Why did Buffon wear a Glasgow Rangers' kit in 1999? An aesthetic incident that involved Champion and Nike

Gianluigi Buffon once donned the jersey of Glasgow Rangers during an official match in his illustrious career. This remarkable moment occurred in August 1999, while Buffon was playing for Parma, which was then managed by Alberto Malesani. The Gialloblù faced the Scottish team in the preliminary rounds of the Champions League. The previous season had seen Parma clinch the UEFA Cup by beating Marseille in the final played in Moscow, with that team achieving legendary status for their striking yellow and blue horizontally striped jerseys designed by Lotto. This design choice marked a significant stylistic shift for the club, orchestrated in collaboration with the Tanzi family, the team's ownership. Moving away from a traditional all-white look, the horizontal stripe motif was adapted in slightly varied forms for the white away kit, dark blue third kit, and the goalkeeper kits. In the 1999/2000 season, Champion succeeded Lotto as Parma’s technical sponsor, opting to retain the same design for both the home jersey and goalkeeper kits. Ironically, it was one of these goalkeeper uniforms that led to Buffon’s unexpected appearance in a Glasgow Rangers jersey.

In the recounting of events, it has come to light that referee José María García-Arand prohibited Gianluigi Buffon from wearing the goalkeeper kit that Parma had selected for their trip to Ibrox. There are two options on this matter: one featured a black and pink horizontal striped design with pink accents, the away jersey for goalkeepers designed by Champion, while the other was Parma's third kit for the season, a navy blue uniform adorned with yellow details. All the other kits were excluded due to color issues, meaning they would have been approved by the referee team. Notably, the designated first-choice goalkeeper kit included a white and blue horizontal striped jersey. Throughout that season, including the previous one, Buffon had a practice of wearing both the third and away jerseys, as evidenced in the first leg of the match against Rangers, where he donned the white jersey with a centralized blue band, also crafted by Champion. However, on that August evening, Buffon found himself without these alternatives.

To address the issue at hand, Rangers made a unique decision to loan one of their goalkeeping kits to Parma: an eye-catching orange jersey featuring a navy blue horizontal stripe across the chest, with matching accents on the cuffs and collar. This kit evokes a sense of nostalgia, as it represents one of the last goalkeeper jerseys designed with shoulder and elbow protections. However, the story takes an even more fascinating twist when it comes to branding. While Rangers were partnered with Nike at the time, Gianluigi Buffon wore a jersey from Champion during the match, thanks to a specially prepared clean kit without sponsors. This allowed Parma to affix their own sponsorship patches, including those of Champion and Parmalat. Notably, the commemorative rosette for the previous season’s Coppa Italia victory was left out. Such an unusual scenario is virtually impossible today, as UEFA regulations dictate that kits for official matches are confirmed well in advance. Moreover, it is hard to imagine any major sportswear brand, like adidas, PUMA, or Nike, allowing the use of a rival's kit while branding it with their own logos.