Football kits are big business in modern football. These days, clubs change their shirt design every single season and there are at least three strips on offer. That means more ideas are needed from the manufacturers and often, those brands have had a look at a team's past for inspiration.
Retro throwbacks have proved popular as memorable designs from yesteryear are given a fresh new look. And often, clubs and even national teams have worn commemorative jerseys to mark their foundation, a key milestone in their history or an important victory. Here, a look at some of the best anniversary kits.
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USA centenary shirt In 2013, the United States released an anniversary kit to mark 100 years of football (or soccer, as they call it) in the country. Made by Nike, the white shirt featured a crest made up of 13 stars and stripes in a nod to the USA jersey from 1913 and also the first American flag, featuring the original 13 colonies. 31.
Tottenham 125-year shirt Tottenham Hotspur turned 125 years old in 2007 and to mark the milestone, Spurs wore a special anniversary kit in their Premier League game against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane in October that year. The half-white, half-sky blue shirts were similar to those used by the north London club for a period in the 1880s and fans were given flags in the same colours to wave during the game. It turned out to be a thriller, too, as Tottenham came from 4-1 down to earn a dramatic 4-4 draw in added time.
30. Werder Bremen 120th anniversary kit Werder Bremen were founded in 1899 and for the German club's 120th anniversary in 2019, Umbro created a special mash-up shirt. The bold design featured bits from previous shirts in a mix of light and dark greens.
It actually worked well and was effective on the pitch, too, as Werder Bremen beat Augsburg 4-0 in its only outing in February 2019. 29. Chivas Club World Cup shirt Mexican side Guadalajara wore a special shirt for their participation in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup.
Designed by Puma, the limited-edition jersey drew inspiration from the iconic shirts of Chivas' hugely successful sides of the late 1960s and 1970s and featured thin stripes with blue lines alongside the club's traditional red and white. It proved a big hit with fans as the 2,018 made quickly sold out. 28.
Lille 75th anniversary shirt Younger than many of France's historic clubs but still quite a bit older than Paris Saint-Germain, Lille celebrated their 75th anniversary in 2019. To mark that milestone, New Balance created a special shirt which was reminiscent of the designs used in LOSC's early years. It was worn for a match against Dijon in November 2019, which Lille won 1-0.
27. Valencia Mestalla 100 shirt Valencia marked 100 years at their famous Mestalla home in 2022/23 by wearing a special shirt for their home matches at the stadium, which was inaugurated in 1923. A simple white jersey with a few details in black, the jersey featured a retro-style club crest.
Stylish, but also fairly similar to the normal Valencia home shirt. 26. Chelsea commemorative FA Cup kit Chelsea won the FA Cup for the first time in 1970 and 50 years on, the Blues opted to mark the anniversary of that triumph with a special commemorative kit.
For their third round clash at home to Nottingham Forest, Chelsea wore an all-blue retro kit with yellow details, including on parts of the crest and all-yellow socks. The Blues beat Forest 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and went on to reach the final. 25.
France centenary shirt France were crowned world champions for the second time in 2018 and a year later, Les Bleus celebrated their centenary with the launch of a special shirt. To mark the anniversary, Nike designed a stylish royal blue jersey with gold detailing, which was worn in a 4-0 win over Iceland in March 2019. 24.
England 150th anniversary shirt To mark 150 years of the England national team, Nike launched a home shirt featuring a special crest marking the anniversary in gold text, with the World Cup winning star also in gold. The shirt, which was finished off with navy accents, was worn in several matches in 2013 and there was also an away version in red, which was used in a friendly against Brazil in June. Nice shirts, albeit not that different to the usual ones.
23. Uruguay 1924 throwback Uruguay won the Copa America in 2011 and claiming the continental crown saw La Celeste take their place at the Confederations Cup in 2013. For the tournament in Brazil, Uruguay wore a special shirt commemorating their 1924 Olympic title, which was considered a de facto World Cup.
Uruguay wore the retro-style jersey throughout the competition, finishing fourth out of eight teams. 22. Toulouse 80th anniversary kit Toulouse wore a special 80th anniversary shirt for a 0-0 draw against Marseille in 2017, which was made of a thicker cotton material and featured a collar with an old-fashioned lace to adjust the fit.
