VfB Stuttgart have been involved in some unforgettable European encounters since their first appearance in major continental competition in 1964. The club’s iconic shirt with the Brustring has travelled the length and breadth of Europe in that time, ensuring that the boys from Cannstatt are dressed to impress whenever they set foot on foreign soil.
It therefore comes as no surprise that an entire section of the ‘Every Jersey Tells a Story’ exhibition, which was developed in association with main sponsor LBBW and remains open to visitors free of charge at the Schauspiel Stuttgart until Sunday 10 May, is dedicated to VfB’s most memorable European shirts. The display cabinet is packed full of match-worn jerseys from momentous encounters, starting with the Cannstatt lads’ UEFA Cup tops from the 1970s and 1980s.
1989 UEFA Cup final shirt
There was nothing over-elaborate about VfB’s early European tops all those years ago. UEFA did not allow advertising or commercial endorsements on their teams’ jerseys, while VfB also chose to remove the ‘Stuttgart’ lettering on the back of their shirts in continental competition.
The jersey worn by the club on their first major European final appearance, however, was much more distinctive. The UEFA Cup showpiece in May 1989 pitted VfB against an SSC Napoli side featuring Argentine superstar Diego Armando Maradona, who helped the Italian giants to a 5-4 victory over two legs (L2-1 away, D3-3 at home). The tie may have ended in defeat for VfB, but their honeycomb-patterned shirts still hold a special place in Stuttgart fans’ hearts.
When the European Cup became the UEFA Champions League at the start of the 1992/93 campaign, the competition expanded to include not only domestic league champions, but multiple other major clubs from Europe’s top divisions. The Cannstatt boys were able to secure a place in the inaugural Champions League – but their campaign was short-lived.
They managed to beat Leeds United over two legs in the first round, but a substitution error by VfB in the return game at Elland Road meant they had to travel to Barcelona for a one-off play-off against the Yorkshire club – which ended in defeat. Their shirt from that match, on which the logo of VfB’s main sponsor was not allowed to be printed on the Brustring, serves as a reminder of that painful night.
Unique UEFA Champions League top
Among the many other European shirts on display, one stands out in particular – VfB’s jersey for the 2024/25 Champions League. Stuttgart had qualified for Europe’s premier club competition for the fifth time in their history, but this was the first time the club had designed their own shirt for the competition, in collaboration with kit supplier JAKO.
“With its classic, noble style and a focus on the red hoop, the new VfB Stuttgart shirt for the UEFA Champions League was designed, and will be worn, with pride,” read the announcement on the club’s website at the time. A white and red top with gold trimmings, the jersey was worn by Sebastian Hoeneß’s men on several occasions during a memorable league-phase campaign.
