PHOTOS- Nike Adds a New Flavour To Cristiano Ronaldo & Portugal’s Euro 2024 Jerseys

Cristiano Ronaldo is lacing up for what will likely be his last UEFA Euro with the Portugal national team. With Euro 2024 kicking off in Germany in June, Nike just dropped Portugal’s home and away kits for the tournament. Notably, this is Nike’s last jersey for Portugal. In January 2025, Puma will take the reins and replace the iconic Swoosh on the Portugal kits. In light of this, Nike has gone the extra mile to ensure its last jersey for its long-time partner stands out from previous Portugal kits.

Revealing Portugal’s Euro 2024 kits on X, Nike wrote, “The new @selecaoportugal 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒔 honor tradition through a modern lens.” Let’s see how the American sports apparel giant has honored the Portuguese tradition.

A sneak peek into Cristiano Ronaldo’s last Nike jersey with Portugal

Nike has ensured that it will employ its Dri-fit ADV technology that enhances breathability and mobility in all its national team jerseys in 2024. Besides, the kits to be worn by Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. significantly vary from the kits Portugal has sported before. To begin with, the red home jersey now has a lighter tone, unlike the dark crimson shade used for the past 16 years.

Furthermore, the 2023 Nike kit was red on the top half of the torso, while green occupied its bottom. Adding golden to the crimson and green combination, it was a straight nod to the Portuguese national flag. However, the 2024 kit is solid red, without a green shade. The secondary color instead is black. Nike described the jersey and the “tradition” behind it: “The classic colors on the Home kit honor the flag and the creativity that inspires footballing history.”

Apart from the red home jersey, Nike has also released a blue and white away kit. This kit is also a walk-away from Portugal’s traditional second kit. The 2023 away jersey was primarily solid white with a shade of the Portuguese flag’s green and red in the middle. The new away kit does not have a shade of the flag. Moreover, it comes with a graphic blueprint against the white backdrop.

As for the away kit, the American sports giant explained, “A blue mosaic tile design on the Away kit adds a subtle blue spin to the traditional white of the Portugal second shirt.” Comparing them to the Euro 2020 jerseys, Portugal had a similar home kit that was primarily red. Again, a lighter shade that was quite different from its usual crimson. There were only hints of green on the sleeve and the sides. And, well, many felt it wasn’t Nike’s best kit for the then-defending champions.

As for the away jersey, it featured horizontal stripes that remained faithful to Portugal’s colors. But what caught everyone’s scrutiny was the base color Nike used – eggshell blue. And this, again, wasn’t regarded as Nike’s best work. But coming back to the 2024 jerseys. While the home kit stands out for its solid yet lighter red, the away kit is quite swashbuckling and graphic-heavy. Well, Nike’s release of such novel kits is no surprise, considering this is its last time.

Portugal x Nike: The end of an era

Nike has been sponsoring Portugal’s kits since 1997. Since then, Portugal has participated in six FIFA World Cups and six UEFA Euro Championships. Additionally, Ronaldo & Co. also featured in the UEFA Nations League in 2019. Therefore, the newly released kit marks Nike’s 14th major tournament kit for the Portuguese team in 27 years. Besides the deal with Portugal, Nike has a lifetime deal with Ronaldo as well.

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In late 2023, the Portuguese Football Federation announced they would sever ties with Nike after 2024. Puma will start sponsoring Portuguese kits from next year. Elsewhere, Ronaldo’s team, Al Nassr, is also rumored to have severed ties with Nike and has chosen Adidas as their new sponsor. While CR7 will continue flaunting Nike’s Mercurial boots, it would be a rather unfamiliar sight to see him without a Nike t-shirt.

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