Few things evoke as much joy in sport as the Argentinian national team's jerseys.
Cloaked in sky blue and white, those sporting the iconic strips do so knowing they're following in the footsteps of those who paved the way for them. The fault line of Argentine football heroes runs deep: from Di Stefano to Kempes and Maradona to Messi, it seems like every era has had a striped icon known for putting players on their backsides and putting balls in the back of the net.
This year's side is no exception, with Messi headlining a squad chocked full of footballing brilliance. Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez represent the next generation of La Albiceleste superstars poised to take over in the blue-and-white.
With that, here's everything you need to know about Argentina's vaunted digs, one of football's greatest sights.
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Why do Argentina wear blue and white stripes?
The Argentinian national team jersey borrows its color palette from the Argentinian flag. La Bandera Official de Ceremonia features a milk-white horizontal band sandwiched by two bold, Carolina-blue stripes. In the center of the emblem sits the shimmering Sun of May emblazoned with a face on it.
The storied pennant has been Argentina's flag for over 200 years. Given the eye-catching nature of the flag, it's no surprise that those who helped craft the first version of Argentina's national team kit did so using the country's symbol as a guide.
Interestingly enough, the colors on the flag — and, by proxy, Argentina's kit — represent the sky and clouds, respectively. Keep that in mind the next time you see an Argentine player leap to the heavens for a header.
Argentina has repped the blue-and-white as its home jersey for well over 100 years, with varying alterations being made to innovate the design.
The away kits, by comparison, offers a little more room for experimentation: La Albiceleste tends to go with a solid, navy blue strip, spurning the striped pattern of their more famous home counterpart.
Adidas have been Argentina's primary kit sponsor for much of the past 50 years, even outfitting the country in its 1978 World Cup triumph.
The 1986 version of the competition, spotlighted by Diego Maradona's stunning brace against England, was designed by French brand Le Coq Sportif.
The best time to wear a striped jersey...is all the time. And no kit exemplifies that phenomenon more than Argentina's banded beauty of an ensemble.