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Ranking the 50 Best Soccer Jerseys Of All Time

Some soccer jerseys are bad, some are good, and some are downright ugly. Others, however, like these lot, are legendary.

Barnaby Lane

AC Milan's 1988 jersey is one of soccer's all-time greats.
AC Milan's 1988 jersey is one of soccer's all-time greats. / Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

The worlds of soccer and fashion have become increasingly intertwined in recent years.

Thanks to earning bucket loads of cash and the rise of social media—meaning they can’t just pop to the shops in their pajamas anymore without going viral—players are now more style-savvy than ever.

The line between the catwalk and the pitch has also blurred, with many clubs opting to have their jerseys designed by big-name brands like Jordan or iconic designers such as Yohji Yamamoto.

We’re looking at you, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

However, a fancy brand collaboration doesn’t always make for a great kit. What truly defines a great kit is its uniqueness, how it stands out from the rest, and how well it aligns with the club’s aesthetic.

By that logic, some very ugly jerseys can be great, while some very sleek ones can be completely forgettable.

With that said, here are what Sports Illustrated considers the 50 best soccer jerseys of all time.

Brace yourself.

50. Loja CD (2017/18)

Don't say we didn't tell you to brace yourself.

Spanish sixth tier side Loja CD's jerseys from the 2017/18 season are, a bit like the bug-eyed crustaceans on their front, not to everybody's taste.

It looks pretty delicious to us, though.

49. Chelsea (1997/98, Home)

The sight of the late Gianluca Vialli wearing a Chelsea jersey is enough to bring a tear to the eye of any Blues fan, especially when its the super stylish, slightly shimmering shirt from the 1997/98 season.

48. Tokyo Verdy (1993/94, Home)

Tokyo Verdy was known as Verdy Kawasaki in the '90s.
Tokyo Verdy was known as Verdy Kawasaki in the '90s. / AFLOSPORT/IMAGO

The inaugural season of Japan's first professional soccer league in 1993 was won by Tokyo Verdy (then known as Verdy Kawasaki).

Its green kit from that year was just as wacky and fun as the league's original rules, which didn't allow for draws, meaning every game was, quite literally, like a cup final.

47. Manchester City (1989/90, Away)

This looks a little like something your grandpa might wear tucked into some cordoroy slacks, but somehow, it just works.

46. Hull City (1992/93)

Nicknamed "The Tigers," Hull City's jerseys typically have black and orange stripes.

From time to time, however, the club decides to go full animal print, with its spectacular home shirt from 1992/93 being the best example.

45. England (1990/1991, Third)

Now a favorite among England fans, the Three Lions third kit from 1990 was never actually worn at the World Cup that year as intended.

Instead, it was worn just once in a game against Turkey at Wembley Stadium in 1991, which only adds to its hipster value.

44. Cameroon (2002, Home)

Cameroon shirt 2002.
What, no sleeves? Really? Yes really. / Garcia/IMAGO

In 2002, Cameroon decided to go full NBA with a jersey that had no sleeves.

The Indomitable Lions were allowed to wear the shirts at that year's Africa Cup of Nations, but FIFA then stepped in to ban them from the World Cup just a few months later, forcing Cameroon to stitch on black sleeves, which looked a lot less fun.

43. New York Cosmos (1977, Home)

Pele in action for New York Cosmos.
Pele in action for New York Cosmos. / Focus on Sport/Getty

New York Cosmos had legendary trio Pelé, Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer on the team for the 1977 season.

The jersey they wore, complete with a green collar and sleeve trims, was equally as iconic.

42. Arsenal (1991-93, Away)

The template used for Arsenal's 1991-93 away shirt was also donned by a number of other clubs around the same time, including River Plate and the Czech national team.

The Gunners' "bruised banana" version is by far and away the best and most iconic, though.

41. Nigeria (2020-22, Home)

The stunning pattern that covers the front of Nigeria's 2020 home jersey was hand-drawn and derives from traditional Nigerian Agbada robes.

A nice touch and a fantastic shirt.

40. Pescara (2020, Away)

In 2020, Italian club Pescara launched a competition challenging young fans to design a new jersey for the team.

The winner was six-year-old Luigi D'Agostino, whose design depicts a dolphin, the club’s mascot, playing with a soccer ball in the sea with a rainbow overhead.

