This is a Top End Kits Top 50. We are starting off by counting down and ranking Retro Club Kits. Featuring our favourite club shirts from football history. This time, we’re keeping it strictly to club kits, with anything from before 2020 considered for the list. The ranking is based on personal preference, taking into account design, nostalgia, history and the memories attached to each shirt. From iconic European giants to lesser-known favourites.
PART 1 OF 5
50 — Juventus 1995/96 Away
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Juventus forwards Michele Padovano & Alessandro Del Piero celebrating after the 1996 UEFA Champions League Final victory, at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
We start the top 50 the Kappa Juventus 1995/96 away shirt. A brilliant example of the bold designs coming out of Italy in the mid-90s. The blue and yellow combination is a huge contrast to Juventus’ traditional black and white, and the Kappa design gives it that unmistakable 90s look.
The magic in this kit comes from when Juve defeated Ajax on penalties to lift the European Cup for the second time in the club’s history, in the 1996 Champions League final. With a squad packed with football legends such as Alessandro Del Piero, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Vialli and Didier Deschamps, Juve fans will always look back on this jersey fondly.
The combination of the design and history, made this one hard to leave out,
TEK Ranking: #50
#49 — Tottenham Hotspur 1985/87 Home
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Talented winger Chris Waddle in action for Spurs against Manchester United, at White Hart Lane in 1987.
One of those classic 80s Tottenham shirts that just looks like football. The white and navy is simple, the Hummel design gives it that unmistakable 80s look, and the Holsten sponsor is a huge part of what makes this shirt memorable.
I really like this one, but when I was narrowing down my Top 50, there were just too many kits that I preferred. It makes the list, but for me, #49 feels about right.
TEK Ranking: #49
#48 — Chelsea 2003/05 Home
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Frank Lampard playing in Europe for Chelsea against Stuttgart. Gottlieb-Daimler Stradium in Germany, 2003.
The Chelsea 2003/05 home kit; when less is more. The classic royal blue, the old Chelsea badge and the basic Umbro logo give it a really recognizable early-2000s look. It’s a simple Chelsea shirt, but I think that’s part of what makes it work.
It’s also from an important period in the club’s history, right as Chelsea were becoming a major force in English football. But with so many great kits to choose from, this one just misses out on the higher positions for me.
TEK Ranking: #48
#47 — Manchester United 1998/99 Home
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Paul Scholes and co. walking on to the Wembley pitch for the 1998 FA Charity Shield against Arsenal in 1998.
One of the most iconic Man U shirts ever, and obviously from one of the most successful time periods in the club’s history. The classic red with the white collar and black details down the sleeves makes this one instantly recognizable.
It’s a shirt that deserves to be on a list like this, but surprisingly, it only makes #47 on mine, despite the history it carries.
TEK Ranking: #47
#46 — QPR 1984/85 Home
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Steve Wicks defending in a First Division match at Old Trafford, October 1985.
Sometimes the sponsor can make or break a football top, and Guinness absolutely makes this one. It’s one of those 80s kits that immediately looks like an old-school football shirt, in the best way possible.
The blue and white hoops are obviously synonymous with QPR, and the simple design gives it a great period feel.
This QPR shirt has the kind of classic look that still works decades later. It doesn’t quite make the higher reaches of my list, but it definitely could have done.
TEK Ranking: #46
#45 — Atlético Madrid 2004/05 Home
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Veteran midfielder Diego Simeone "El Cholo" and striker Fernando Torres "El Niño", wearing the iconic Spider Man Kit, August 2004.
The Atlético Madrid 2004/05 home kit is one of the most interesting shirts on this list.
Many years before Barcelona's now famous Spotify sponsorship, Atlético had a groundbreaking deal with Columbia Pictures, with the club promoting a different movie on the front of the shirt whenever the studio released a new film. It meant the shirt could actually change throughout the season, making this one of the most unique sponsorship concepts in football. Over 20 different films featured on their shirts during their historic two-season partnership from 2003 to 2005.
Blockbuster titles such as Anacondas, Resident Evil 2, Bad Boys II, Peter Pan, Hellboy, White Chicks, Hitch, S.W.A.T., Big Fish, and the most famous of them all Spider Man, all appeared on the kit at some point during the sponsorship.
On top of the sponsorship, the jersey uses Nike’s legendary Total 90 template, giving it that unmistakable early-2000s look. This is the first of the T90 kits to make an appearance on our top 50 list, but no doubt will not be the last.
