The Stylish Player Knows Italy Is Place to Step Out

If you are going to launch a new soccer fashion, Italy is the place to do it.

The last time the World Cup finals were held in Italy, in 1934, players ran around in large cotton shorts and cumbersome, ankle-high boots.

In the intervening half century, shorts have become shorter and the materials used now are mostly light and airy synthetics or mixed fabrics.

But if the style of shorts has now been standardized, what is worn underneath certainly has not.

The vogue for the 1990 World Cup in Italy--a country so stylish that some fans attend soccer matches looking fit for the opera--is black thigh-huggers that peep out from under the shorts in the manner of tennis star Andre Agassi.

Manufacturers say the aim of the shorts, similar to those worn by bicyclists, is to support the thighs and help the legs stay cool when it’s hot and stay warm in cold weather.

Several Soviet, Cameroonian and other players have taken to the thigh-huggers.

Footwear has evolved into space-age shoes with arch supports, titanium studs and multicolored segments made out of flexible leather and synthetic materials, in sharp contrast to the stiff cow leather of the ‘30s.

Other new ideas for the 1990 World Cup include a padded goalkeeper’s jersey with a special anti-skid material on the chest to help the keeper hold on to the ball.

Goalkeepers, who tend to favor longer padded shorts to cushion the impact of dives, wear huge gloves these days with a variety of surfaces to suit the conditions.

In 1934, most keepers used to spit on their bare hands and hope for the best.

The whole soccer fashion industry has become a big business, and teams are advised by designers from leading sportswear manufacturers.