Though originally launched for a bit of fun, Pescara actually went on to manufacture D'Agostino's kit, and wore it a handful of times during the following season.

Bonus points here for being super cute.

39. Jamaica (2024/25, Away)

All three of Jamaica's jerseys for 2024/25 are rather nice, but its the away shirt which is the standout.

The jazzy green, black and yellow top features symbols that pay tribute to the country's national bird, the doctor bird, and national flower.

38. France (2011, Away)

When Nike took over from Adidas as the manufacturer of the French national team's kits in 2011, it immediately decided to push the boat out.

Rather than sticking with the country's traditional white and red away jersey, it instead, with the help of legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, went for a navy colored, hooped design inspired by the uniform of French sailors in the 19th century.

While controversial at the time, the shirt has since become a cult classic.

37. Blackburn Rovers (1994-96, Home)

It's not often a club's greatest-ever jersey coincides with its greatest-ever season, but that's what happened with Blackburn Rovers in 1995/96. That year, the club claimed its first, and to date, only, Premier League title.

36. Denmark (1986, Home)

Denmark's futuristic half-and-half home shirt from 1896 was probably the wildest kit anyone had ever seen in soccer at the time.

Clearly impressed, however, others soon started following suit.

A true trailblazer of a jersey.

35. Celtic (1987-89)

Celtic's 100th anniversary in 1987 saw the return of the club's original Celtic cross badge, which looked extremely classy on the front of the Hoops' classic green and white jersey.

34. Peru (1978, Home)

Peru 1978.
Peru's 1978 home kit was a thing of beauty. / Colorsport/IMAGO

Peru, River Plate and Rayo Vallecano all have white home jerseys with red sashes, but Peru's takes the crown as the best thanks to its elegant simplicity.

The best iteration came in 1978 courtesy of Peru's first-ever official kit maker, Adidas.

33. Boca Juniors (1981/82, Home)

Boca Juniors' home jersey from 1981/82 is legendary not only because it was a great shirt, but because it was the one worn by Diego Maradona in his sole season at La Bombonera that decade.

Donning the jersey, the Argentine magician helped Boca win the league title and beat archrival River Plate in the Superclasico.

32. Gremio (2001, Home)

After experimenting with several variations, Gremio settled on black-and-blue stripes with white piping for their home jerseys in 1928.

Since, the shirts have rarely varied except for the sponsors, which have included Coca-Cola, Banrisul and Renner.

We think its better when they don't have one, though, like in 2001.

31. Marseille (1989-91, Home)

Chris Waddle.
Magic Chris and his magic mullet. / Mark Leech/Getty Images

From the shiny fabric, to the light blue accents on the sleeves, to the subtle red trim on the collar—Marseille's home jersey from the 1990/91 season is simply stunning.

The away jersey, which saw the blue and white colors reversed, wasn't too shabby either.

Chris Waddle's hairstyle, on the other hand...

30. Manchester United (1994-96, Home)

Eric Cantona.
Eric Cantona in action for Manchester United in 1995. / Colorsport/IMAGO

Manchester United's home jersey between 1994 and 1996 featured a superimposed graphic of Old Trafford on its front.

It also had a collar which Eric Cantona was able to pull up as often has he pleased, which we're sure was a deliberate choice by Umbro.

29. Sampdoria (1990-92, Home)

Produced by Asics and worn by the likes Roberto Mancini, Gianluca Vialli and Attilio Lombardo, Sampdoria won its first-ever Serie A title in 1990/91 while wearing this royal blue masterpiece.

28. Colombia (1990, Home)

Name a better combination than Carlos Valderrama with his beautiful, frizzy hair wearing Colombia's equally as delightful home jersey from the 1990 World Cup.

You can't, sorry? Sounds about right.

27. Real Madrid (1995/96, Home)

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona 1996.
Rawr! / Buzzi/IMAGO

These days, fans of the mighty Real Madrid would likely not approve of cute, little paw prints being added to the sleeves of their club's famous white home jersey.

But back in the 90s when soccer shirts were all a bit mad, it was fair game, and didn't look out of place.

In fact, it looked pretty darn great.

26. Chile (1997, Home)

Chile's 1997 home jersey was banned from the World Cup in 1998 because FIFA kit restrictions didn't allow for big brand logos like the giant Reebok emblem over its shoulder.

Rather than change the shirt entirely, however, La Roja just ever so slightly tweaked the white triangles so they were technically no longer a Reebok logo.

