30.09.2020
This year marks Unisports 25th year on this planet - and what a time, it has been so far. Throughout the years we have witnessed tons of different shirts. Some more memorable than others. And some more memorable in a bad way, than in a good way. We have tried to pick out 25 shirts from 1995-2020, that means something special to us or had made us go “wow”. Keep on reading to see which shirts made the cut!
In the past few months, lots of shirts have been released. Both new shirts for the clubs and lately also for the national teams. And with Unisport starting its journey as a football shirt shop back in 1995, we thought that this would be the perfect occasion for a blogpost about football shirts. And not just about the best looking shirts. Or the craziest shirts. Nope, this is a blogpost about the most memorable shirts - whether or not they are memorable for being crazy, stunning or just a classic shirt. So hang on - you are about to see some of the most remarkable and memorable shirts ever!
Juventus Away 11/12
We’ll start off with Juventus’ away shirt for the 2011/12 season. Juventus have had lots of great shirts in the past 25 years - not to mention just the few past years! And they’ve had plenty of nice pink shirts too. But this shirt outdoes every other Juve shirt. It’s a really tough choice, but this huge star design is something we’ll never forget!
Manchester United Home 94/95
Okay, let's take this blog a few years back. This shirt was one of the first shirts in our store. It’s the Manchester United home shirt for the 1994/95 season. Maybe this shirt was one of the reasons why our founder wanted to have a football shirt shop (or probably not, as he was a Spurs fan). But still - it’s a very classy shirt!
Arsenal Home 05/06
Let’s fast forward a bit and stop at the 05/06 season. Arsenal won the Premier League with an unbeaten run two years prior and back then The Invincibles had an amazing home shirt with golden print to celebrate. In a bordeaux red colour, they tried to regain the success from their unbeaten season and even though they only managed to secure the 4th place, they probably still had the best home shirt of the season.
Barcelona Away 05/06
FC Barcelona have had some great shirts throughout the years. But one of the shirts that we at Unisport certainly remember as a fan favourite was the away shirt back in 2005/06. It was predominantly in neon, but with black details at the collarbones and the bottom of the shirt. This might not win the contest as the most beautiful shirt of the century, but it is still a classic. Surely one of those shirts that will go in the history books as one of the most favoured shirts of all time by many fans. And if we got to admit it - many of us wore it ourselves.
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France Away 2011
Wauw - a French national shirt made in collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. Do we have to say more? Well, if we have to, then this marine-inspired away shirt is something we would call a gem when it comes to modern football shirts. Even though there were some problems in the French national team back in those days, we are sure that they were pretty happy about this shirt.
Nigeria Home 2018
Talking about national shirts, we have to mention the Nigerian national home shirt for the 2018 World Cup. This shirt was ripped off the shelves, and it is no wonder why. Just look at it. The design, the colours - everything is just on point and together they form a modern classic. Truly a collectors item!
Italy Home 02/04
When less is more! That has to be the motto regarding this shirt from 2002 made for the Italian national team. A true classic when it comes to national shirts. The colours are of course kept in blue and white, and the only thing you would find on the front of the shirt was the Italian logo and number. No huge graphics and no kit-sponsor. Nope, the kit-sponsor was in fact on the sleeves of the shirt, which made this shirt a true classic.
Japan Home 1998
We can imagine this shirt being launched with fire and dragons and so on. You are probably asking; why? Because the Japanese national team had fire on the sleeves on their home shirt for the 1998 World Cup. And the shirt was made by Asics. Two things that you usually don’t see in the world of football. We are not quite sure if we love or hate the shirt. But it’s definitely something you won’t forget just yet.
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Inter Milan Away 19/20
One of the latest shirts on this list is the away shirt for the Italian side Inter from last season. The mint base with black and gold on the sleeves and collar makes this shirt a real beauty! Actually it was one of our favorites from last season. Worn by players like Lukaku and Martinez, this shirt took our breath away many times last season!
Manchester United Home 12/13
This is the second Manchester United shirt on this list. While the first one was here because it was a stunning and classic retro shirt, this shirt does not make the list for the same reasons. This shirt is truly one of those shirts that a lot of people can remember - mainly not for the good. The checkered design made people say “wow” back then - and to this day, we still say “wow”, when we see it.
Real Madrid Home 01/02
Like Man United, Real Madrid have also got some very special shirts along the way - some more beautiful than others. But the home shirt from 2001/02 will be remembered as one of the greatest Spanish shirts of all time, because of its classy and clean look, with the adi stripes all the way down the sleeves. And it will also be remembered as the one with the URL link on the front. Yep, Real Madrid chose to promote their own website on the front of their shirt. Something that sounds obscure these days, but back then it wasn’t.
Fiorentina Home 98/99
Well we keep on talking about the sponsor logo. Actually, if we have to be honest - it has a huge impact on how a shirt is received and which impression it gives you. And on this shirt, that is the case too. First of all, Fiorentinas home shirt is known worldwide because of its famous purple look. But in 1998 the shirt was added some legendary sponsors. Fiorentinas shirts were made by Fila and on the front of the shirt you would find nothing less than good old Nintendo. Sometimes, sponsor logos can really mess up a shirt design - in this case, they did the exact opposite.
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France Women Away 2019
Earlier on this list, we focused on a France away shirt. And now we will again. The France women's national team had one of the most stunning shirts last year. It features the same colours as the one we talked about earlier. But instead of stripes, this shirt features small dots instead. A phenomenal design according to us. Besides the dark blue dots on a predominantly white shirt, this shirt also has a nice detail when it comes to the logos. The French logo and Nike swoosh is made in a rose gold colour. A nice touch!
