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Why do Juventus play in black and white?

Juventus are one of the most successful teams in Italy and world football, consistently dominating the domestic league and having boasted some of the most legendary players in the sport - Cristiano Ronaldo, 
Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Pavel Nedved.

Their classic black and white kits have become synonymous with the club - so why do Juventus play in them? Goal takes a look.

Why do Juventus play in black and white?

Believe it or not, Juventus and Notts County will forever be intertwined with one another throughout football history, with the English side the foundation for the Italian team's trademark shirts.

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Juventus are known for playing in their signature vertical black-and-white stripes, resembling that of a zebra's colours, since 1903.

The idea for these colours, however, is far from original, as they took inspiration from English side Notts County, famous for their own black and white stripes - that were sometimes paired with white or black shorts.

Originally, Juventus' strip consisted of pink shirts and a black tie, which only happened because they were sent the wrong shirts - the father of one of the team's players manufactured the club's earliest kits, but the continuous washing of the jerseys made the colour fade drastically.

The colours became so washed-out that in 1903, the club became committed to replacing them personally. 

Juventus asked one of their players, the English footballer John Savage, if he knew of any connections in England who were able to supply the team with new shirts in a colour that wouldn't fade so quickly with each wash.

Coincidentally, Savage had a friend based in Nottingham - naturally a Notts County supporter - who sent their black-and-white striped shirts to the Turin team.

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Thus, the nickname for the Serie A giants was born - 'i bianconeri' (the black-and-whites).

Ever since then, Juventus have played in the black and white shirts, with the idea being that the monochrome colours signify something more intimidating and potent.

Juventus and Notts County have maintained a relationship of mutual respect since 1903. On September 8, 2011, to celebrate the opening of the new stadium in Turin, Juventus invited Notts County for a one-off exhibition match.

Following a lavish opening ceremony celebrating Juventus' glittering history, the game finished as a 1-1 draw, with Luca Toni and Lee Hughes both scoring in the second half.

Additionally, in recent seasons, Juventus have had a pink top as their second kit to acknowledge the history of their former shirt.

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