Sampdoria 1990/92 Kit: The Iconic Shirt That Accompanied Samp's Finest Hour

Since their formation in 1946, Sampdoria have basically worn - bar a few sponsorship changes here and there - the same kit. Blue is the dominant colour, with the white, red and black hoops in the middle being what makes the jersey so iconic unique. It's a design that will never, ever, change for as long as I Blucerchiati exist.

So, what makes their 1990 to 1992 effort so special?

First, a brief explanation of why Sampdoria wear such an unusual kit. The club was formed shortly after World War II, as a result of a merger between two Genovese clubs: Andrea Doria and Sampierdarense. The former wore blue and white halved kits - not too dissimilar to Blackburn Rovers' - while the latter wore an all-white kit with red and black hoops in the middle.

In order to ensure that they were equally represented in this new club, the blue of Andrea Doria was adopted as the primary colour, while white, red, and black hoops from Sampierdarense would be used in the middle of the shirt. As a result, the identity of these two long-dissolved clubs remains to this day.

The 1990 to 1992 kit really isn't that much different to what has been done before or since, but it does have a few 90's quirks that contribute to its iconic image. As was the fashion at the time, the jersey was quite baggy - a far-cry from the skin-tight shirts of modern times - and was, of course, always tucked into the shorts.

It's a design so different to the ones of today that it reflects how much football has changed in the last 30 years, and therefore evokes nostalgia for a time without £100m transfers and betting sponsorships. The fact that it's made by Asics serves to increase this feeling further.

Asics were big in the 90s. In England, they made kits for Aston Villa, Leeds United, Newcastle United, and most notably, Blackburn Rovers, who lifted their only Premier League title wearing an Asics shirt. They were fixture in Italy up until the early 2010s, when Empoli and Genoa used to don their kits.

The Japanese manufacturer has been gone from Europe for a while now and their only notable sponsorship is of Andres Iniesta's Vissel Kobe. Therefore, the name and iconography of Asics is now primarily associated with 90s football and evokes nostalgia for that period.

The main reason why this kit is so iconic, however, is for the squad and the successes associated with it. Indeed, it would be difficult to name a more successful period in Sampdoria's history than 1990 to 1992.

Paolo Mantovani, I Blucerchiati's owner from 1979 to 1993, was the instigator of this success. Having first led them out of Serie B, his astute ownership allowed Sampdoria to slowly improve throughout the 80s, winning their first major honour, a Coppa Italia, in 1985. In 1986, they appointed Vujadin Boskov, who would lead them to heights never seen before.

Boskov would win the Coppa Italia twice more before leading them their first - and to-date, only - Scudetto in 1991. With the likes of Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini and Pietro Vierchowod at his disposal, Sampdoria would win Serie A by a margin of five points, an impressive feat considering wins were only worth two points at the time.

Thus, the following season, the Scudetto shield was the only addition to an unchanged kit. Their domestic performance was poor, however, and it cost Boskov his job, though he did lead them to a European Cup final, where they lost to Barcelona in extra-time.

Mantovani died in 1993, and Sampdoria would never again reach the dizzy heights of the early 90s. They would suffer two separate relegations to Serie B before becoming the (mostly) unremarkable mid-table team that they are today.

So this kit is not only iconic because of its beautiful design, but also because of its association with past glories that a club the size of Sampdoria are unlikely to ever achieve again. It's almost like a 90's time capsule, a reminder of baggy kits, forgotten sponsors and an Blucerchiati side that used to be one of the world's best.

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