Gianluigi Buffon: King of Wearing Outfield Kits
Gianluigi Buffon celebrates his 45th birthday today and is still going strong in Serie B with his boyhood club, Parma. Here we celebrate the occasion by admiring his penchant for wearing outfield kits while playing in goal.
Gigi Buffon and His Outfield Kits
Gianluigi Buffon is considered one of the best keepers of all time and has enjoyed a remarkable career. As well as winning the World Cup, 10 Scudetti, 6 Coppe Italia and a UEFA Cup among others, he's also the only goalkeeper to have racked up over 500 clean sheets. He has more Serie A appearances than anyone else and once had run of 974 minutes without conceding a goal, another Serie A record. On top of all of that, he's always had a thing for wearing outfield kits. A goalkeeper foregoing his usual jersey in favour of his team's home or away shirt is a rare and beautiful sight, an oddity that everyone seems to appreciate. Nobody has done it more often that Buffon, so on his birthday, let's take a look at some of those occasions.
Parma
Buffon came up through the ranks at Parma and spent six years there before moving on. It was there that he first changed things up by wearing various Parma home, away and third shirts during their Lotto and Champion years.
Now in his second stint with the club, you know that he had to find an occasion to wear their home Erreà shirt at least once. With his contract running til 2024 and Parma switching to Puma next season, he still has time to tick another brand off his outfield kit list.
Juventus
Buffon became the world's most expensive goalkeeper upon his move to Turin in 2001, with Juve paying a massive €52 million for his services. It's safe to say they got a decent return on their investment. Gigi stuck around until 2018, then came back on a free after his season in Paris for another two years.
In the early part of his first spell in particular, he was semi-regularly spotted in outfield jerseys, wearing the home, away and third shirts by Nike across the 02-03 season.
Italy
2018 marked the end of a 21 year career with the Italian national team. One of his final games was a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia in October 2017, when Italy were to debut their new home kit. They did things a little differently, as the team wore their white away kit while Buffon wore their new blue shirt, the first ever time an Italian national team goalkeeper had done so. No better man.
Can you think of any other goalkeepers with a fondness for changing up their kits? Let us know in the comments.
Vintage Football Shirts
from Cult Kits
1988 Netherlands Reusable Face Mask
1991/92 Celtic Home Shirt (XL) Umbro
1995/96 Bournemouth *Mint* Away Shirt (L) Le Coq
2010/11 England Training Shirt (S*) Umbro
2014/15 Atletico Madrid *Player Issue* GK Shirt (L) Nike
1992/93 Cruzeiro #10 Home Shirt (S) Finta
2008/09 DC United Track Jacket (XXL) Adidas
2002/04 Germany Away Shirt (S) Adidas
2019/20 Necaxa *BNWT* Home Shirt (M) Charly Futbol
Italy Maldini Cult Tee
Turkey 2026 World Cup Pre-Match Shirt Revealed - Streamlined Nike Template for Smaller Nations
Nike's preparations for the 2026 World Cup are being finalized with the reveal of the new Turkey pre-match shirt.
Rather than receiving a bespoke design, the new Nike Turkey 2026 World Cup pre-match jersey utilizes a highly visible, streamlined template that the American sportswear brand will be rolling out across its wider portfolio of sponsored national federations.
The defining feature of the Turkey 2026 pre-match shirt is its bold, all-over geometric graphic. The template consists of tightly packed, wavy zig-zag lines that warp and curve to create a dynamic optical illusion across the entire torso and sleeves. For the Turkish national team, this busy pattern is executed in vibrant, contrasting shades of red and dark orange.
Nike is applying this exact same streamlined template to several other national teams, simply adjusting the color palettes to suit each country. European sides like Norway and Finland, alongside South American heavyweights Uruguay, will all sport identical pre-match designs featuring their respective national colors applied to the same wavy graphic.
What are your thoughts on Nike utilizing a shared, streamlined template for its 2026 national team pre-match shirts? Let us know in the comments below.
Nike and Kids of Immigrants Goalkeeper Jersey + Total 90 Shoes Released
Nike and streetwear label Kids of Immigrants have officially unveiled a comprehensive collaborative capsule collection. This wider release expands significantly upon the retro football aesthetic, offering a full range of apparel, accessories, and highly unique modified footwear.
The undeniable centerpiece of the expanded collection is the introduction of two bespoke slip-on mules, which draw heavy inspiration from the iconic Nike Total 90 football boot. The mules arrive in two distinct colorways: a muted beige and olive green iteration featuring a speckled sole, alongside a darker, glossy black and rich brown patent leather version. Both pairs are unified by a striking red and yellow outlined Swoosh on the midfoot and tongue, matching the vibrant accents found on the collection's primary jersey.
Rounding out the collaborative effort is a selection of matching apparel and accessories designed to complete the capsule. The standout piece of these other items is a special 1990s keeper kit.
Which item from the Nike x Kids of Immigrants collection is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Nicest Boot Combos of the 2025-26 Season
The 2025-2026 season saw some great boot x kit combos. Huge thanks to Unisport for the great round-up.
