On a soccer pitch, the goalkeeper will be wearing a different colored jersey than the rest of the team. There are two primary reasons for this. The first is to help the referees differentiate the goalkeeper from the rest of the team. The second is for safety reasons, as the long-sleeved goalkeeper jerseys often contain extra padding.
Special Privileges
Goalkeepers are the only players on the soccer pitch permitted to use their hands to field a ball, and then only when inside the penalty area. By wearing a jersey that is different from the rest of the team, as well as the referee and assistant referees, the referees are easily able to distinguish which player is allowed to use their hands from the other players who are not.
Early Goalkeeper Jerseys
Soccer has been played since 1860, and for nearly 50 years goalkeepers dressed the same as the rest of the team. The only way to differentiate goalkeepers from the other players was that they wore a cap on their head.
In 1909, goalkeepers were asked to start wearing a jersey to better distinguish them from the rest of the team. Initially, the only colors permitted were royal blue and scarlet until 1912, when green was added as another color goalkeepers could don.
Numbers
The concept of numbering soccer jerseys picked up steam in the 1930s and the first notable match with both teams wearing numbers was the 1933 FA Cup Final. Goalkeepers were the last to start wearing a number on their backs, as their different colored jerseys made it known who the goalkeeper was.
Goalkeepers have historically been assigned the number one jersey, but field players have also worn a jersey with No. 1 on the back during competition.
Fashionable 70s
In the 1970s, regulations on goalkeeper jerseys were eased a bit and they were permitted to wear other colors than blue, scarlet, green and white. Some goalkeepers still preferred to wear traditional-looking jerseys, while others dressed in a manner they felt made themselves look more menacing, such as all black.
Goalkeeper jerseys soon became fashion statements for some, such as Mexico's Jorge Campos or France's Jeremie Janot, who gained fame for wearing a Spiderman outfit complete with mask, which he removed before the match.
Added Protection
Goalkeeper jerseys typically contain padding along the arms and elbow area to help cushion falls when they make diving save attempts. Many goalkeepers will also wear compression-type shirts with additional padding in the shoulder and rib areas underneath their regular goalkeeping jerseys to protect against kicked balls, as well to offer more protection for diving or sliding saves. While goalkeeper jerseys are for mainly for cosmetic purposes, there are functional aspects for their difference as well.
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