Top 100 Football Shirts of 2019 - Part 10: 10-1

These are the best shirts of the year, the designs which we think will stand the test of time. Buy them, cherish them, show them to your grandkids one day.

Phil Delves

5 years ago

Shirts

Top 100 Football Shirts of 2019 - Part 10: 10-1

The best football shirts of 2019

Thank you.

The response to Top 100 Shirts have been overwhelming. I’ve had people harassing me about their clubs shirts every single part. We’ve seen people seeking to buy shirts from corners of the globe they never expected to plunder, off the back of this list. Best of all, we’ve seen tonnes of you reading and engaging with the series.

Kits bring together people from across the globe. Kits level out the playing field between Champions League teams and Sunday league teams. As we’ve progressed through the countdown I’ve been reminded of these things, reminded of the power of kits and their incredible ability to form connections.

So before I get too soppy, thank you.

Let’s do it all again next year, yeah?

Other blogs in this series

10 - AC Milan Home

A quintessential Milan home short. The thin black and red stripes, uninterrupted even by the sponsor or badges, are perfect and I appreciate Puma not trying to reinvent the wheel with this one. Sometimes, despite all the frills and fireworks, it’s nice to have a solid and reliable home shirt that reminds fans what a Milan shirt should be.
- Apollo

Compare prices on the Milan Home Shirt

9 - Roma Third

I need this shirt in my life!!

This is absolutely gorgeous and, in my opinion, not just one of this year’s best kits but one of the best shirts of the last few years… that’s how much I love it!

Everything about this shirt works superbly. The 90s-inspired collar looks beautiful in Roma’s Giallorossi colours and the matching cuffs look just as classy. The vivid collar and cuffs look even better against the dark blue body, which itself looks superb covered in rows of circles containing classic Roma symbols, the ‘Lupetto’ and the ‘ASR’ taken from the iconic Roma badge. Add to this the Nike ‘Futura’ logo and an unobtrusive sponsor and we have here one seriously beautiful shirt.
- Pedro

I’m truly shocked this isn’t first, and that’s coming from a big Lazio fan. It physically pains me to type praise for a Roma shirt, but I must because it’s simply perfect.

The typical Roma yellow and Red on the sleeves and collar are amazing, keeping the identity of the Giallorossi. The subliminal pattern of the wolf and ASR circles is subtle but gives a wonderful texture to the shirt and the old Nike tick is always lovely to see.
- Apollo

Compare prices on the Roma Third Shirt

8 - West Ham Away

This actually did really well in our ranking of the best Premier League kits, so I’m not surprised to see it so high up the list. Plenty of other clubs have gone down the nostalgic route this season, but I’m not sure anyone’s done it quite as well as West Ham. Harkening back to their infamous 1980 FA Cup win, this is a football shirt which screams class and sophistication at every turn.

It might look like a pretty standard white shirt to some, but the real beauty of the design lies in the subtle detailing. The striping around the collar and sleeve cuffs looks absolutely magnificent, while you shouldn’t ignore just how well the sponsor logos and club crest have been integrated with the rest of the design. West Ham can officially blow all the bubbles they want.
- Ben

Compare prices on the West Ham Away Shirt

7 - Cambridge United way

Now this is a football shirt. On the surface, it might just look like another 90s remake, but hummel are doing much more than pushing our nostalgia buttons here. This has grabbed everything we loved about that 90s design and reforged it into a modern masterpiece, and I just can’t tear my eyes away from that dazzling graphic.

The varying shades of blue look like they’ve been splashed on with a watercolour paintbrush, presenting an abstract game of Tetris which is complemented perfectly by the sponsors and club crest. The overall effect is nothing short of staggering, although personally I would’ve loved to see the pattern carried onto the sleeves as well.

Even so, this is special. I tip my hat to you, hummel.
- Ben

hummel, man. Is there a more romantic brand in football? The power of that little bee to stir up nostalgia is a wonderful thing.

I’m obsessed with this Cambridge kit. Yes, this design is heavily inspired by a kit from the 90s, but it’s so much more than that. I actually think this kit is better than the design it’s inspired by. The pattern has been refined, the details fit better. This is a look overflowing with character, and this is a shirt worthy of any collection.
- Phil

6 - Inter Milan Away

This gorgeous Inter away shirt is all about the colours and the simplicity.