For the combination of the Total 90 design and the unusual movie sponsorship, it definitely deserves a place in my Top 50.
TEK Ranking: #45
#44 — Flamengo 1981/83 Home
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The Flamengo boys getting a pre-match photo in 1982.
The Flamengo 1982 home kit is a great example of how simple a football shirt can be and still look incredible. The famous red and black stripes, white details and classic Flamengo crest give it a timeless look.
An important period in the club’s history, with Flamengo boasting a team full of Brazilian football legends in the early 1980s including Andrade, Leandro, Zico, and Júnior.
It’s the kind of shirt that immediately feels like a retro football. With classic design, iconic players and success on the pitch, it’s more than worthy of a place on the list.
TEK Ranking: #44
#43 — Pumas UNAM 2016/17 Home
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Pablo Barrera of Pumas celebrates after scoring against Tigres at Olimpico Universitario Stadium on November 23, 2016 in Mexico City.
The Pumas UNAM 2016–17 Home Kit by Nike isn't your average football jersey; it’s a brilliant fusion of modern sportswear and Mexican art architecture. Taking inspiration from the iconic Biblioteca Central (Central Library) on UNAM's main campus, the shirt incorporates the towering murals designed by architect and artist Juan O'Gorman in 1952.
What makes the design truly legendary is how it splits the artwork across the team's wardrobe. The gold home shirt features the mural's West Wall, which honors the University itself and contemporary Mexico. Meanwhile, the navy away kit (which arguably also deserves a spot on the list) replicates the East Wall, which highlights modern progress, science, and industry.
By embedding the club's massive, unmistakable pumas crest directly over these historical tile motifs, Nike created one of the most culturally grounded and visually captivating retro kits in modern football history.
TEK Ranking: #43
#42 — Aston Villa 1981/82 Home
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Andy Blair against Leeds United in Division One play, October 3rd 1981.
The Aston Villa 1981/82 home kit is a proper classic. Centralized club crests can be hard to execute, but with Le Coq Sportif placing their logo on the sleeves, this one is a true winner. Another kit that perfectly combines visual excellence with historic success — a design that looked incredible and became part of a truly memorable era for the club.
Villa wore this shirt during one of the greatest periods in the club’s history, their run to the European Cup final in 1982, when they beat Bayern Munich 1–0 to become European Champions. Although they wore their away strip in the final.
It’s a kit with great history and a design that has aged incredibly well. That combination means it makes my Top 50 comfortably.
TEK Ranking: #42
#41 — FC Copenhagen 2016/17 Third
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Slovenian winger Benjamin Verbič scoring for Copenhagen kit during a match.
From a design point of view, the FC Copenhagen 2016/17 third kit is definitely up there as one of my favourites.
The dark base, verticals stripes, monochrome badge,and iconic Carlsberg sponsor give it a standout look, while still feeling unmistakably Copenhagen.
The unique feel of this kit was no accident either. For the first time in club history, FC Copenhagen and Adidas incorporated direct fan input via the club's official website, allowing supporters to vote and submit comments on styles, patterns, and overall aesthetic details before finalizing the design.
Adidas used this supporter feedback to create the final look, bridging fan culture with the club's on-field look. And you can’t argue with the result.
TEK Ranking: #41
#40 — Liverpool 2004/06 Home
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Steven Gerrard with the European Cup, in Istanbul 2005.
The Liverpool 2004/06 home kit is one of those shirts that immediately brings back memories of Liverpool in the mid-2000s. It’s the kit that signals the end of Gerard Houllier’s reign and the start of the Rafael Benitez era.
An all-red football kit, broken up only by two sharp white panels on the sides. Paired with red shorts and socks, Reebok kept it simple with a clean, no-fuss kit that looks effortless..
Visually it's sound, but I think we all know it's the legendary matches associated with the kit, that earns it a place in the top 50. This strip featured in 4 Cup Finals in two seasons.
The Carling Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium came first. Mourinho's Chelsea came out on top, after extra time. A few months later the two clubs were in battle again, Liverpool defeating Chelsea over 2 legs in the Champions League semi. Setting up a May meeting with AC Milan in Turkey, for the greatest European Cup Final of all time. In August the Reds lifted the UEFA Super Cup, in Monaco. The famous kit got a fine send off in 2006. The last time Liverpool ever wore Reebok, was in the 2006 FA Cup Final against West Ham, famously called "The Gerrard Final."
It doesn’t make my higher places because Liverpool have so many incredible kits to choose from, but the combination of the design and the history means it could not be left out.
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