Ranked! The 100 Greatest Football Kits of All Time
Ranking the best football kits of all time would always be an enviable task. Where do you actually start?In the mod…
Ranking the best football kits of all time would always be an enviable task. Where do you actually start?
In the modern world these days there are three new shirts every year, plus special tops worn with one-offs, international shirts — now for men’s teams and women’s — not to mention goalkeeper kits and pre-match tops. We’ve excluded the last two: we’re looking purely in football history at the most iconic kits worn by outfielders, from every team in every country, at every moment.
Our last 100 is up for debate, but it’s a great nostalgia-filled journey, from the days of cropped shorts to sleeve sponsors, to everything in between. Buckle up and brace yourself for a century’s worth of items that no hall of fame would be complete.
100. Napoli: at home, 1990/91
Naples: home, 1990/91 (Image credit: Future)
Close your eyes and you’ll see images of shaggy-haired Diego Maradona donning this in the glistening southern Italian sun. Ennerre produced this masterpiece and Napoli probably hasn’t had such a nice shirt since. Also an early entry in this list for the biggest sponsor ever.
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99. Saint-Etienne: home, 1980/81
Saint-Etienne: home, 1980/81 (Image credit: Future)
Ah, the 1970s: when French football was still innocent, Paris Saint-Germain was the child of a club and Saint-Etienne ruled the Gallic game. Les Verts reached a European Cup final that decade — they were huge…but still not as big as this sponsor.
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98. Real Betis: home, 1995–97
Real Betis: home, 1995–97 (Image credit: Future)
Kappa has a rich heritage in Spanish football and this Betis number is synonymous with Brazilian superstar Denilson and the arrival of La Liga shown on UK TV. It’s an almost unbeatable design.
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97. West Ham United: home, 1999
West Ham United: home, 1999 (Image credit: Future)
It evokes one image: Paolo Di Canio throwing the ball into the net against Wimbledon with kung fu. The sponsor is magnificent, the white piping and sky blue contrast perfectly — and the Irons have even recreated the look with the 2021/22 home shirt.
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96. Northern Ireland: road, 1990
Northern Ireland: road, 1990 (Image credit: Future)
An optical illusion of a dress shirt, for a side most often associated with a pure green and white get-up. Northern Ireland was getting bolder as house music and Britpop was about to take over: the result? This absolute masterpiece.
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Today’s best ScoreDraw Northern Ireland 1990 away shirt deals
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95. Marseille: home, 1971/72
Marseille: home, 1971–72 (Image credit: Future)
In these heady days for French football, Marseille wore what is essentially a baseball top — but let’s not forget that another of their shirts of the decade saw this simple design with “BUT” scribbled on it in large letters. It’s French for “GOAL,” they weren’t looking for rain on anyone’s parade.
This is also believed to be the very first use of a sponsor and manufacturer logo. C’est tres bien.
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94. Wolverhampton Wanderers: home, 1993
Wolverhampton Wanderers: home, 1993 (Image credit: Future)
The 1990s: when football started to become a blockbuster and all-over prints on shirts were commonplace. This from Wolves is one of the best of the decade, with paint-like patterns giving the home magazine a signature look it’s never had before… and rarely since.
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93. Scotland: Home, 1978
Scotland: home, 1978 (Image credit: Future)
“I haven’t felt this good since Archie Gemmill scored against Holland in 1978,” says Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting during a scene you wouldn’t watch with your parents. Not that you would watch any of that movie with them.
The shirt of that iconic evening was one of Umbro’s finest, with diamonds on the sleeves and a thick collar that was all the rage at the time. The deepest shade of blue, of course.
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92. Athletic Bilbao: away, 2011/12
Athletic Bilbao: away, 2011/12 (Image credit: Future)
El Loco’s run of his life was as silly and sweet as you’d expect. Athletic Bilbao wore this shirt during their trip to the Europa League final in 2011 and it is as unique as the club itself. We’ve never seen a doppelgänger let alone a rip off.
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91. AC Milan: home, 1989/90
AC Milan: home, 1989/90 (Image credit: Future)
A tank on the front of the AC Milan shirt was fitting for a side that bulldozed and mistreated everyone in front of them under Arrigo Sacchi. This was the shirt of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, from another European Cup win and in many minds it is the Milan shirt.
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