With the European Championships almost upon us, the time has come for the countries to start revealing the kit they hope will be worn all the way to the final in Poland and Ukraine.
So with little over six weeks to go until the big kick off of Euro 2012, France, Poland, Holland, Portugal and Croatia have paraded their star men in their respective new strips.
The Nike kits claimed to be the most environmentally friendly ever and each individual strip has its own country-specific Pro Combat base layer, to provide added protection and comfort for players.
Croatia
Croatia's unique kits are an important and emotional symbol of their young country. Featuring their famous red and white checks, the home shirt has a red crew neck collar with the body now featuring an even bigger and bolder red and white checks.
The sleeves contain smaller checks to create an overall more colourful design.
Inside the neck is the message 'Uvijek Vjerni' which translates as 'Always loyal', to celebrate the loyalty and passion Croatians feel for their football side.
The new home shorts are white, while the new home socks, now with improved cushioning for greater comfort, also white with a subtle band of tonal checks.
France
The new France home kit is a bold departure from the traditional blue and white design and has been inspired by the military uniforms.
The body of the shirt boasts a tonal print of the mariniere, an iconic French design consisting of thin stripes, alternatively in Meteor Blue, the color of the traditional French shirt, and then lighter Pacific Blue.
The unique high collar of the shirt is decorated with gold piping and on the cuff of both sleeves is a hexagon to represent France, containing three tones of gold to echo the Tricolour, the national flag.
Inside the back of the neck runs a thin red tape with the message 'Nos differences nous unissent' (Our differences unite us), celebrating the diversity of the French nation.
Holland
The Dutch are celebrated for their enlightened and attractive football, as well as their unconventional approach to design and art, which can appear chaotic and untamed, but is always functional with a distinctive purpose.
The home shirt is in the traditional Dutch vibrant orange, but now has tonal diamond prints on both the left side of the torso and the right side of the bottom to create a sash effect to echo the design of their first ever kit from 1904.
Inside the neck is the graphic 'Nieuwe Meesters' (New Masters) which pays homage to the name collectively given to the renowned Dutch artists of the 17th century, while also celebrating the current side, a hugely talented group of players who have the potential to make their own history.
The new home shorts are in traditional orange, while the new home socks, now with improved cushioning for greater comfort, movement and protection, are also in orange, giving the entire kit a strong, clean and unmistakably Dutch appearance.
Poland
The new Poland kit was first reveled in December 2011, but it will take its place in the spotlight when Poland co-hosts football’s biggest European tournament this summer. The kit is inspired by the Polish flag.
The jersey represents the most iconic symbol of Poland depicted by the national flag in white and red. It will carry a nation in the most important year in Polish football history, so the jersey will be remembered for many years to come.
The shirt also features the traditional national crest – an eagle, reflecting the pride and passion of Polish football.
Portugal
Portugal’s new home kit has been augmented with symbols from their glorious seafaring history, and is a classic design, featuring an all red body with an elegant green crew neck collar.
On the sleeves are green crosses formed from thin stripes, with the horizontal lines extending around the entire cuff, to represent the revered Portuguese national symbol, which was emblazoned on the sails of the ships Portugal’s explorers navigated around the world.
Inside the neck is an Armillary Sphere, an astronomical and navigation instrument, which these explorers used to discover the world. It has been a national symbol for over 500 years, featuring in architecture, and most famously as the background to the Portuguese shield on the national flag.
The new home shorts are red, while the new home socks, now with improved cushioning for greater comfort, are also red with a thin green stripe at the top and a small green cross on the back of each calf.
