Any person who has ever watched a football game or mused upon a football jersey would probably tell of one common feature shared by many of the teams: stars above their crest or logo.
These stars are not necessarily there for just decorative or appended value; they come with very deep-seated meaning, mostly hinged on the history and success of a team.
In this piece, we will look into why the stars are there, what their meaning is, and how they have become part of a football-related on-field visual identity.
A History of Stars on Football Jerseys
The system of placing stars on football vests is quite a modern trend: it became prominent during the latter half of the 20th century.
Most often, stars are linked with success by the team, which, for the most part, is expressed by winning major tournaments or championships.
Still, the meaning and conditions under which a star is earned are a lot of interpretations differing from country to country, league to league, and from club to club.
The first recorded instance of a star appearing on a soccer jersey was in the 1950s when the Brazilian club Vasco da Gama added a star above their crest to commemorate the victory of the 1948 South American Championship.
Of course, among the first cases, but the practice started to become wide only in the 1970s.
One of the most powerful uses of stars was in 1958 for Brazil’s national football team, where they won their first FIFA World Cup.
They added one star above the crest in celebration of their victory. In 1962 and 1970, they added two more stars when they won again.
This trend was copied by many other national teams, and it became the universal sign of football success.
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The Symbolism of Stars In Football
The stars on the jerseys are a pictorial representation of team success in football. It coveys instant success of a team to the entire world.
They are seen as a badge of success, setting the concerned team distinctively apart from the rest. They can stand for virtually anything from any success, but generally stand for the following achievements:
National Championships: Many clubs place stars on their jersey, which show the number of times they won the national league championship; for example, Juventus, one of Italy’s all-time big-club winners has three stars above their crest, each symbolizing ten Serie A titles for a total count of more than 30 championships.
And of course, in addition to the domestic leagues, stars can signify glory in continental competitions. For instance, clubs winning the Champions League may consider synthetically adding an asterisk to their badges to reflect this triumph.
Real Madrid would, of course, be able to add a constellation of stars for their record number of European Cup/Champions League titles if they wish to count that.
World Championships: The stars are generally used by national teams to symbolize the FIFA World Cup victories.
For instance, Brazil wears five stars up in their crest representing their five World Cup titles won.
Since then, this convention has been followed by several national teams and is now recognized worldwide as a symbol of international soccer supremacy.
Special Achievements: Clubs and national teams often use the stars to commemorate other great achievements. For example, Ajax Amsterdam has three stars placed above their crest, with each representing ten Eredivisie titles.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest flies two stars atop their crest for their two-time European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980.
Historical Significance: To some, stars shall at times represent a historical or cultural milestone.
In Argentina, one of the most successful clubs, Boca Juniors uses stars to denote not only their titles but also other major achievements in their history.
In this way, teams can acknowledge and benefit from a wider range of achievements than those simply related to winning championships.
Variations Across the World
The criteria as to when to add stars to the jersey can vary vastly depending on the country, league, or even the club in question.
Interestingly, that begs us to ask: how do different cultures around the world in football interpret and use these stars?
Europe
In Europe, the use of stars on soccer jerseys is somewhat standardized, with various clubs sticking to largely similar traditions. For instance, in Italy, it is fairly accepted that a star would represent each ten league titles won.
Juventus initiated the tradition in 1958 after winning their 10th Serie A. At the achievement of 20, they added the second, and in 2012, came the third star after winning their 30th title.
In Germany, Bayern Munich follows a similar system but with somewhat different criteria.
Bayern has put five stars above their crest: one for tri titles, two for quintuple, three for 10, four for 20, five for 30 titles, whatever that may mean.
This is unique to the Bundesliga, giving added significance to the nature of the league as one that relates to domestic accolades.
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Stars on top of club jerseys are less frequent in England, although they can happen.
For instance, Manchester City has worn a single star above their crest but this doesn’t necessarily mean something about their past and it could even be termed a design decision.
However, the English reserve the use of stars on the jersey for international competitions like European titles.
