Well, this was hard. Really hard. What started as a top 10 quickly became a top 20, and ended as a top 30, although it could have easily been a top 100. We feel dirty and ashamed at some of the ones we had to leave out, and we're ready to be called out on that. But, unfortunately you can't squeeze 100 into 30, so here it is. Here's our top 30 football shirts of the decade.
The only rule here is that the shirt had to be worn between 2010-2019. The 10s will forever be a decade that acted as a real checkpoint for football shirt design, especially towards the end of the decade as the shackles of templates and minimalism finally gave way to unlimited creative flair. Enough chat, let's go...
30 | Inter Milan Home 2014/15
We can't stress enough how important a smart sponsor is to the success of a kit and Inter Milan have Pirelli to thank for numerous appearances on this list. You think Nike's pin-stripe away effort for the 2014/15 should be much higher on this list and we've already upset you on the first one haven't we? Let's move on...
29| West Ham 2019/20 Away
They'll be a few shirts on this list that are being worn in the current season, and that's a testament to how strong brands ended the decade. You can't normally compete with nostalgia so the fact that there's a heavy current presence underlines how much of a good place the replica game is in right now. West Ham's Umbro away shirt for the 19/20 season also deserves to be higher, and it probably would be if they wore this sponsor-less version.
28 | Rangers Home 2019/20
Always room for Hummel on this list, and that little collar combined with the iconic chevrons, retro Rangers club crest and Hummel logo are all the ingredients for a feature.
27 | Liverpool Home 2017/18
This is where New Balance peaked for us. That darker shade of red along with the cuff and v-neck combo made this Liverpool's best shirt of the decade for us.
26 | Real Madrid Third 2014/15
An all black shirt designed by famed Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto. This was odds on to make an appearance. One of the first collabs that would later spark a colossal movement as the decade played out.
25 | Aston Villa Home 2018/19
A bold move that saw the traditional sportswear brand replaced by Birmingham-based fashion brand 'LUKE 1977'. Villa reported a 750% increase in shirt sales thanks to this ballsy link-up, and other clubs stood up and took notice of a new trend.
24 | AC Milan Away 2014/15
Like Pirelli, Fly Emirates also lend themselves nicely for clean football shirts thanks to being open to changing the colour of their logo. This AC Milan offering with special edition club crest is one of the reasons this list simply couldn't be a top 20.
23 | Netherlands Away 2012
You think this should be higher and we have absolutely no comeback to your argument. A beaut.
22 | Spain Away 2010
They won their first ever World Cup in it. If that's not a sure fire way to make an already smart shirt an outstanding one then we're not sure what is.
21 | Inter Milan 2019 Mash Up
A mash up that didn't just look immense but was also donned on pitch, in the Milan derby. That top 20 list better be good.
20 | France 2019 Centenary Shirt
The first of a few French shirts to take rightful places in the top 20. A classic royal blue jersey with gold branding is everything the champions of the world deserve to wear.
19 | Barcelona Away 2013/14
Catalan-tastic. Get in the top 20 you beautiful stripey bastard.
18 | Monaco Home 2014/15
Proper south of France vibes. Wear it to sail to games on your multi-million pound yacht sort of shirt.
17 | Mexico Away 2018
One of the most stylishly low-key World Cup shirts of this millennium, never mind decade.
16 | Corinthians Third 2018/19
Yeah, we've got a thing for black football shirts and we don't care how many make it on this list.
15 | Inter Milan Away 2019/20
Nope, we couldn't tell you what that colour is either. All we know is that it makes us happy, and once paired with that that gold and black trim makes it look premium AF. Keep your throwbacks, this is next level.
14 | Germany Away 2018
Adidas should be allowed to sue Germany for several billion euros for making this shirt's only appearance at the World Cup a 2-0 defeat to South Korea to be dumped out of the group stage.
13 | Kaizer Chiefs Home 2019
As ballsy as it is absurdly trippy.
12 | France Women Away 2019
Another fine example of why France is one of the fashion leaders of this planet.
11 | China Away 2019
Yeah, another black kit and we're not even sorry about it.
10 | Juventus 120th Anniversary Shirt 2017
The best shirt you've never seen before. Done.
9 | Inter Milan Away 2010/11
It's got a giant serpent on the side. Let's just say if the snake had cojones as large as the designers to pull that off ten years ago then he ain't slithering anywhere in a hurry.
8 | Orlando Pirates Home 2017
Oh, man. Those EQT stripes on the shoulder. Proper 1991 Liverpool vibes, only even better because it's in black and belongs to pirates. Badass.
7 | Juventus Fourth 2019/20
If we were judging purely by significance and influence then this Juve x adidas x Palace collab is on the podium with the PSG x Jordan link up. The impact it had upon reveal was genuinely a game-changing moment in terms of paving the way for future collabs. The kit was decent too, it just... could have been even more decent, ya know?
6 | Italy Renaissance 2019
One of our most liked football shirt posts on Instagram this decade, and for good reason. PUMA might not have much representation on this list, but the Italy Renaissance jersey was an absolute pearler.
5 | France Away 2011
Designed in collaboration with a legendary icon of the fashion and photography world, Karl Lagerfeld, the France 2011 away shirt was pure elegance. A marinière design taken from the uniform of sailors in the French navy in the 19th century, it nailed a look so intwined with French culture. A masterpiece ahead of its time.
4 | Roma Third 2019/20
We could have genuinely chosen any of Roma's 2019/20 shirts but we had to go for the third shirt. Leading the 'Futura' logo comeback across a number of Nike third shirts, don't be surprised to see the Roma design climb even higher in next decade's list.
3 | Juventus Away 2011/12
There was a couple of pink Juve shirts that were fair game for this list but the 2011/12 away shirt was an absolute statement. That oversized star design on the side could only be worn by a club of Juve's stature. A kit of a generation. Majestic.
2 | Nigeria Home 2018
The greatest World Cup shirt of this millennium. This is the shirt that sold out, then sold out again, then sold out once more. The shirt you're about to go and search for only to find that it's still sold out. The Nigeria home shirt for the 2018 World Cup was some of Nike's greatest work this decade and will forever be a symbol of the World Cup in Russia.
1 | PSG Third 2018/19
We tried pretty hard not to pick this. We honestly did. We tried to pick out something a little more obscure, a little more underrated, but sometimes it's just too difficult to overlook one of the most successful, significant and damn right best looking football shirts of all time. The collaboration between PSG and the Jordan Brand will define this decade in terms of kit design, and you simply cannot overlook that.
Now it's time to head over to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to tell us how much you disagree with our selections. Do it on all three if you're extra riled. Nah, seriously, let us know your own lists.
