A white shirt crossed by a single diagonal black stripe and a Maltese cross on the crest. Vasco da Gama’s jersey is one of the most elegant and distinctive in Brazilian football — and one of the most historically significant in all of South American sport.
The cross that comes from the Age of Exploration
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama was founded on 21 August 1898 by Portuguese immigrants in Rio de Janeiro, named after the explorer Vasco da Gama. The Maltese cross on the crest and shirt is a direct reference to the Order of the Knights of Malta, who protected Portuguese navigators during the great Age of Exploration. Every time the Vasco shirt enters a pitch, it carries five centuries of Iberian maritime history with it.
The shirt that broke a colour bar
In 1923, Vasco did something revolutionary that most Brazilian football clubs refused to do: they became the first carioca club to admit Black and mixed-race players into their squad. The decision provoked protests from rival clubs and nearly cost them a place in the Rio de Janeiro league. The board held firm. From that moment, the diagonal stripe and Maltese cross became symbols of inclusion as much as sport.
The bacalhau — a symbol born from mockery
The bacalhau (dried codfish) as Vasco’s unofficial symbol traces back to the club’s Portuguese roots. In the 1970s, a cartoonist used the cod to mock the club, playing on Portuguese stereotypes. Rather than ignoring it, Vasco fans embraced the joke. The bacalhau became a beloved mascot, chanted proudly in the stands. When Edmündo returned to Vasco in 1996, fans in the Maracanã serenaded him with “au, au, au, Edmündo é bacalhau!”
Roberto Dinamite: 617 goals in the diagonal stripe
No player is more synonymous with Vasco than Roberto Dinamite — the club’s all-time top scorer with 617 goals and its most-capped player with 1,022 appearances between 1971 and 2002. The Vasco number 9 shirt with his name on the back is one of the most sought-after items in Brazilian football collecting.
22 state titles and four national championships
Vasco’s diagonal stripe has been lifted at the top of Brazilian and South American competitions 22 times in the state championship alone, plus four Campeonatos Brasileiros (1974, 1989, 1997, 2000), a Copa Mercosul and a Copa Sul-Americana. It is one of the most decorated shirts in Brazilian football history.
Original Vasco jerseys: what to look for
The diagonal stripe and the Maltese cross make Vasco jerseys visually distinctive — but that same distinctiveness makes them prime targets for counterfeiters. At Garrincha Shirts, every Vasco jersey we carry is verified original. Retro editions, match-worn pieces and official modern kits — all real, all documented.