The governing body announced on Thursday that its decades long association with adidas is over and the national teams' new kit will be supplied by Nike from 2027 until at least 2034. The news came as a huge surprise to many and a big disappointment, too, going by the reactions on social media.

Perhaps the biggest and surprising critic was Germany's vice-chancellor Robert Habeck, who went into a tirade, saying: "I can hardly imagine the German jersey without the three stripes. For me, Adidas and black-red-gold always belonged together. A piece of German identity. I would have liked a bit more local patriotism."

Germany fans did not seem impressed, either, as 89 per cent of supporters polled by Kicker said it was a bad decision, while Copa90 slammed the move as evidence that "The game is gone" and @SmnLlyd5 admitted that "Nothing makes sense anymore".

KippesRA was in disbelief, saying on X: "Nike are terrible. What is Germany thinking?"

"Nooooooo," KenyanRegista wrote on X. "Where is the world heading if Germany can choose Adidas over Nike. I’m disappointed."

"Get ready for the worst kits you've ever seen," said CharlesMyer_UT, while Mi_B77 was similarly cynical, writing: "A generation of german kids identifying their football heroes with Nike instead of adidas causes losses through @adidas to the German economy. Puma I’d get, but Nike?!? Was it worth it?"

 Despite the negativity among supporters, DFB president Bernd Neuendorf spoke of his excitement about the development, saying: “We’re looking forward to working together with Nike and we’re pleased with the trust placed in us.