Cheeky.

25. Venezia (2022/23, Home)

Going bankrupt seems to have been the best thing to ever happen to Venezia FC, or at least for its jerseys.

Since being dragged out of the financial mud by a group of American investors in 2015, the Italian club has put out one great jersey after another, the best of which was the luxurious home strip from 2022/23.

Very bellisimo indeed.

24. Juventus (1983/84)

Massimo Briaschi for Juventus in 1984.
Massimo Briaschi for Juventus in 1984. / Bildbyran/IMAGO

Nothing sums up Italian soccer in the '80s than a deep v-neck jersey leaving plenty of space to display a hairy chest and a gold chain.

23. Northern Ireland (1990, Home)

We really don't need to say much here.

Look. At. It.

22. Japan (1998, Home)

Hidetoshi Nakata.
Hidetoshi Nakata in action for Japan in 1998. / Pressefoto Baumann/IMAGO

Japan's first-ever World Cup campaign in 1998 was one to forget. Takeshi Okada's side crashed out in the group stages after losing all three of its games without scoring a single goal.

At least it went down in style, though. The Blue Samurai's kit, which featured red flames on it sleeves, was truly a thing of beauty.

21. AS Roma (1991/92, Third)

Third kits are often a bit rubbish—an excuse for clubs to churn out a slapdash jersey that barely gets worn, all in the hope of persuading some poor fans to part with their hard-earned cash.

Not AS Roma's from 1991/92, though. That one? Worth every dime.

20. Club América (1994-96, Home)

Sponsors too often ruin what would otherwise be great jerseys.

But in the case of Club América's home shirt from the mid-90s, the bright, red Coca-Cola logo is part of what makes it, matching perfectly with the colored diamond pattern that adorns its top half.

And the centralized club crest? Chef's kiss.

19. Liverpool (1989-91, Home)

Helped by the return to form of Ian Rush and a record goal haul from John Barnes, Liverpool stormed to the First Division title in 1989/90. Few would argue that they did it in the club's greatest-ever jersey.

The geometric design coupled with the iconic Candy sponsor and Adidas original branding make this an all-time classic.

18. West Germany (1988/90, Home)

Lothar Matthäus at the 1990 World Cup.
Lothar Matthäus at the 1990 World Cup. / Kicker/Liedel/IMAGO

Prior to 1988, Germany's home jerseys had always been a bit bland; white with small red, black and gold trims.

Then, in stepped Adidas to shake things up, making the colors far more prominent by way of a sloped triple stripe which has since become the stuff of soccer folklore.

17. Napoli (1989/90, Home)

Diego Maradona for Napoli.
Iconic. / Kicker/Liedel/IMAGO

Diego Maradona. Napoli. Light blue jersey sponsored by Mars. Gold earring. Curly hair.

Ladies and gentleman, this is soccer heritage.

16. Paris Saint-Germain (1995-96, Home)

PSG 1995/96 squad.
Cool. / HJS/IMAGO

Once upon a time, before its Middle Eastern money essentially ruined French domestic soccer, it was cool to support Paris Saint-Germain.

They had cool players like Youri Djorkaeff, Raí, George Weah and Ronaldino, and cool jerseys too—none less than cool than its Opel-sponsored home shirt from 1995-96.

Cool, right?

15. Croatia (1998, Home)

Davor Suker and Goran Vlaovic were stars for Croatia at the 1998 World Cup.
Davor Suker and Goran Vlaovic were stars for Croatia at the 1998 World Cup. / Sven Simon/IMAGO

Croatia's iconic chessboard pattern appears on all of its home shirts, but this version stands out as the best and most unique, namely because the pattern only covers half of it.

The jersey was worn by the Vatreni at its inaugural World Cup appearance in 1998, when it went all the way to the semi-finals.

14. Saint-Etienne (1974-1978, Home)

Saint-Etienne in 1976.
Saint-Etienne in 1976. / Horstmüller/IMAGO

Giant sponsors were somewhat of a staple in French soccer during the 1970 and '80s, but while most looked ugly, Saint-Etienne managed to pull it off with this Manufrance-sponsored effort between 1981-1984.

Not even a club badge was needed to make this shirt beau.

13. Parma (1998/99, Home)

Hernan Crespo, Juan Sebastián Verón, Lilian Thuram, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon; Parma's Coppa Italia-winning team of 1998/99 is iconic, and it had a kit to match.

