Like many other football fans around the world, I can spend hours upon hours browsing aimlessly through Classic Football Shirt websites. There’s something about looking at an old kit from the early 2000’s that can just take me back to a specific match, goal or moment in life which may have been long forgotten. Meanwhile, I enjoy looking through the wild designs that have somehow made it to production, the bold colours and pieces from around the globe. Although admittedly my personal collection of kits from the past doesn’t extend past my own club and holiday souvenirs, I am fully in support of the trend towards using “retro” shirts as a fashionable item, and for allowing me to spend far too much time in my own little world reminiscing on historic football games, long may the businesses continue.

So to celebrate some of my favourite football shirts that I have come across over the years, I’ve decided to put together my top 5 from around the leagues, starting off where my knowledge is higher, the Premier League. Admittedly, this is personal opinions and not all tastes are the same, however I believe these are widely recognised as some of the greatest shirts of the Premier League era. Additionally, as will become clear looking through these, I have a personal fondness towards a collared shirt, fairly simple designs and more ‘traditional’ colours to the individual club.

West Ham 1999-2001 (H)

This kit just brings back the memory of one of the greatest goals in Premier League history. The cross-field pass to pick out Di Canio at the back post, who flies in with a scissored volley into the top corner. I am not a West Ham fan, but that goal is simply spectacular. For me that goal goes hand-in-hand with one of the most magnificent football shirts I’ve come across. Everything about it just oozes style; the collar, the design, classic colours and the ‘Dr. Martens’ sponsorship. FILA haven’t made too many Premier League kits, but this one is exquisite.

Newcastle United 1995-1997 (H)

Of all the kits on this list, this admittedly is one that I am too young to recognise immediately from the time. However, as I scroll through the classic football shirt websites, this one always grabs my attention and following further research into ‘best Premier League kits’, it appears I’m not alone in my admiration. For Newcastle fans, this shirt brings back fond memories of reasonable success, in the season that ‘almost’ was theirs, and for football fans around the world, it brings memories of Keegan’s impassioned interview. Everything about the shirt is wonderful, traditional black and white stripes, and the instantly recognisable sponsorship puts this right at the very top. In recent times, Newcastle’s kits haven’t been quite as memorable as this, reflecting the clubs performance as a whole. Maybe get Adidas back on the phone sooner rather than later.

Manchester United 1998 – 2000 (H)

This shirt has to go down as one of the greatest in my opinion purely down to the history involved in the 98/99 season for Manchester United. The treble winning year was filled with incredible drama and tension throughout, and United managed to see off opposition in 3 competitions and did so literally in style, in this absolute classic home shirt. The collared style immediately ticks the box for me, then adding in the unique quarter-zip and the Umbro sleeve design is superb. Seeing these shirts brings about instant memories of one of the greatest Premier League teams in history, and they did it all wearing one of the greatest shirts.

*Additional acknowledgement to the 94/95 Home Shirt too*

Arsenal 2005 – 2006 (H)

Admittedly, this shirt is by no means the most intricately designed, and I’m not entirely convinced with the giant gold ‘O2’ sponsorship. However, the significance of this season, and this kit to the history of Arsenal and the Premier League as a whole, with the club moving on from Highbury, and Bergkamp ending his playing career, signifies a lot of emotion and history for Arsenal fans and football fans. Although I personally like to see clubs keep their traditional colours for a home shirt, I understand how the club have replicated the colours they wore when moving into Highbury and so for that detail, as well as the memories of a ‘peak’ Henry up-front makes this one of my most ‘memorable’ Premier League kits for sure.

Liverpool 2017 – 2018 (H)

As much as it pains me to write this one, the Liverpool 2017/18 home shirt was fantastic. The darker red colour and nod to both the clubs history and the Hillsborough Disaster, along with other references to previous kits throughout history, put this as one of the best Premier League era shirts. Along with the shirt design, the season where everything started looking up for the club following the arrival of key names; Salah, Van Dijk and Robertson puts this as one of my most memorable.