Ad Hoc Adoptions
Brazil added three stars above their badge after winning their third World Cup in 1970. Italy did likewise in 1982. All world champions have since followed suit. Uruguay display four stars, regarding their triumphs in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics as equivalent to their later World Cup wins, as there was no World Cup at the time. In 2004, Denmark wore a star on their shirts specially for Euro 2004, to commemorate their victory in the competition in 1992. In the equipment regulations for FIFA competitions, section 18.2 states "Those Member Associations that have won the FIFA World Cup may put a symbol on the playing shirt representing this accomplishment and the number of times won." The form of symbol is not specified, although the accompanying illustrative example depicts a gold star.
More recently, club teams have added stars either upon winning a landmark trophy, or in response to a rival team's having added stars. In the Romanian first league, Steaua uses 2 stars above their logo since they won their 20th title. Since then Dinamo added a star for the 18 championships they won. Manchester United sported a star in their UEFA Champions League matches on their special European home kit between 1997 and 1999. To celebrate their second victory that year, they added an extra star to that kit for the 1999–00 season. Liverpool likewise wore four stars in 2001–02, their first campaign in the competition since the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985. They wore five stars in the competition in 2005–06 after their fifth victory. Instead of stars, UEFA introduced a multiple winner badge in 2000–01 season, currently worn by five teams who have won the Champions League either five times or more in total, or three times in a row.
Occasionally, stars are temporarily added for one season, usually to commemorative kits to celebrate the club's anniversary. Burnley sported two stars on their 2006–07 shirt, for their 125th anniversary, to celebrate their two league titles in 1921 and 1960. Likewise Bury in 2009–10, also for their 125th anniversary, commemorating their 1900 and 1903 FA Cup triumphs.
In women's football, the emerging ad hoc standard is to wear stars on the sleeve instead of above the badge. Two of the four teams that have won the FIFA Women's World Cup to date — Norway and Germany — use this practice, as did two-time Women's World Cup winners, the USA, until moving the stars to the back collar in 2007. The United States has returned its two stars to above the badge on their new uniforms for the 2011 Women's World Cup.
Read more about this topic: Star (football Badge)