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The 10 coolest football shirts ever made...

Posted by Christopher Smith on

You've already seen our run down of the 10 best and 10 worst shirts of the 2015-16 season, but here we're going to give you our run down of the 10 coolest football shirts ever made.


10.  USSR Goalkeeper Shirt (1960s)


This shirt was made famous by the Soviet Union's very own Lev Yashin, who many argue to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time. It's a great example of simplicity done perfectly. The shirt is simply black all over, with  CCCP in white on the chest. 

Due to the period in which Yashin played, the 60s shirt was actually made from cotton - so spare a thought for the players of the past on particularly hot match days.

This shirt makes our list thanks to just how iconic it has become due to one of the greatest keepers of all time making it his own.

If you fancy one of your own, our pals COPA have lovingly recreated Lev Yashin's goalie top here


9. Netherlands home shirt (1988)

Not only did the Netherlands lift the European Championship trophy in 1988, but they did so in what is easily one of the coolest football shirts of all time. 

Made by adidas, the 1988 Holland shirt had an abstract pattern that run through the entirety of the torso, with the iconic 3-stripes adorning the sleeves.

This shirt's cool-factor is only enhanced by the fact it was worn by Marco Van Basten and Ruud Gullit when he still had massive dreadlocks and a moustache.


8.  Ajax home shirt (1994-95)


The wide centre stripe on the Ajax home shirt from '95 has become synonymous with the Dutch club. However, Umbro really hit the nail on the head when they put together this effort in the mid-90s. 

Featuring a traditional football collar and Umbro watermarking throughout the torso, this shirt was worn by Ajax as they went on to win the 1995 Champion's League final. 

We also miss the days when Ajax's sponsor used to run vertically down the shirt, it was a classic touch.


7. France away shirt (2006)

Now to be honest, the 2006 France away shirt would have made this list anyway as it was an undeniably good looking shirt.

However, it was also the shirt that the legendary Zinedine Zidane was wearing when he decided to headbutt Marco Materazzi into oblivion.

We might never know EXACTLY what was said to Zidane to provoke such a reaction, but it was an explosive way to end his career - and undeniably Zidane-esque.


6. Newcastle Goalkeeper Shirt (1996-97)

We'd happily argue that there's certainly never been a cooler goalkeeper shirt than this ever made. It's also handy that it was worn by one of the coolest characters of the 1990's Premier League - Shaka Hislop.

The Trinidad & Tobagon born keeper was eccentric, but very good and very popular - even amongst neutrals. 

The goalie top he wore in 1996 however was a work of art. It featured a section of the Newcastle skyline silhouetted against a distinctly "brown ale" coloured sky.

Anyone old enough to remember watching football in the 90s will definitely get an instant rush of nostalgia upon seeing this top.


5. Croatia home shirt (1998)

After the newly-formed country of Croatia burst onto the scene during the Euros in 1996, they had become every neutral's 2nd favourite nation.

For France 1998, Italian sports company Lotto took the already popular chequered shirt design and fashioned it into a waving flag style. 

While wearing the shirt, Croatia stormed to the semi-finals of the tournament. Their journey included a shocking 3-0 victory against tournament favourites Germany. 

Croatia also had some of the coolest players in the game in 1998, including goal-machine Davor Suker who played for Real Madrid, Sevilla, Arsenal and even West Ham. 


4. Fiorentina home shirt (1998-99)

There are two things which make the 1998-99 Fiorentina shirt so undeniably cool, and we're betting you can guess what they are.

The first is of course Gabriel Batistuta, the fear-inducing goal machine from the glory days of Serie A. He was instantly recognised by his long flowing hair, his muscular build and by the fact he was usually seen celebrating the goal he'd just scored into you.

The second thing is of course that ultra-cool Nintendo sponsor on the front. It's great when a shirt sponsor just looks right y'know. It's hard to explain, but Nintendo just seems like the proper sponsor for Fiorentina to wear, even to this day.


3. USA away shirt (1994)

The Americans don't really do patriotism in small doses, and the USA "soccer" shirt from 1994 had it in abundance.

Made by adidas, the American change shirt featured stars diagonally spread across the torso and up onto the right shoulder. 

The shirt is also made cooler by the fact it was worn by crazy dreadlocked poster boy Cobi Jones during the tournament. 


2. Germany home (1990)

Ah the 90s, when a player could have a perm and a moustache and still be considered hard as nails. Rudi Voller sported not only both of these things, but he also wore what is easily the coolest Germany shirt ever made.

It helps that the colours of the German flag go together so well, but this abstract angular design was unique at the time and still stands up to this day.

The guys at adidas should really be thinking about making some kind of tribute shirt for the next German national team update we reckon.


1. Juventus away shirt (1995-96)

Football was never cooler than when Italian football ruled the roost. Remember sitting down on Sundays to tune in to Channel 4's coverage of Football Italia? 

James Richardson would be sat in an outdoor cafe, sipping on a cappuccino with his copy of Gazetta Dello Sport, looking like he had the best job in the whole world (that's because he did). 

1995-96 was a season when many would argue that Alessandro Del Piero was well on his way to being the world's best footballer, and rightly so. It was also the season that saw Juventus play their away games in this stunning shirt from Kappa. 

The blue and yellow looked great together and the stars on the shoulders set the tone, as if Juventus simply insisted that they should be crowned kings of Europe before a ball was even kicked. 

Handy then, that Juventus went on to win the Champion's League that season, defeating holders Ajax on penalties in the final. 

If you fancy choosing from the coolest current crop of football shirts, head on over to the replica shirt section of Football Nation here.


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