Five decades of jerseys: Michael Olise gets a feel for FC Bayern history

13 May is National Jersey Day in Germany – good enough reason to take a journey through the history of the German record champions’ jerseys. In the 1970s, they shone in classic red; in the 90s, stripes were all the rage; and around 2010, black designs were introduced: Michael Olise delved into five decades of Bayern jerseys for FC Bayern’s members' magazine '51' – and shared his thoughts on what the FCB jersey would look like if he were the designer.

Michael Olise has never heard of Hans Dorfner. But then again, he was born in 2001, so quite a while after Dorfner’s playing days. His boyhood heroes were Thierry Henry and Zinédine Zidane, he says, as he slips on a Bayern Munich jersey that Hans Dorfner wore in 1989. It's white, with red and blue accent stripes and 'Commodore' on the chest. Olise feels comfortable in it, even though the fabric and cut are quite different to what he’s used to. From his childhood, he remembers above all the blue shirt of the French national team, he says: “And the Brazil jersey with its distinctive yellow and green elements.” Olise’s gaze wanders over the jerseys hanging on a clothes rail in front of him

He pauses at the canary-yellow 1986 model. “Really?” he says, laughing, when he learns that FC Bayern once had a Brazil jersey. “And I thought that was a goalkeeper’s jersey.” He weighs the jersey in his hands. “The cotton fabric is really heavy. I’m glad jerseys are made from lighter material these days.”

Olise’s journey through the history of FC Bayern’s kits is full of surprises. The variety alone is striking: shoulder stripes, diagonal stripes, vertical stripes – and alongside red and white, the colours sometimes include gold and silver. Or even canary yellow. With one hand, Olise pushes a jersey aside and pulls out a dark one, the Champions League shirt from the 2013/14 season. The blue tones, which look almost like anthracite, are unusual for FC Bayern, which is why it caught his eye. “That’s cool.” He’s not so keen on the gold or silver designs from around the turn of the millennium, though.

But he likes the red-and-blue-striped jersey from the 1995/96 season. Blue is, of course, a sensitive subject for the Reds. “But isn’t blue also part of FC Bayern in a way?” asks Olise, pointing to the diamonds in the club crest. He recalls that his former club, Crystal Palace, wore the same red-and-blue adidas striped design as Bayern in the late 90s. “I saw that once. I like the jersey.” But actually, Bayern should always wear red or white, says Olise. If he were head designer at adidas, he would go for a really classic design for the FC Bayern home strip, he says: “Just red, perhaps with a few stripes and a few white accents. Very minimalist.” Just like the home jersey from the 2005/06 season: bright red, with a fine, white accent stripe and a white collar. He likes collars in general in any case.

Olise himself has a small collection of jerseys at home. He says he keeps the one he likes best from each season. He also enjoys swapping shirts with friends or teammates from the national team when he plays against them. For him, however, jerseys are primarily workwear, unlike for many fans who collect old ones or wear them to the stadium. He can understand that: “Jerseys also represent a specific era, players and events that you like to remember.” Just like Hans Dorfner and the white Commodore jersey from 1989.

This article originally appeared in the May issue of the FC Bayern members’ magazine '51'.

Olise has been voted the best French footballer playing abroad by his fellow professional players: