Soccer unites people in extraordinary ways, people who come from all walks of life, all kinds of jobs, and multiple beliefs, all come together to support their team.
And when it comes to supporting your local or national team, there is nothing more unifying or tribal than donning your teams’ colors with pride, it shouts out that you belong, that this is where your loyalties lie.
Of course, it helps if your favorite kit looks great too, and over the years there have been some truly exceptional soccer jerseys that have become almost as integral to that year’s team as the results or trophy wins.
All soccer fans pine for “the good old days” when their team was great and when players played for the love of the game rather than the love of the money. Through rose-tinted glasses, we reminisce about how much better it was supporting our team or our country, wearing our kit with pride.
There have been many classic soccer kits over the years, many tied in with a league or cup win that cements them into fan folklore, some kits just looked fantastic, and that’s why we remember them.
Let’s take a look at the 15 best soccer jerseys of all time, maybe your team is in there too, maybe you’ll remember the squads that wore them on their way to World Cup glory?
15. New York Cosmos 1975
The MLS of the 1970s was a very different league to the one we see today, as the fledgling soccer teams found their feet and their identities. The Cosmos played in a green kit from 1970 to 1975 until the signing of the legendary Pele from Santos in Brazil.
As Santos played in white, the New York Cosmos changed their kit to try to inspire the winning mentality Pele brought with him. It worked too, as by 1977 the club had won the NASL Championship.
This classic green/white kit is part of soccer history, worn by legends and loved by fans worldwide.
14. Boca Juniors 1981
This exceptional kit is iconic for many reasons, not least for the fact that Diego Maradona wore it while playing for the Argentine giants.
A beautiful kit with a blue shirt and shorts with a yellow stripe across the shirt, you won’t find many soccer fans that can’t quickly identify this legendary kit. As cool today as it was 40 years ago.
13. England 1990
With the three lions emblem standing proudly on the chest, this classic home kit for the England team may be remembered as much for the tears of Paul Gascoigne in the semi-final defeat to West Germany as it is its design.
Easily one of England’s best ever kits, the white shirt showed the blood up nicely as the players put their heads and hearts on the line to nearly make it all the way.
12. Ajax 1971
Three consecutive European cups, one of the first truly global soccer superstars, and a home kit that inspired fear in their opponents; we bring you the Ajax 1971 home kit.
Classic white shirt and shorts with a red stripe down the front of the shirt, the kit itself is not revolutionary, it’s the players the shirts covered that make this kit one to remember.
Total football, as the Dutch masters call it, and a team full of stars, led by the legendary Johan Cruyff, tore their domestic league to ribbons and took Europe by storm.
Teams couldn’t get near the ball, and when they did, they lost it again, as armies of Ajax players swarmed forwards to overwhelm their opponents. This team and this kit will always be in fashion; quality and style always are.
11. Celtic 1967
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as the old saying goes. And Glasgow Celtic have remained true to their style since 1967. The classic green and white hoops of the Scottish giants saw them lift the 1967 European Cup in their historic kit, and they’ve been wearing it ever since.
Every player on the Celtic team was born within 30 miles of the club, an astonishing testament to the club, and as the first British team to win a European trophy, the team and their kit will go down in history.
The impact of Celtic winning the 1967 European Cup cannot be overstated, the boost to their reputation has seen a huge rise in teams replicating the iconic green
and white hoops of Celtic, at least 35 other professional teams use the same kit design to this day.
10. USA 1994
Hosting a World Cup is a huge undertaking, playing for your country while on home soil in a tournament such as this must be overwhelming.
The USA team gave a good account of themselves against tough opponents and made it through to the knockout stages where they lost against eventual winners Brazil.
An interesting sidenote, the USA World Cup of 1994 was one of the most financially lucrative World Cups of all time, in part due to the increased interest in merchandise such as kit sales.
The American kit was the now iconic denim print with stars flying across the front, with a homage to the USA flag it symbolized the optimism and energy the USA brought to the tournament and remains a fan favorite to this day.
9. West Germany 1990
Another World Cup-winning kit graces our list, this time the understated yet impressive West Germany kit of 1990.
Black shorts under a white shirt that bears the black, red, and yellow band of the German flag, this is a timeless classic that is identifiable immediately.
After beating England in the semi-final, the West Germans went on to defeat Argentina in the final at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome, the last tournament before the reunification of Germany at the end of the year meant an end to East and West Germany as separate entities.
For that reason alone, this kit should be remembered and deserves its place in the soccer hall of fame.
8. England 1966
The only World Cup that the England team has won, and with a kit that still looks great over half a century later, the easily recognizable long-sleeved red shirt of England has to be on our list.
All red apart from the three lions emblem, this classic kit is stylish, historically important, and unique due to it being the only time England has won a major tournament.
The kit has an ageless look to it that harks back to a time when soccer balls weighed as much as a bowling ball, and players used a bucket of water and a sponge to cure a broken leg.
7. Holland 1988
With a nickname like ‘Oranje’ it is no surprise that the Dutch national team went for their distinctive orange jerseys for their national kit.
Boasting a team of superstars, especially their Milanese contingent of van Basten, Rijkaard, and Gullit, the Netherlands went on to win their only tournament in 1988.
Dutch soccer has always been a hotbed of mercurial talent, and the 1988 kit personifies the swashbuckling style of play that dominated the Euros that year.
Perennial runners-up Holland, in their bright orange kit, have always been one of the standout teams in tournaments while never quite getting over the finishing line. Their kit, however, is a winner, and will remain a classic for as long as fans appreciate beautiful soccer
6. Argentina 1986
Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand Of God’ goal aside, the 1986 World Cup was a triumph for the Argentinian team, a superb solo goal by Maradona after his infamous handled goal took Argentina to the final where they defeated West Germany 3-2.
Their iconic light blue and white striped kit goes hand in hand with the players that wore it. The kit has remained largely unchanged for decades, and now a new breed of Argentinian superstar, Lionel Messi, has taken on the mantle of team talisman.
The 1986 kit has to go down as one of the most recognizable and provocative kits ever made, if you’re an Argentina fan, you’ll love it, if you’re an England fan, maybe not so much.
5. Fiorentina 1998
While Fiorentina may not be known for their league or cup triumphs, their home kit from the 1998 season is a victory in every sense of the word.
The stunning purple kit of ‘La Viola’ is one of the most recognizable, elegant, and understated kits around. Sponsored by Nintendo, and worn by soccer legends such as Gabriel Batistuta, over 20 years after it was first introduced it remains one of the best soccer kits around.
4. USA Women 2019
Domination, nostalgia, and style were the order of the day for the USA women’s victory in the 2019 World Cup.
A revival of the 1999 World Cup-winning kit, the kit had three stars on the shorts to signify the three previous Cup wins, and after the 2019 tournament victory, another has now been added, with more likely to appear as the team continues to dominate.
A retro white kit that looked great, and clearly bred confidence in a repeat performance of their stunning 1999 victory, the USWNT will go down in history as one of the greatest women’s soccer teams of all time, wearing a kit that will also stand the test of time.
3. Milan 1988
By the end of our list, you may be tired of hearing the words ‘classic’ or ‘iconic’, but that’s what makes the kits on here the best in the world, the memories and emotions they evoke are what makes them stand apart from the average.
It is the Milan team of 1988 that makes the red and black kit such a memorable one, with players like Dutchmen Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, and Frank Rijkaard leading the team to the European Cup in spectacular fashion.
A team of superstars, with a defense, made up of Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, and Paolo Maldini, this great team took Italy and Europe by storm for years to come.
And their iconic kit became intricately connected to that success, even today the kit is in demand, any fan that collects soccer kits has to have a Milan shirt in their collection, it’s practically legally binding.
2. Barcelona 2010
Everyone loves a winner, and the Barcelona team of 2010 won everything the soccer world placed in front of them. A team comprising Lionel Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, to name but a few, wore the 2010 kit with incredible success.
Unlike many teams of the time, rather than have a sponsor emblazoned across the front of the kit, Barcelona had Unicef on their kit, and made an annual charity donation to Unicef, a classy move that really adds to the style of the shirt.
Such was Barcelonas’ dominance in this period, it is hard to look at this kit without feeling nervous, if your team was lining up against this team, in this kit, you were likely due an absolute thrashing.
I listed FC Barcelona’s 10 best kits of all time in this post.
1. Brazil 1970
No list about soccer, from kits to players, to favorite cereal, is ever complete without the 1970 Brazil team in it.
And coming in at number one on our list, for nothing short of its historical significance, is the famous yellow jersey of the greatest national team ever to play soccer.
A canary yellow jersey with blue shorts and white socks, this soccer kit and this team stand head and shoulders above the rest. Boasting some of the most loved players ever to play, in tournaments that have thrilled billions.
Non-soccer fans can identify the team from the kit alone, fans of the game get misty-eyed about the golden age of soccer, this kit personifies everything that is good about soccer and the World Cup.
If you’re on the lookout for some soccer jerseys, I listed the best places to buy soccer jerseys in this post.