The all-purple strip was made by Joma and won plenty of praise, but there was some controversy because today's Toulouse FC was founded in 1970 and is not connected with the previous club of the same name, which was formed in 1937 but sold its licence to Red Star in 1967. 21. Angers centenary strip To celebrate their centenary, French club Angers Sporting Club de l'Ouest wore a special retro kit for a pre-season friendly against Arsenal in July 2019.
The shirt was similar to the ones worn by Angers in the 1950s, with black 'SCO' lettering in place of a club crest. Angers and Arsenal drew 1-1 after 90 minutes, but the Gunners went on to win on penalties. 20.
Poland centenary shirt To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Polish Football Association, a special shirt was designed, combining the two colours of the nation's flag. The half-white, half-red centenary shirt was worn in a EURO 2020 qualifier against Israel in June 2019. Poland won the match in Warsaw 4-0.
19. Marseille 120-year shirt Olympique Marseille celebrated 120 years of life in 2019 and Puma designed a special shirt to mark the occasion for the Ligue 1 club. The jersey featured a sky blue cross on top of a white background, with Puma and OM logos in a metallic silver.
The sponsor spoils it slightly, but it's still a slick look and was worn for a 1-0 win against Saint-Etienne. 18. Stuttgart "Original" jersey VfB Stuttgart marked their 125th anniversary by wearing a limited edition "Original" jersey for a home game against Schalke in December 2018.
The design recreated the original ‘Brustring’ jersey from 1925, featuring the red chest ring which has been a fixture on their home shirts ever since. Stuttgart lost the game 3-1 to Schalke. 17.
Celtic 125-year shirt Celtic celebrated 125 years of existence in 2013 and the Glasgow giants marked the anniversary with a special shirt for the 2012/2013 season. Instead of the traditional seven unbroken hoops, the jersey featured nine thinner hoops, a nod to Celtic's nine consecutive Scottish league titles won between 1965 and 1974. 16.
Fulham 140-year anniversary shirt Fulham are one of England's oldest professional clubs and to mark the Cottagers' 140th anniversary, kit supplier Adidas designed a special shirt. Described by Fulham as "a twist on the design of the club's first strip", the shirt featured the Cottagers' trademark white and black colours, which were introduced for the first time in 1889. It was worn in a pre-season friendly against West Ham and only 1,879 were made – with that number reflecting the year of Fulham's foundation.
15. Everton Goodison Park anniversary shirt Everton played their first game at Goodison Park in 1892 and in 2017, the old stadium turned 125 years of age. To mark that milestone for the famous ground, Everton wore a special-edition commemorative blue shirt featuring the original club crest embroidered on the chest and the words "Goodison Park.
125 years" on the back of the neck in a pre-season friendly against Sevilla. 14. Denmark Hummel anniversary kit Founded in Germany but based in Denmark, Hummel have long made the kits for the Danish national team and the 1986 shirt is an all-time classic.
To mark Hummel's 100th birthday in 2023, the brand recreated the iconic jersey with a few small alterations, including a black trim instead of blue, a text-only Hummel logo and a slight change to the collar. Beauty. 13.
Republic of Ireland centenary shirt To mark 100 years of Irish football, the Republic swapped their trademark green shirts for their original "St Patrick's blue" and white for a special shirt made by Umbro in 2021. The jersey also featured a retro crest with a shamrock surrounded by a shield. It was worn in a friendly against Qatar and in it, Callum Robinson became the first Republic player since Robbie Keane in 2014 to score an international hat-trick.
Ireland won 4-0. 12. Japan centenary shirt Japan's centenary shirt was pretty special.
Inspired by the first Japanese national team jersey in 1930 and the one worn at the 1936 Olympics, it was released by the JFA in 2021. The light blue shirt featured a Japanese flag instead of a crest and was worn by Japan's men in a friendly against the nation's under-24 team in June 2021. 11.
Lazio 115-year shirt Lazio turned 115 years old in 2015 and the Rome club marked that anniversary with a special shirt, which they wore in a 3-1 win over AC Milan in January 2015. The unique white and sky blue design, which featured a dark blue eagle across the chest, was based on the shirts worn in the 1982/83 and 1986/87 seasons – both of which were spent in Serie B. 10.
