Nick Woltemade has brought back a sight that had been missing from Juventus matches for more than a decade.
The German forward became the first Juventus outfield player in 12 years to wear a long-sleeved shirt in a Serie A match, reviving a detail that had disappeared from the club’s matchday wardrobe.
The last notable Juventus players to do so were Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio during the 2013/14 campaign. Since then, the club’s famous black-and-white shirt has almost exclusively been seen in its short-sleeved version.
But why?
The answer does not appear to be a Juventus rule banning long sleeves, nor a decision by the club to prevent players from wearing them. Instead, the issue appears to have been largely connected to kit availability and supply.
During much of Juventus’ adidas era, long-sleeved versions of the club’s regular match shirts were not consistently available for players. That meant that even players known for their preference for covering their arms had little opportunity to bring the style to Turin.
Perhaps the most striking example is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo became closely associated with long-sleeved shirts during his career, particularly during his Real Madrid years. Yet despite spending three seasons at Juventus between 2018 and 2021, he never wore the long-sleeved version of the club’s regular Serie A shirt.
That makes Woltemade’s appearance particularly interesting.
The German’s arrival coincides with adidas once again offering a long-sleeved Juventus home shirt, meaning the option is now clearly available. Woltemade’s decision to wear it has therefore ended a remarkable 12-year absence.
It was not simply a fashion choice. It marked the return of a version of the famous Juventus shirt that had effectively disappeared from Serie A matchdays since the 2013/14 season.