Inter have jumped on the ‘mint’ (although Nike say it’s ‘aquamarine’) bandwagon of the last two years but what sets this apart from other ‘mint’ shirts is the combination with black and gold. All three colours work perfectly together, creating a classy, almost regal-like shirt. The black and gold badge is stunning and the black sponsor and Nike logos look great.

Who’d have thought that a shirt designed with Julio Cesar’s 2011/12 goalkeeper shirt in mind, would look so good?
- Pedro

This is a divisive shirt among Inter fans but as someone without an attachment towards the Nerazzurri, I’m a big fan. It’s an unusual and unique colour which I think really pops, catching your attention. The yellow and black trimmings, matching the colours found on the badge, really give a sweet contrast to the bright colour choice and will propel this shirt into the best Inter away shirts lists for years to come.
- Apollo

Compare prices on the Inter Away Shirt

5 - Inter Milan Third

If rumours are to be believed, Inter and Pirelli are set to divore after a longer-than-most team and sponsor marriage. As sad as I am about the impending split, I’m overjoyed that Pirelli got to have their moment in the sun.

Yes, this shirt makes more sense for Pirelli than it does for Inter, but that’s exactly what I love about it. For countless Nerazzurri kits Pirelli have been accommodating, folding in their sponsor to fit with the iconic black and blue stripes.

But not this time. This is a celebration of one of the most iconic sponsors in football kit history. The colours and pattern evoke tyres. The cuffs mimic the trim of those tyres. And the glorious red and yellow logo of Pirelli is shown in full, unadulterated glory.
- Phil

I’ve actually bought one of these. I just had to. This is a glorious celebration of Inter’s famous partnership with Pirelli, while the sleek black colourway also pays homage to the glory days of 97/98 and 09/10. In fact, the yellow-on-black detailing and the classic Futura logo had me thinking it was the late 90s all over again.

The intrusive sponsor won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I personally like the fact they’ve gone for Pirelli’s actual logo for a change. Besides, this matches up perfectly with the yellow crest, cuffs and crew-neck collar which round off the design so impressively.

Of course, underneath it all, lies a subtle shirt pattern for the ages, with club crest and word “INTER” offering some kind of stealthy wordsearch. An absolute belter.
- Ben

Compare prices on the Inter Third Shirt

4 - Coventry Home

hummel and Coventry are back together and what a shirt to celebrate the renewed partnership! hummel supplied Coventry with kits during the 1980s and it is the 1988 Coventry kit (using the design made famous by the Denmark national team) that has been used as inspiration for this season’s kit… and it looks fantastic!

The great thing about the shirt is that it isn’t just a carbon copy of that iconic 1988 shirt. hummel have taken the design and gave it a modern twist. The classic contrasting halves remain, but this time, one half consists of sky blue and white pinstripes fading into a solid sky blue panel with the other half being the reverse, as the sky blue panel fades into the pinstripes. The hummel chevrons look great as usual and the sponsor’s logo works well with the rest of the shirt.

There is no mistaking where the inspiration came but this is a modern take on it and deserves to be praised.
- Pedro

When news of hummel’s reunification with Coventry City broke, there was a widespread hope that they would reference the kit from the late 1980s, based on the ‘Danish Dynamite’ design.

It would have been easy to just replicate it, but hummel stepped things up and gave it a modern twist and it works brilliantly, especially with the gradient effect.
- @museumofjerseys

3 - Arsenal Home

When Arsenal and adidas were in negotiations regarding their first home kit together in 1986, the Arsenal hierarchy initially wanted the German firm’s stripes to be absent from the white sleeves.

For whatever reason, that didn’t materialise and now, 33 years later, we have the modern version of that putative kit and it’s a belter, exactly what Arsenal fans with a sense of heritage would have wanted. The only ‘problem’ is how adidas can top it for 2020-21.
- @museumofjerseys

Compare prices on the Arsenal Home Shirt

2 - Barcelona Away

Sometimes, every now and then a perfect kit comes along… Barcelona’s away kit is one of the those kits for me.