Manchester City 125th anniversary shirt Manchester City marked their 125th anniversary with a special shirt, which was worn by the Sky Blues in the 2019 Community Shield against Liverpool. The anniversary kit incorporated specific design elements voted for by the club's fans. Limited to 1,894 individually numbered units, the simple sky blue design featured only the club crest and no sponsor.
Stylish. 9. Italy 125th anniversary kit Italy launched an iconic white shirt with gold details to mark the 125th anniversary of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in 2023.
The jersey featured gold laurels around the crest and four gold stars, each representing one of the nation's four World Cup wins. It was worn in the UEFA Nations League semi-finals and third-place play-off in June 2023. 8.
Borussia Dortmund centenary kit Borussia Dortmund were founded in December 2019 and 100 years on. Puma produced a special kit for the club's centenary. The blackout kit was a surprise even to the fans in a Bundesliga game against Fortuna Dusselforf at the Signal Iduna Park, which BVB won 5-0.
Released a year on from the end of the coal industry in the Ruhr area, the strip featured a black shirt, shorts and socks and included the logos of all club partners. The jersey sold out in record time. 7.
Inter centenary shirt To mark their centenary in 2008, Inter wore a special away shirt designed by Nike and featuring the red-and-white flag of Milan. The Pirelli logo was shrunk and placed below the club crest to give the red and white flag – reminiscent of England's St George's Cross – centre stage. The shirt proved popular and was used again as a third kit in 2008/09.
Inter also launched a mash-up home jersey to mark their 20 years with Nike in 2019. 6. Juventus 120-year kit Juventus were founded in 1897 and 120 years later, the Turin club decided to mark that anniversary by wearing a commemorative kit.
The special shirt featured the classic white and black stripes, but had no club crest or sponsor, in a throwback to the original design. On the front, there were three gold stars, with each one representing 10 league titles. It was worn only once – in a 2-1 win over Benevento in November 2017.
5. Brazil centenary shirt After Brazil were surprisingly beaten by Uruguay at home in the 1950 World Cup's decisive match, white shirts were deemed to be bad luck for the Seleção . The white design was banned and Brazil began to wear their now-iconic yellow shirts instead.
But at the Copa America in 2019, Nike brought back a white strip to mark the 100th anniversary of their first continental crown (the South American Championship back then) in 2019. Brazil wore the shirt, with blue shorts, for their opener against Bolivia and wn 3-0. And it didn't bring bad luck, either, as the hosts went on to win the tournament.
4. Arsenal Highbury kit Arsenal played their 93rd and final season at Highbury in 2005/06 and the Gunners said goodbye to their much-loved home in emotional scenes in May. To pay homage to their famous stadium, the north London club wore special redcurrant shirts for their home fixtures throughout the season, matching the design worn in the Gunners' first campaign at Highbury back in 1913.
3. Scotland 150th anniversary Scotland played England in football's first ever international fixture in 1872 as a team made up of Queen's Park players drew 0-0 with the Three Lions in Glasgow. To mark 150 years since that match, a special anniversary kit – featuring a dark blue shirt with a round neck, blue and white cuffs and a lion coloured in gold on the crest – was worn for the 150th Heritage match against England in September 2023.
2. Manchester United Munich memorial kit Manchester United wore a special shirt for their derby clash against Manchester City at Old Trafford in the Premier League in February 2008. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster, United players lined up in a red jersey with no kit manufacturer or sponsorship logos, no names and not even a club crest.
The Red Devils were given special dispensation from the FA and the Premier League to wear the shirts, which featured only a number on the back, in order to reflect the kit worn by the Busby Babes back in 1958. United also launched a reversible shirt to mark their centenary in 2001/02. 1.
Barcelona centenary kit Barcelona were founded in 1899 and the Catalan club's first-ever jersey was a half-red, half-blue design. Later, Barça switched to their traditional red and blue horizontal stripes, but Nike brought back the original design to mark the club's centenary in 1999. It proved to be one of the most popular shirts in their history and was repeated for the 2008/09 season and again to mark their 125th birthday in 2024/25.
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