Top 100 Football Shirts of 2019 - Part 6: 50-41
The best football shirts of 2019
Which continent is the best at football?
It’s a broad question, but if we’re talking purely about footballing performance, there’s one obvious answer. The last 4 World Cups have been won by 4 different European nations, and the Champions League is typically seen as the gold standard of the sport we know and love, even if Spurs can somehow manage to make their way to the final…
But, as we’ve talked about before on Top 100, there is a degree of parity when it comes to kits. Europe may reign supreme on the pitch, but in the kitroom success can be found in every corner of the globe. Part 6 of our countdown exemplifies this more than most, with 2 shirts from the U.S., 2 shirts from Mexico and a shirt from Argentina.
The Americas is an exciting place for football shirts, and I hope we’ve been able to capture that in some way through these choices.
Other blogs in this series
Part 1: 100-91 | Part 2: 90-81 | Part 3: 80-71 | Part 4: 70-61 | Part 5: 60-51 | Part 6: 50-41 | Part 7: 40-31 | Part 8: 30-21 | Part 9: 20-11 | Part 10: 10-1
50 - Club Puebla Home
I love football shirts with a sash and Umbro have done a fantastic job of making the sash on this Club Puebla shirt really stand out. Within the sash there is a pattern inspired by ‘Talvera’ pottery, which is traditional to the city of Puebla. The pattern may be subtle but it does show that it is still possible to be creative with a sash.
One aspect I find disappointing about Mexican football shirts is the quantity and size of sponsor logos. However, Umbro have done a great job of incorporating the sponsors without them being too intrusive. A beautiful shirt!
- Pedro
49 - Forward Madison Third
Man, this is just so damn cool. The colours, the graphic, even the sponsor: it all comes together to create one of the most fun football shirts of the year. It’s fair to say that hummel have fully embraced the club’s extraordinary flamingo-theme, combining a fantastic pink colourway with an even more impressive navy and white graphic.
This is Nigeria x flamingoes. An exuberant, bird-inspired masterpiece. I want one.
- Ben
The fingerprints of that Nigeria shirt are all over Top 100 Shirts 2019.
It’s too simplistic to attribute all of the recent creative wave to just one shirt, but the seismic impact of Nike’s creation last year has been a lot of fun to watch unfold. Forward Madison’s third kit, though not a direct tribute in any way, looks like a relation of the Nigeria kit to me. If anything the combination of pattern and colours goes one step further. This is one of the boldest designs in world football, and a worthy addition to the top half of Top 100.
- Phil
48 - Arsenal Away
This was probably the most hyped shirt in the Premier League this season, so I’m surprised to see this didn’t place a bit higher. That being said, I personally felt a little underwhelmed when this was actually released, despite the fact it’s obviously a very pretty football shirt which hits all the right nostalgia buttons.
The ‘bruised banana’ concept is obviously incredibly popular, but sadly Arsenal’s new away shirt doesn’t quite match up to the original. It’s still very nice to look at but, in an ideal world, I would’ve loved to see them go a bit bigger on the ‘bruising’. This is a bit too underripe for me, and adidas have missed the chance to create something truly special.
- Ben
Compare prices on the Arsenal Away Shirt
47 - Leones Negros Third
Umbro have done it again… What a shirt!
The Leones Negros third shirt is predominantly blue with a melange effect complimented by teal shoulders, logos, club crest and those beautiful cuffs with the Umbro double diamond. Everything works perfectly.
However, it’s the giant lion, subtly printed on the front of the shirt that really steals the show! It dominates without looking garish and it’s great how the sponsor logo has been incorporated into it. Another winner from Umbro.
- Pedro
46 - Charlton Away
It seems like everyone’s been desperate for a bit of 90s nostalgia this season, and Charlton Athletic are certainly no exception. This is a rather smart throwback to the popular 95-97 away strip, with vibrant purple and green pinstripes bringing the clean black colourway to life. It’s not quite as memorable as that original design, but this is a much sleeker and crisper version which is still incredibly distinctive.
Of course, hummel’s famous chevrons can be found on the shoulders, while their logo (along with the sponsor and club crest) are integrated beautifully with the rest of the design. Charlton fans should be very happy indeed.
- Ben
45 - Huesca Third
After a fine effort last year, historic Spanish sportswear brand Kelme have built on their successes with another trio of beautiful shirts; the best by far being the third strip. Saint George is the patron saint of Aragon, the Autonomous Community in which Huesca is located, and is revered here on this shirt in the form of a beautiful dragon-based pattern. Red and blue cuffs and neckline are rounded out with some gorgeous monochrome accents to make this a truly brilliant shirt.
- Chris
44 - Hamburg Home
A little piece of football undoubtedly died when Hamburg were relegated at the end of 2018's Bundesliga, but their renowned aesthetic lives on.
This time round they're sporting yet another home shirt that looks like an away one, but I'm of course all for it. The two-tone chest stripe creates a definite retro feel - which is always great - and is suitably accompanied by the already minimalistic crest, for which the stripe actually doubles as the background. This intricate detail alone earns this shirt a place in the top 100 for me.
- Chris
HSV’s classic colour combination of white shirts, red shorts and blue socks is given a new twist for 2019/20. A bespoke design from Adidas sees a fourth colour introduced with black being combined with blue to give us a stripe running down the right hand side of the shirt (as we look at it) and black adidas stripes on the shoulders of the kit.
With all the stripes and colours there is a lot going on with this kit but there does seem to be a balance in the overall design brought by the red shorts which breaks up the colours, HSV kits are always interesting and the 2019/20 is no different!