Cameroon Home 2002
We have talked about sleeves before, and now we are about to again. Back in 2002 Cameroon had a shirt that, most of all, reminds us of a basketball shirt. Why? Because it didn’t have any sleeves. Yep, they played in sleeveless shirts in the African Cup of Nations. FIFA didn’t like it, so they banned the shirt and made Cameroon sew black sleeves onto the shirt. A crazy and funny story - and shirt too!
The Netherlands Home 2004
In 2004, Nike made a bold move that resulted in some of the best looking national shirts ever. Nike chose to put a circle around the numbers on the shirts for their national teams. A quite spectacular design - but we love it! One of the teams to wear it was the Dutch national team. A national team, whose home shirt is always recognizable. The orange colour combined with the bold design from Nike is something that we appreciate and never will forget!
England Home 2004
The Three Lions have had some amazing shirts throughout the years - their latest edition is a thing of beauty as well! And we were very close to picking that one. But we had to go for the OG England home shirt. More precisely the shirt from 2004. A shirt that is a bit similar to the new one actually, although the shirt was made by Umbro and not Nike back then. The design with the logo in the middle resembles true class. And with the collar and red stripes going from the logo and out through the sleeves. Well, we can’t miss this one on a list of remarkable shirts!
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Newcastle Home 95/97
Well well well - a true classic, we have stumbled upon here! Newcastle United was at their best back in 1995 to 1997. Not only because of legendary players like Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand or because they became runners up two times in a row in the Premier League. No, but also because they were wearing, what would become a truly modern classic. The pinstriped shirt in black and white with a local sponsor logo, that you probably wouldn’t see these days, is a shirt that ranks way up high in our opinion.
FC Barcelona Home 99/00
Another Spanish side with a wonderful shirt. We are used to them having the red and blue striped home shirt. But back in 1999/00, FC Barcelona had a home shirt that was split in just two stripes. A red part and a blue part. A very bold move from Nike. Talking about Nike - their well known swoosh was moved into the middle and so were the FC Barcelona logo. On the one side you’ll find the year 1899 and on the other side the year 1999 - both embroidered in gold. And a huge collar on top. Simply beautiful!
Liverpool Third 12/13
Sooo.. What is to say about this third shirt for Liverpool back in 2012/13? This shirt is on the list for the same reasons as the Manchester United home shirt from that same season. Not a great season for the two rivals, when it comes to shirts. We can’t seem to forget this shirt - even how hard we try! The mix of the colours (purple, orange and white) and the design is something we haven’t seen before - or since. So yeah, it’s on the list, because we can’t forget it - but it isn’t here for the most uplifting reasons.
PSG Third 18/19
It’s difficult to choose between Paris Saint-Germain’s many beautiful shirts - especially those launched in the past few years. But this collab’ between Jordan and PSG must be one of the most successful collaborations - if not the most successful ever! This third shirt for the 18/19 season was made in a classy white color with a black dot-stripe down the middle of the shirt and a black PSG logo. And to finish it off the Jordan logo has replaced the Nike Swoosh. Damn, we miss this one!
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Juventus Fourth 19/20
We started this list with a Juventus’ shirt. But it is impossible not to mention another one - and this time it’s the fourth shirt from last season. adidas and Palace teamed up and it ended in an amazing fourth shirt for Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo. According to us, this collab is one of the best ever - and surely it can compete with the Jordan x PSG third kit that we talked about right before.
Glasgow Rangers Home 94/96
When you talk about a Scottish club with a blue home shirt - there can only be one! Of course, we are talking about Glascow Rangers. In the years of 1994 to 1996, they had a beautiful blue home shirt (as they should) made by adidas. But instead of the three white adi-stripes running on the side of the sleeves, as we often see these days, this shirt had the three stripes running around the sleeves And the same goes for the shorts. The combination even made a player like Paul Casgoigne look very classy!
Bayern Munich Away 14/15
In the 14-15 season, Bayern had a very special away shirt. A shirt made in white but with big grey, blue and bordeaux stripes. We can’t quite say what is so special about this shirt. But it’s one of those shirts that we have happy memories of. It’s like one of those shirts you would wear in your everyday life too. Maybe that’s the key to our happy memories. It doesn't look like a regular football shirt - and in this case, we think it works quite well.
Ajax Home 94/95
Ajax won the Champions League in the 1994-95 season. And luckily enough, they did it in a historic shirt! This shirt had a big red front with white on the sides. The collar and sleeves had red and white stripes. And the sponsor logo was tilted to the right. All these subtle details make the shirt one of the best looking shirts ever. A legendary shirt for a legendary team!
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Arsenal Away 20/21
We will finish this list off with a shirt that has just launched and will be worn in the present season. It has been difficult to choose between all the beautiful shirts, but this one was a favourite right from the first glimpse. Arsenal's away shirt for the 2020/21 season is a one of a kind shirt. In a clean white look with a marble design, this shirt honors the Marble Halls of Highbury and at the same time makes this shirt one of the best shirts that we have seen for a while!
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Well, that was it. A list of 25 of the most memorable and remarkable shirts for the past 25 years. Some are here because of it’s good looks - and some are here because of its “special” looks. It has been a tough decision to pick these shirts out - and we are pretty sure that you think some shirts are missing. But hey, maybe they will make the list, when we make a list about 50 of the craziest, most stunning and best looking shirts in about 25 years.