Supplied by Lotto, the club's quintessential yellow and blue stripes were complimented by subtle white accents and a nice, thick collar.

12. Argentina (1986, Home)

Diego Maradona in 1986.
Diego Maradona in 1986. / Colorsport/IMAGO

Diego Maradona pretty much single-handedly (pun intended) won Argentina the World Cup in 1986, and he did it while wearing one of the cleanest soccer jerseys of all-time.

Sometimes, less is more.

11. Inter Milan (1992/94, Home)

Inter Milan opted to make the trademark blue stripes on its home jersey a little lighter than normal between 1992 and 1994, and it worked just splendidly, especially in tandem with the clean-looking "Fiorucci" sponsor.

10. USA (1994, Away)

USMNT at World Cup 1994.
Bonkers. / WEREK/IMAGO

The away jersey that the USMNT wore at the 1994 World Cup took the team's players by surprise when they were first shown it.

"I'd be lying if I said people weren't looking around for the hidden camera," defender Alexi Lalas told Slate in 2014.

It was also originally supposed to be made of denim, but when the powers that be rightly decided that was a terrible idea, they literally photocopied the original denim print onto polyester to achieve the same effect.

Brash, lazy, a bit nuts, and, of course, completely unforgettable.

9. Spain (1996, Home)

Prior to being the all-conquering national team that won three consecutive major international trophies, Spain were pretty mediocre.

It always had great jerseys, however, none less than great than its dual red and navy home shirt from 1996.

A mandarin collar? Very fancy.

8. Ajax (1994/95, Home)

Ajax boasts such an iconic kit that nearly any season’s design could earn a spot on this list, but our pick goes to the home jersey from 1994/95, which saw the sponsor turned sideways so the club's crest could be front and center.

7. Brazil (1970, Home)

Brazil won the World Cup in 1970.
Pele won his third-ever World Cup in 1970. / Sven Simon/IMAGO

Brazil's 1970 World Cup-winning team, led by Pele, is widely regarded as one of the greatest in soccer history, and its jersey was reflective of their elegant, slick and easy on the eye style of play.

Interestingly, throughout the tournament, the Seleção actually had two different versions of the kit with them—one made by local manufacturer Athlete and one made by Umbro—which they would swap over at halftime.

6. Netherlands (1988, Home)

The definitive kit for the definitive Dutch side.

With a star-studded squad featuring the likes of Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkard and Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands won the 1988 European Championships in this beauty, seeing off the Soviet Union 2-0 in the final.

It remains the country's only major trophy to date.

5. Lyon (1995/96)

If Lyon's home kit from the 1995/96 season doesn't tickle your fancy when it comes to classic soccer shirts, we're not sure what will.

Even better than the design itself is the simple but sublime old school crest.

4. Fiorentina (1992-93, Away)

Stefan Effenberg in action for Fiorentina in 1992.
Stefan Effenberg in action for Fiorentina in 1992. / HJS/IMAGO

The Gabriel Batistuta-led Fiorentina side of the 1990s had some truly beautiful jerseys, including memorable efforts sponsored by Nintendo and Toyota.

The club's away strip from the 1992/93 season, however, was the pick of the bunch.

Check out those sleeve patterns.

3. FC Barcelona (1992-95, Home)

FC Barcelona's jerseys have all been manufactured by Nike for over 25 years now.

Before that, however, they were made by Italian sportswear brand Kappa, who we think did a much better job, case in point being the shirts the club wore between 1992 and 1995.

Gorgeous.

2. Mexico (1998, Home)

Luis Hernandez for Mexico in 1998.
What. A. Kit. / WEREK/IMAGO

Mexico arrived at the 1998 World Cup in France donning an Aztec-inspired kit that looked like nothing the soccer world had ever seen before.

Out there? Perhaps. Absolutely amazing? Totally.

1. AC Milan (1988/90, Home)

AC Milan
AC Milan's team was made up of stars in 1988. / Buzzi/IMAGO

AC Milan lifted the European Cup for the first time in two decade in 1988/99, and they did it in one hell of a kit.

The Rossoneri also wore the same home jersey to following season, and again won European soccer's top prize.

Why they ever stopped wearing it, we'll never know.

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Barnaby Lane
BARNABY LANE

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider. Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.

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