Lions on football teams' crest 🦁
As we know, clubs all take PRIDE in their crests, so this week we thought we’d look at some of the MANE football club badges that feature a lion…
Chelsea - The most famous lion crest in English football is that of Chelsea. Adopted by the West London club in 1953 as an ode to the club's owners, the Earls of Cadogan, the lion has seen some changes through the years, going from roaring to rampant in 1986 and then back to roaring in 2005.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Chelsea Shirts here
Lyon - The lion has been a symbol of the French city of Lyon for centuries so it makes sense that their football team would incorporate it on their crest. The club's old stadium, The Gerland, had no fewer than two lion sculptures.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Lyon Shirts here
Scotland - The Scotland National Team is the second oldest in the world and the Lion Rampant first appeared on their kits back in 1972 whilst playing games against England. The crest has evolved over the years and the lion is surrounded by thistles to make it undeniably Scottish.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Scotland Shirts here
Brescia - The city of Brescia is known as ‘Leonessa d’Italia’ after the uprisings in 1849 against Austrian rule. But the lion symbol of Brescia dates back to the Republic of Venice. The crest has seen several subtle, and not so subtle, changes since appearing on the club’s shirts in the late 1970s.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Bresica Shirts here
Aston Villa - Aston Villa has been sporting the Scottish Rampant Lion on their shirts since the 1880s, thanks to their previous owners William McGregor and George Ramsey. A star has accompanied the lion since 2007 to celebrate Villa’s European Cup triumph in 1982.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Aston Villa shirts here
1860 Munich - Nicknamed Die Löwen due to being formed in a pub called ‘Buttlesche Brauerei zum Bayerischen Löwen’ in 1846 and being reformed in 1860, the football team of TSV didn’t become active until 1899. The club then adopted the lion crest on their shirts in 1911.
🛒 - Shop our Retro 1860 Munich shirts here
England - The Three Lions is one of the most recognisable crests in the world and dates back to the 12th century. Henry I and Henry II added the Lions to their standard after marrying women whose families carried the lion. The English F.A. then adopted the symbol. The Three Lions has been a part of England’s shirts since their first-ever international match in 1872 when they faced Scotland.
🛒 - Shop our Retro England Shirts here
Sporting CP - The inspiration for Sporting’s emblem came from the Coat of Arms of the family of D. Fernando de Castelo Branco (Counts of Pombeiro): A rampant lion of gold on a field of blue. At his request, the blue background was not adopted, so it was agreed that the best solution would be to use the colour green. The club has had six variations of the crest throughout the years.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Sporting CP Shirts here
Cameroon - It makes perfect sense that the Cameroon National Team has a giant lion on their shirts given that their nickname is ‘The Indomitable Lions’. We can’t think of many other teams that feature two crests on their kits.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Cameroon Shirts here
Venezia - A winged lion is the crest of the Venetian club, which lends itself to their nickname ‘I Leoni alati’. Often mistaken for a Griffin, it is the official symbol for the Province of Venice. This comes from an ancient bronze sculpture of a winged lion in the Piazza San Marco. Most recently the crest has changed to feature just the head of the lion in a large letter ‘V’.
🛒 - Shop our Retro Venezia Shirts here
Well, we think that thread was a ROARING success. Check out our website where we currently have a 20% sale on everything. We will definitely have something for you to get your CLAWS into.
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