Iconic football kits appear in the annals of the game. Whether it’s flashy designs, elite players who wore them, or historical moments, seeing a certain jersey can spark memories of the past in football fans . This applies to both national teams and club teams. People pay homage to individual national teams and clubs by wearing these kits in all kinds of public situations. This can be an easy way to see another fan.
By iconic football kits, that doesn’t mean standardized designs. Liverpool will always wear red, Real Madrid are the team in white and Chelsea’s kit is always blue. Signature kits refer to specific editions of jerseys worn by standout teams. Often, these are extensions of the team’s iconic colors with a twist or defining feature.
Here are some kits that stand out from the rest in the famous history of football jerseys. As this is a polarizing topic, these are not listed in any particular order.
The most iconic football jerseys of all time
Netherlands (1998)
The famous orange kit of The Netherlands is a staple of international football. Many world-class players have worn the orange jersey with great success. Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Arjen Robben and Virgil van Dijk all wore orange on several occasions.
However, the 1998 jersey stands out as the best Dutch orange jersey of all time. The chevrons run down the shirt to provide orange accents throughout. It helps that the Netherlands has a great badge with a lion which also stands out in black on this jersey. Plus, it helps that van Basten and Gullit wore this kit when they scored the only two goals in the Euro 1988 final to win the Netherlands their first major trophy.
United States (1994)
THE USMNT and the USWNT have failed to develop a reliable shirt they can wear. The red and white hoops gave character. It wasn’t as much as American soccer’s coming out party at the 1994 World Cup. Hosting the event for the first time, the men’s national team wore a stunning blue jersey with white stars on the kit.
With its almost denim-like blue, the jersey stood out during the World Cup. A star-spangled shirt matches the United States national anthem. It remains arguably the best kit in the history of American football.
Arsenal (1991 to 1993)
You know football jerseys are iconic when they have a nickname. This applies to the “bruised banana” which Arsenal worn during the formative years of the Premier League. A yellow shirt with black triangles all over started a popular trend that applies to many modern shirts in the game.
Arsenal wore jerseys paying homage to this famous jersey. However, the one from the early 1990s holds a special place in history.
Manchester United (1991/92)
Keeping the same theme as Arsenal, Manchester United went against his traditional red shirt. A striking blue is perhaps United’s best away kit of all time. Even though red is the color of Manchester United, fans still want to get their hands on this jersey that players like Ryan Giggs wore when they were young.
United brought back this design for its 20th anniversary in the 2021/22 campaign. Although it wasn’t an exact reuse of the design, Manchester United once again showed class on the pitch with blue.
West Germany (1988 to 1990)
This kit started a trend for Die Mannschaft. The cross-chest sash of black, red and yellow, the colors of the German flag, looked phenomenal on an otherwise white shirt. Adidas even arranged the stripes in a way symbolic of Germany chronology. The kit therefore tells a story. Two years later, West Germany won the World Cup in Italy before reunification shortly after.
The kit itself is phenomenal, but its legacy in German football is even more important.
Brazil (1970)
It would be a mistake not to include one of the best kits of all time due to its longevity. When we think of Brasil kit, we think of the yellow kit with blue shorts. The proven model has won five World Cups, so there is no reason to change it. During the success of 1970, Pelé won his third World Cup and he remains the only player to achieve so many victories.
That year, the yellow shirt and blue shorts had a green collar, and Pelé walking around the Estadio Azteca captured some of the best moments in football history.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.