Resurrection of the Goalkeeper Cap, Part 2
Courtesy of Balenciaga
The decline of the goalkeeper cap in football mirrors a broader shift in men's fashion: as everyday hats became less common, the necessity for caps in sports also waned due to advancements in stadium design that protect players from the elements. Yet, this fashion relic holds potential for a stylish comeback. Here, we explore how modern goalkeeper caps could blend traditional utility with contemporary flair, reflecting both personal identity and team spirit.
All modern caps look bland and boring. They are not personalized, not a part of a specific player’s identity. However, the potential for creativity (as well as the team’s profit) is there. I want to make this small step. But first, I have to explain the current FIFA headwear rules.
In an incredibly engaging 128-page book called ‘Equipment Regulations,’ FIFA outlines—in great detail—how an official football game should look like. There’s a rule for everything: from what a beach soccer player should wear to competitions in general, to how long sleeves are supposed to be on professional football jerseys (thank you, Cameroon-2002).
Photo: Bleacher Report / Getty Images / February 2002
As to headgear regulations, the only player allowed to wear a hat on the field for non-religious reasons is the goalkeeper. And the only type of hat a goalkeeper is allowed to wear is a baseball cap. Which has to look like this:
Photo: FIFA Equipment Regulations / 2021
So, clearly, not a lot of space to experiment. However, there are some tweaks that can be made. A team emblem can be replaced by a team symbol (a cannon for Arsenal, for example), or the name of the team spelled out, or even a national/regional symbol. Crucially, the cap is allowed to differ from the jersey in color and other appearances.
Thus, I imagined hats that would match or create interesting color combinations with existing football jerseys. Then, I sketched what goalkeepers of some of the world’s best teams would look like if they wore those caps.
Original photo: OneFootball / Getty Images / September 2023
First is Inter Milan, and its Swiss goalkeeper, Yann Sommer. With all the sketches, the goal was to create a feeling somewhere between someone mysterious and a cowboy. Perhaps, Ben Affleck in a New York Mets cap in Gone Girl(2014). In the case of Inter Milan, the jersey is so bright that to match it, I had to use dark colors. This particular hat has maybe even some military uniform vibes. Instead of the logo, it spells the team’s name in white and also features Yann Sommer’s last name and jersey number.
Original photo: BVB Online Shop / 2024
Next is Gregor Kobel, goalkeeper of Borussia Dortmund. Here, the kit was so kaleidoscopic that the cap needed to be simple, monotone, calming. Thus, I chose plain white, with black text for Kobel’s last name and number.
Original photo: BeSoccer / (EPA) EFE / March 2024
Then, I attempted to imagine a hat that would fit with Real Madrid’s black goalkeeper uniform—and the result is three variations of a black hat. One with white elements, another with yellow/gold elements, and the third (as seen on Andriy Lunin in the right image) with black elements. The latter one was inspired by Borussia Dortmund’s 2021 blackout jersey.
Original photo: BaskaGazete / January 2024
For Galatasaray’s Fernando Muslera, I tried to imagine a cap that would not drown in the sea of green hues that is his uniform. Thus, the hat was made bright-yellow, with black broken lines for contrast. Muslera’s personal details are also written in black.
Original photo: FC Dynamo Kyiv / 2021
Then, I just couldn’t omit my favorite club, Dynamo Kyiv, and its goalkeeper, Heorhiy Bushchan. He wears a black uniform, so the cap needed to be in a contrasting color. Luckily, Dynamo’s official colors are white and blue, which fit the cap perfectly. The blue letters on the front spell out ‘Kyiv’ in Ukrainian, and the two dots above the letter ї are now yellow stars (as on the team logo).
Original photo: Getty Images / October 2023
Up next is Olympique de Marseille, and Pau Lopez. They have a great red-darker-red pattern on the uniform, so I needed something that would match it. So a blue-orange combination was chosen. I know what you're going to say, but in my defense, I noticed that it matches the New York Knicks’ color scheme way after I came up with it. It does create an interesting color combination, though.
Original photos: Shutterstock / September 2022 & Alamy Stock Photo / February 2023
The last team I tried to imagine a goalkeeper cap for is PSG, and its Gianluigi Donnarumma. The yellow jersey seemed interesting, thus I chose it. To match its brightness, the cap was made fully gray, with black text spelling out Paris in the front (that’s where the team is from), as well as Donnarumma’s name and number on the side.
These sketches are not the most imaginative concepts ever, but they are able to create the mysterious/cowboy-ish feeling mentioned at the beginning of the text. A lot of modern sports fandom is concerned with ‘aura.’ And in the case of goalkeeper hats, they can help create it. However, the key is not only in the design, but also in the respect for the history of the game that goalkeepers can show by wearing caps. They would follow in the footsteps of such icons as Lev Yashin and Oliver Kahn, continuing the old tradition, as well as writing their own names into it. Hopefully, these designs could persuade them to do so.
