Los Blancos. The Reds. I Nerazzurri. How did soccer's most storied clubs become synonymous with something as simple as a color?
For some, it's as straightforward as a particular fabric being cheap and available at the time of a team's founding. With histories stretching as far back as 150 years, though, the lineage of countless clubs' visual identities is far more meandering.
And as kit culture has exploded in the past 30 years, it's no longer enough to be known for wearing white or red or blue; each season must come with new threads made up of fresh hues and authentically inspired graphic patterns. As such, jerseys have become fashion statements away from the pitch: Los Angeles may be 6,000 miles from Barcelona, but you'll quickly lose count of the number of blaugrana shirts seen on the streets of Hollywood.
So ESPN is telling the stories of how 50 of soccer's most popular clubs around the world got their colors, documenting the rich histories of their ever-evolving aesthetics and showcasing both the jerseys worn in the sport's most iconic moments and the threads that have transcended the game.
Follow the link to find soccer's aesthetic origin stories and a collection of unforgettable jerseys.