Why do Tottenham wear all white in Europe?

Tottenham captain Alan Mullery sits on the shoulders of his team-mates as he holds the UEFA Cup after Spurs’ win in the final against Wolves in May 1972.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Tottenham will play in their second European final in the last six years against Manchester United in Bilbao.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have battled their way to the city in northern Spain and have given their incredibly below-par season a shot at redemption, with a trophy and Champions League qualification.

Curiously, Tottenham will wear all white shirts, socks and shorts against Manchester United, a change they make for all European ties, but why do they do it?

Why do Tottenham wear all white in Europe?

(Image credit: Getty Images)The tradition dates all the way back to 1961 and the clubs first ever European game against Polish side Gornik Zabrze.

Folklore suggests it was the decision of legendary manager Bill Nicholson, who is ranked at no.35 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest managers ever. Back in those days, managers had final decision over everything, from kit colour and design.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Bill Nicholson, 1968 (Image credit: Alamy)Rumour has it, that when Tottenham played in white for the first time it was to mimic European giants Real Madrid, who had won just the first five instalments of the European Cup which started in 1955.

Unfortunately, the story is far less glamours than that.

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Spurs had actually been experimenting with kit colours for a while, especially on floodlit pitches. The reason for doing so was increased visibility, as almost 85 years ago, the floodlights weren’t quite the same as they are now. Shocking, we know.

The first experiment with all white came in 1956 when they switched for a floodlit friendly against Racing Club de Paris, in which they also wore shirst made of a reflective material called Rayon.

Harry Kane playing for Tottenham against his current employers Bayern Munich in the Champions League in 2019 (Image credit: Getty Images)The kit was binned after a few games due to it being quite hot and uncomfortable for the players, although it was trialled in 1958 in an amber colour-way.

The idea of white shorts persisted however, and was trialled several times over the following years in midweek games, often played in the evening on floodlit pitches.

Tottenham lining up against Juventus in 2018 in the Champions League (Image credit: Laurens Lindhout/Soccrates/Getty Images)So whilst the story of mimicking Real Madrid may be more romantic in football terms, the real reason Spurs wear all white was due to trying to maximise player performance.

Now there is probably no need, however it is nice that Spurs carry on the tradition as they look to write more European history.

Ewan is a freelance writer and social media manager who has worked for The Athletic, GOAL, 90min and OneFootball. From Gelsenkirchen to Riyadh, he has covered some of the biggest games in football in his three years in the industry.