- Gavin
Compare prices on the Hamburg Home Shirt
43 - Atlético Tucumán Home
If you can take one thing away from Top 100 Shirts as a series, I hope it’s that there are good kits out there. The football shirt industry is alive and well.
But as a bonus, I hope you’ve been introduced to one or two clubs who perhaps weren’t on your radar. Despite playing in Argentina’s top division, I couldn’t have told you where Atlético Tucumán were from before this year. Thanks to their exceptionally classy 2019 home kit though, I’ll be keeping an eye on them in future.
- Phil
42 - Sampdoria Home
The Sampdoria home kit, one of the most iconic designs in the kit world that is immediately identifiable by football fans. The 2019/20 version from Joma is one that takes no risks from that traditional design, however the stand out part of the kit is the sponsor.
There have been cases over the years where we have seen smaller logos under club badges ( Inter Milan away of 2007/08 and Celtic Home/3rd Kit of 2012/13) but I cannot think of the sponsor being placed here, so Joma are using the sponsor to give the kit a stand-out look from its traditional aesthetic.
- Gavin
Compare prices on the Sampdoria Home Shirt
41 - Philadelphia Union Away
I’ve generally considered MLS to be a good place to go to if you want to find adidas’ best work and whilst I don’t think it’s been a banner year for the Three Stripes, Philadelphia’s away shirt is a big exception.
The sunray design (with beams emanating from a well-designed snake in the bottom corner) is a wonderful look, and after years of an obtrusive sponsor we now instead have all the colours working in union...
- Phil
Compare prices on the Philadelphia Union Away Shirt
The Top 100 shirts of 2019 - Table
| Rank | Shirt | Read More |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roma Away | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 2 | Barcelona Away | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 3 | Arsenal Home | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 4 | Coventry Home | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 5 | Inter Milan Third | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 6 | Inter Milan Away | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 7 | Cambridge United Away | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 8 | West Ham Away | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 9 | Roma Third | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 10 | AC Milan Home | Part 10: 10-1 |
| 11 | Hull City Home | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 12 | West Ham Home | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 13 | Germany Women Home | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 14 | PSV Away | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 15 | V-Varen Nagasaki Peace Jersey | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 16 | Club America Home | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 17 | Everton Away | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 18 | Tunisia Third | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 19 | England Women Away | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 20 | PSG Third | Part 9: 20-11 |
| 21 | Monaco Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 22 | Pescara Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 23 | Marseille Fourth | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 24 | France Women Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 25 | Ajax Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 26 | Go Ahead Eagles Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 27 | Western United Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 28 | Lille Home | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 29 | Chelsea Third | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 30 | AIK Away | Part 8: 30-21 |
| 31 | Hackney Wick Away | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 32 | Hearts of Oak Home | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 33 | Hackney Wick Home | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 34 | Barcelona Third | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 35 | Vancouver Whitecaps Home | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 36 | Middlesbrough Away | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 37 | Athletic Bilbao Away | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 38 | Derby County Home | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 39 | China Women Away | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 40 | Kaizer Chiefs Home | Part 7: 40-31 |
| 41 | Philadelphia Union Away | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 42 | Sampdoria Home | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 43 | Atlético Tucumán Home | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 44 | Hamburg Home | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 45 | Huesca Third | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 46 | Charlton Away | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 47 | Leones Negros Third | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 48 | Arsenal Away | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 49 | Forward Madison Third | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 50 | Club Puebla Home | Part 6: 50-41 |
| 51 | Valencia Third | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 52 | Manchester City Away | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 53 | Besiktas Home | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 54 | UNAM Pumas | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 55 | Middlesbrough Home | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 56 | Zenit Away | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 57 | Australia Women Home | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 58 | Ecuador Home | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 59 | Ajax Home | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 60 | Coventry Away | Part 5: 60-51 |
| 61 | UNAM Pumas Away | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 62 | 1874 Northwich Away | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 63 | Blackburn Away | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 64 | Monchengladbach Third | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 65 | Costa Rica Cup | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 66 | Real Madrid Away | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 67 | RB Reipzig Third | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 68 | Parma Third | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 69 | Fortuna Dusseldorf Third | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 70 | Marseille Away | Part 4: 70-61 |
| 71 | Forest Green Third | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 72 | Spurs Third | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 73 | Dundee United Home | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 74 | Sao Paulo Away | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 75 | West Brom Away | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 76 | Frankfurt Home | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 77 | Mali Away | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 78 | Netherlands Women Home | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 79 | Roma Home | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 80 | Inter Home | Part 3: 80-71 |
| 81 | Venezia Home | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 82 | Schalke Third | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 83 | AGF Aarhus Home | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 84 | Marseille Home | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 85 | Atletico Madrid Third | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 86 | Newport County Home | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 87 | Brazil Cup | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 88 | Schalke Away | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 89 | Charleroi Away | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 90 | Gremio Home | Part 2: 90-81 |
| 91 | Zenit Saint Petersburg Home | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 92 | Fluminense Home | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 93 | Lazio Away | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 94 | Portland Thorns Home | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 95 | Venezia Away | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 96 | Stuttgart Third | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 97 | Newport County Away | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 98 | Atletico Madrid Away | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 99 | Nantes Away | Part 1: 100-91 |
| 100 | Urawa Red Diamonds Home | Part 1: 100-91 |
Thanks again for reading and sharing Top 100 Shirts. Stay with us as we edge closer and closer to our final, beautiful destination.