Taking its inspiration from their iconic kit of the past and linking to the 40 year anniversary of the La Masia training academy, this yellow shirt with the club’s traditional blue/red colours forming the sash is perfect and one of those shirts that is instantly recognisable to one team, something rare in a club’s away kit.

Although at first glance the shirt seems understated in its design, there are plenty of small touches, alternate cuff colours, the Catalan flag in the neck, that add to the aesthetics of this kit. Matched with either blue or yellow shorts and yellow socks, this is one kit that will stand out in 2019/20 especially when taking into account their controversial home kit design.
- Gavin

While the Barca home isn’t great at all, Nike did at least redeem themselves slightly with this nod to the 1970s. A smaller Rakuten logo on the breast, allowing an unbroken sash, would have made it better but still a big thumbs-up.
- @museumofjerseys

Compare prices on the Barcelona Away Shirt

1 - Roma Away

When this leaked, it looked like one of those fantasy designs that had been mistakenly manufactured in the Far East – i.e. too good to be true. That that is not the case is something to be celebrated.
- @museumofjerseys

This. This is how you do a sash.

The jagged, fiery-looking lightning graphic is inspired by Jupiter (Roman God of the Sky), and has in turn inspired me to open up my wallet and buy one of these shirts. Roma’s club colours have always been very easy on the eye, and here they’re used to not only reinforce the club’s unique identity, but to also create one of the boldest football shirts of the season. Talk about a flash of inspiration, eh?

Pretty much any of the shirts in the top 10 could’ve topped this list, but I’m more than happy to see this Roma effort take the crown. When you also look at the quality of their home and third shirts, it’s fair to say the Roman Empire has never looked so good.
- Ben

Our number 1.

AS Roma’s away kit, taking inspiration from Jupiter, the Roman God of the sky is a white shirt with a lightning bolt in the clubs traditional red / yellow. One of Nike’s bespoke designs, it balances clubs traditions with a modern design, and it’s pairing with crimson shorts is a good choice giving some balance to the bolt on the shirt.

A nice shirt and interesting design though not my personal favourite of 2019/20.
- Gavin

There seems to be something quite poetic about the shirt inspired by Jupiter, the Roman God of the Sky, soaring high above the other 99 shirts to be crowned the best shirt of 2019.

This is a stunning shirt! The plain, white shirt is a perfect canvas for the vibrant lightning bolt to really stand out. Roma’s ‘Giallorossi’ colours look absolutely resplendent as the lightning bolt runs across the shirt like a sash (and I love a football shirt with a sash!).

A combination of Roma’s traditions and Rome’s mythology have been brought together to create a visually striking shirt and one that is a worthy winner of this year’s Top 100.
- Pedro

Whilst I appreciate the lightning bolt design, I’m shocked to see it eight places higher than the third shirt.

Yes, the yellow and red bolts are very electric (excuse the pun) and memorable, but I find it a little boring. Looking past the centre piece, what else is there? But I’m sure I’m in the minority of football shirt fans who aren’t too keen on this – or maybe I’m just a jealous and jaded Lazio fan.
- Apollo

It's fitting in my eyes that the kings of social media (and recently social responsibility too) sit proudly atop our exhaustive list.

The lightning bolt, inspired by the Roman God Jupiter, cuts through the shirt in a similar fashion and colour to Galatasaray's third shirt of 18/19 - however Roma's offering is far superior in terms of overall suave and sophistication. There's not much else you can say about this shirt other than Bravo.
- Chris

Congratulations, Roma.

I smiled when this shirt came out on top after rounds of voting and internal discussion. It just makes sense. Last year, no other team was as vocal in their support of Nigeria as the Giallorossi, and in many ways this shirt (and indeed each of Roma’s kits this year) is proof that lightning can indeed strike twice.

What we saw last year has completely transformed the shirt landscape. This design more than any other captures the same audacity and vibrancy of those Nigeria kits.

I mean, what could be better than a lightning bolt, thrown across a kit as if Jupiter himself was making his mark on the football shirt world? For this year at least, nothing.
- Phil

Compare prices on the Roma 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