The Napoli Away. 1990.

You can’t look at this shirt without seeing him in it. The number 10 on his back,
Napoli cheering for a man they adopted. The city that raised him, that turned him into
a god, going off its rocker for the man, Maradona.

Taking the shirt apart piece by piece, I want you to look at the bold chevrons cutting
across his chest, aggressive in the way they dominate the front panel. A deep blue
on white, clean and sharp. The geometric pieces, a seemingly unusual choice but
noticeably full of conviction. This piece was not decorative, the design was made
with an obvious, meticulous decision-making process.

Maglia Sport went against the crowd. They followed their own path at a time most
clubs liked to play it safe. Most clubs went for the classic look, badge on chest,
sponsor in the middle. Napoli’s away kit had satisfying architecture that stood out to
fans on any field. It was made with a specific graphic structure which you wouldn’t
typically expect from a football club in the 90s.

Red on white, the Mars sponsor in the centre. Typically, something that would take
from the surrounding graphics, but Napoli’s away kit was undoubtedly complimented
by its sponsor.

Football kits used to be design and fashion. They used to be worn with meaning and
designed with a particular intention. The kits used to be inoperable from the
moments that arose whilst wearing them.

Kits should be made to carry the weight of the players inside of them. Maradona was
one of them and this is one of those kits you could never forget.

Objects tend to hold a lot of meaning and I think the Napoli away 1990 holds this to
be true.