Football is like a religion in Brazil. Brazilians are frequently regarded as some of the best natural footballers. The nation is credited with inventing “Joga Bonito” and is known as the birthplace of the greatest athletes in history. They also have a distinctive mark: their recognizable yellow jersey.
The Brazilian national team is also known by various nicknames, such as the ‘Scratch du Oro’, the ‘Cerdeamarela’ or the ‘Canarinha’, all dating back to the 1950s.
Brazil, which has never missed a tournament, is the team with the most FIFA World Cup appearances. Moreover, no one else has won the competition five times as they have. Since 2002, when they won in South Korea and Japan, they have been searching for a sixth victory.
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The origin of the nickname and the color of the kit go hand in hand, as there was a time when they were not ‘the Canarinha’ and did not wear yellow. It all came about via a blot on Brazil’s footballing history.
Everything was in position for the host nation to triumph at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. However, the unexpected happened as the hosts lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the championship game. The national team’s identity has to be changed as a result, according to the Brazilian Football Federation.
Yellow Jersey
According to a piece that appeared in the academic journal FuLIA of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, a competition was held in 1953 for Brazilians to submit their designs for the team’s jersey because their current one did not represent “the vitality of the country.” The Brazilian kit had previously been a combination of white and blue.
The competition was organized by the newspaper Correio da Manha, and it had a rule that only the flag’s colors of yellow, green, blue, and white may be utilized.
The shirt with the canary yellow color was ultimately the winner. Thus, canarinha, which translates to canary was the nickname bestowed on the Brazilian national team.
