult, 2 min reading time
Why are Italy the Azzurri and the Netherlands Oranje? The history behind eight of football's best-known national team nicknames.
Football fans rarely call their national team by its country's name. Italy are the Azzurri, the Netherlands are Oranje, Argentina are La Albiceleste. Each nickname carries a piece of history, usually tied to a flag, a royal family or one unforgettable tournament. Here are the stories behind eight of them.
Italy: Gli Azzurri
Italy's flag is green, white and red, so why do they play in blue? The shade comes from the House of Savoy, the royal family that unified Italy. Italy first wore blue in 1911, and "Azzurri" (the blues) has stuck ever since. Wear it with our Italy Azzurri vintage polo.
Netherlands: Oranje
Orange appears nowhere on the Dutch flag. It honours the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family. The colour became so tied to Dutch identity that fans turn whole stadiums orange. See our Holland Oranje vintage polo.
Spain: La Furia Roja
"The Red Fury" goes back to the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, where foreign journalists described Spain's aggressive, all-action style as "la furia". Spain took silver, and the name followed them for a century. Today many fans simply say La Roja. Shop our Spain La Furia Roja vintage polo.
France: Les Bleus
France take their name from the blue of the tricolour flag. Les Bleus has become shorthand for the national side across every sport, from football to rugby. See our France Les Bleus vintage polo.
Brazil: A Seleção
Seleção simply means "the selection". The famous yellow shirt came later: after Brazil lost the 1950 World Cup final at home, the white kit was dropped. A 1953 newspaper competition chose a new design in the flag's colours, won by a young illustrator, Aldyr Garcia Schlee. The yellow shirt has been worn ever since. Shop our Brazil Selecao vintage polo.
Argentina: La Albiceleste
La Albiceleste means "the white and sky blue", the colours of Argentina's flag and of those famous vertical stripes. See our Argentina La Albiceleste vintage polo.
Germany: Die Mannschaft
Die Mannschaft just means "the team". It was the go-to name for decades and was used as the official team brand from 2015, before the German federation dropped it in 2022 to bring the side closer to fans. Shop our Germany vintage polo.
Portugal: A Seleção das Quinas
The quinas are the five small blue shields at the centre of Portugal's coat of arms and flag. Fans also use Seleção, like Brazil. See our Portugal vintage polo.
Wear the story
Every one of these teams is in our vintage football polo collection: premium cotton, slim fit, made in Lebanon and delivered across the UAE. Want your name on the back? See custom printing.
Tags
Blog posts
-
, by Author Article title
-
, by Author Article title
-
, by Author Article title
Follow us on social
keep up with kult's latest releases