European teams usually use stars to reflect World Cup victories as well.
Germany for instance has four stars on their jersey, referring to their World Cup wins of 1954, 1974, 1990, and the most recent in 2014.
Italy, also with four stars, stands for their multiple World Cup victories in the years 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006.
South America
The custom of putting stars onto football shirts is well in place across Latin America, and clubs, as well as national teams, have very enthusiastically supported it.
As I stated above, Brazil represents the five championships won by them through the stars, which has now become a part of their pride.
Indeed, Argentinian clubs are peculiar for using a great number of stars; so to speak, each time a team with two leading Argentine clubs wins the domestic or international title, stars appear on the team’s shirts.
For instance, Boca Juniors has a large number of stars representing various championships, including the many times they won the Copa Libertadores.
In Uruguay, the national team shirts proudly bear four stars: two for the triumphs in the Olympic tournaments of 1924 and 1928, two others for the World Championships won in 1930 and 1950.
This peculiar interpretation explains how historic glories could be honored besides relatively more modern victories.
Africa
Star use is mainly bound to overseas success in African football.
Most of the national teams feature stars to represent AFCON victories or appearances in the World Cup. For instance, on their tunic, the Egyptian national team has seven stars, signifying a record seven AFCON titles won by the team.
At the club level, stars, denoting continental triumphs, are sometimes applied—for instance, in continental competitions like the CAF Champions League. Al Ahly has added a few stars to their jersey due to their numerous wins in the CAF Champions League.
Asia and Oceania
Although such usage of a star is still quite rare in Asia, the number of instances is slowly growing with more success on the part of the clubs and national teams.
An example is that the national team of Japan added a star to their jersey after the victory of their team in the year 1992 in the AFC Asian Cup, and other stars have been added for subsequent victories.
In Australia, the Socceroos realized wearing a star on their jersey after qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, which was their first appearance in the tournament in more than 30 years.
This was a celebration of a milestone achievement made in the history of Australian soccer.
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North America
The use of stars across North America can be seen in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Mexican Liga MX. In MLS, it places stars above the badge just like in other leagues, but it refers to each of their stars for every MLS Cup they’ve won.
For instance, the most successful club, the LA Galaxy, has five stars on top of their crest to represent their five MLS Cup titles.
In Mexico, a large number of clubs have stars on their shirts that represent domestic league titles. Two very good examples are Club América and Guadalajara (Chivas).
Club América is the most successful club in Mexican soccer, and their uniform refers to this by having multiple stars to symbolize the numerous Liga MX championships the team has won.
Perhaps the most familiar use of stars in North America, however, is between the lines by the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Their crest and uniform contain four stars, signifying the team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019. Over time, these particular stars have become an emblem of the team’s dominance in women’s football.
Controversies and Debates About Stars On Jersey
Although stars on football jerseys are largely considered in a very positive light as signs of achievements, they again have their equal moments of controversies and debates. Major concerns include:
Overuse of Stars: In some cases, clubs do add stars to represent more minor achievements, hence diluting the meaning of the stars; these are often criticized by many.
Some clubs have been criticized for adding stars for regional or lower-tier championships which do not hold the same weight as national or international titles.
Lack of clear criteria leads to confusion or inconsistency if not based on the criteria.
As leagues and teams have different rules, it was hard for the fans to understand the importance of that star. It is more prominent in some countries where multiple interpretations are given, thus generating a debate about which achievement truly deserves a star.
Design Concerns: Some teams decorate their kit with stars for purely visual reasons, with no specific accomplishment being marked by them.
While, on one level, this may create a more dramatic jersey, on another, such casual use is probably perfectionist, for whom stars should only be sported to show actual accomplishment.
International Competitions In many instances, governing bodies have had to release restrictions or guidelines on the use of stars in international competitions.
FIFA has rules in the display of stars on a national player’s jerseys in the World Cup, which quite differ from a normal jersey design. This has, therefore, brought about, on several occasions, controversies on whether or not teams should be allowed to put on their stars in such tournaments.
