Old Sporting Lisbon shirts, from the 1970s - green white hoops

This page shows the history of Sporting Lisbon football shirts and jerseys in the 1970 decade. Practically all these old Sporting jerseys are match worn (worn by a Sporting player on the pitch or on the substitute bench during a game, or prepared for the team players that were not called for the game). At the time, replica shirts as those sold in the official Sporting Lisbon shop were mostly unavailable.

At the time, there weren't specific numbers assigned to specific players, and the shirts of the initial team were simply numbered one to eleven. Sporting Lisbon often used different jersey models in the same season, and also used the same shirts in different seasons, sometimes years apart. This makes identification of shirts difficult, and it may not always be possible to assign a given kit to a given season, let alone player. Furthermore, the football shirts of the senior side were often were given to the youth teams in later years, and even to other sports. We know that in the 1980s and even the 1990s other sports were wearing 1970s football shirts.

Handmade lions and "perfect" lions

The Sporting crest symbol with lions made in a way that looks hand made, typical of the 1960s, continued to exist inthe first years of the 1970s. Then sybols with "perfect" lions, almost certainly machine made as they are all equal, cstarted to be worn frequently from late 1973 on; but search "perfect" lions can be seen even in 1971. And "imperfect" lions were worn again, at least in 1980.

Dating - a problem

So, to assist in dating we used old newspapers and old photos, in particular the Sporting CP club weekly newspaper, of which we searched every single page since the number 1. Nevertheless it is not always easy to see the symbol with sufficient detail. So, this means that there are no guarantees that all the shirts here are correctly identified. Some of the shirts come from sources close to the players and are very well identified. Others are difficult to tell exactly. In any case, this is the best that could be done and any further information is welcome.

Sorting Lisbon match worn shirts from the beginning of the 1970s - the perfect lion

Sporting Lisbon shirts with white collar and number on a cloth white square

From November 1975 until the end of the decade, the football senior team wore short sleeved shirts always with the number applied directly to the back. With the number over a white square, this model was used by the senior side only at the beginning of the decade. With a white round collar from 1972 in the 1972/73 season, but with the collar ending in a green stripe (see Bastos shirt above). We know shirts from 1972/73 with the collar ending up in the green hoop. Ending up in the white hoop, they appeared in the senior side at the end of 1973, in the 1973/74 season, and with the perfect lion.

We have confirmation from the player Tomé, with a photo of his shirt from 1973/74, which is exactly like these, including the same F embroidered on the neck. These jerseys were worn at least until November 1975. Later, at the end of the decade, exactly the same jerseys with exactly the same number were used by the youth teams. Eventually, these jerseys may have also been used by other Sporting sport teams (Handball, Rollerskate hockey, etc).

One interesting note is that the first Sporting Lisbon shirts with sponsor were used in 1974/75, in a friendly game in France. Sponsors were only finally introduced in 1987/88.

Match worn Sporting CP jerseys used from the end of 1975 to the end of 1979

From November 1975, shirts continued to be used with white collar ending on a white hoop, but with the player's number directly on the shirt, without the square of white cloth. Until the beginning of 1980, all the photos in which we can see the back of senior side football jerseys always had the number directly on top of the jersey. This is valid for both short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts. In May 1980, shirts reappeared with the number on a white square made of cloth.

Shirts with a round collar ending on a white hoop were used until the beginning of October 1979. In October 1979, V-neck shirts appeared, with the number without the white cloth square. Also, in some games from the late 1979 and early 1980s, three-stripe round collar shirts (green/white/green) were used very similar to those used in the late 1960s (but there are sufficient differences to distinguish one from the other).

Long-sleeved shirts had a round collar ending on the white hoop until 1976/77. In that season, we can already see some photos, but very few, with shirts with a round collar ending in a green hoop, a model that became the norm in 1977/78 and 1978/79.

Sporting won the title in 1973/74 and 1979/80. Therefore, the jerseys of the following years are distinguished by having the champion's badge.

At least in 1978/79, Sporting occasionally wore short-sleeved shirts with a green stripe collar, similar to those in 1972/73 but with the number directly on the shirt. A few were used simultaneously with the normal model with the collar ending up in a white hoop (we didn't see more than one per game, in some games). One example is Manuel Fernandes, and there are a very few others. We don't have any here to show.

Finally, note that over the years the type of number lettering has had variations, and the position of the number and emblem have also had variations. This sometimes helps to identify jerseys, but there are some such variations between jerseys of different players in the same game.

The shirt worn by Sporting Lisbon players at the end of the 1970s

In 1979/80 and 1980/81, cotton shirts with white V-neck collars, both short-sleeved and long-sleeved, and with a number on a square of white cloth, were used. That didn't happen before or after, so it would be easy to identify: the ones with the national champion's shield are from 1980/81. But, in a 1982 game, these short-sleeved shirts were used again. This is only valid for senior football jerseys, as in youth football and in other sports, equal or similar shirt may also have been used.

One should note that round-collar shirt similar to those shown above were also used, with the number directly on top of the shirt, without a square of white cloth.

Between October and December 1979 the split green/white Stromp kit was used by the senior team in very few games (we think three). There are also hooped shirts with a round collar with three stripes (green/white/green) similar to those used in the late 1960s..

In the 1979/80 season, three different types of emblems were used: the most common is the "perfect" lion, probably machine-made as they are all the same. An old-style emblem was still used, similar to that used in the early 1960s and even into the 1960s; and finally an emblem apparently of an old style, but with the lion more poorly made, occupying the right side (of the beholder) of the shield more than the left. Similar poorly made lions were also used the following season, in 1980/81.

Concluding remarks on the Sporting Lisbon 1970s shirt

What we can conclude from all these match worn Sporting Lisbon kits from the 1970s, is that this was the last decade where Sporting used equipments without a brand or official maker. These shirts are absolutely perfect, they scream SPORTING through each thread: the fabric (pure cotton), the shape, the colour, the elegance. The current Sporting jerseys, as beautiful as they are, cannot compare.

In the end of the 1970s and in the beginning of the 1980s, some Sporting goalkeepers used Adidas jerseys.

As a final note, the size of these shirts can be surprising: if held or worn they look very small. This is how they were used by the Sporting players on the soccer pitch, tightly fitting.

Youth football shirts

These are taining kits and shirts from Sporting's youth football teams. Identification is difficult since similar shirts were worn in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and in some cases upo to the 1990s

Click here to see all the Sporting Lisbon jerseys from the 1980s.