Batman is best known for patrolling the streets of Gotham City, but he’s now shown up in the stadium of one of the most dominant soccer teams in Costa Rica.
In November, 40-time Primera División de Costa Rica champions Deportivo Saprissa unveiled two Batman-themed alternate jerseys, and they wore the black home version on the pitch for the first time in a 3-1 win over AD Municipal Liberia on Sunday, November 30. The kit, manufactured by Kappa, was made possible thanks to a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery and makes Saprissa “the first soccer team in the world to unveil a uniform 100% inspired by Batman,” according to the club’s website (translated to English by Google).
Just like that orphaned boy who decided to face the world, transform fear into strength and never be intimidated, Deportivo Saprissa pays tribute to courage with a uniform unprecedented in the history of world football.
— Deportivo Saprissa press release (translated to English by Google)
One of the connections between Saprissa and Batman comes from the district in which the team’s stadium is located, San Juan de Tibás. This district was previously called San Juan del Murciélago — murciélago being the Spanish word for “bat.”
The black home version of the kit features a tonal pattern of Batman characters and scenes drawn in classic comic book style. The sleeve cuffs and collar are solid black with yellow stripes through the center. A Batman logo sits near the left hem, and the motto “Valientes por siempre” (“Always brave”) is inscribed in yellow on the back collar. The club’s iconic S crest is rendered in white, as are the sponsor and manufacturer logos.
The white version of the kit, meanwhile, will be worn away from home. It’s less busy than the black version, with a tonal pattern of repeating bat symbols. The collar, sleeve cuffs and Batman logo at the hem carry over from the home version, while the crest, back collar inscription and sponsor logos are rendered in black.
Saprissa’s licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery runs for two years, and the club says additional products will be announced soon.
Deportivo Saprissa — whose nickname, El Monstruo (The Monster), sounds like a possible Batman villain — was founded in 1935, and they play their home games at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá. Aside from their 40 Primera División de Costa Rica titles, Saprissa has won the CONCACAF Champions Cup on three occasions: 1993, 1995 and 2005. The International Federation of Football History and Statistics chose Saprissa as its CONCACAF team of the 20th Century.
