Top 100 Football Shirts of 2020/21 - (Part Six: 50-41)
This is Part 6 of 10. Explore the rest of the countdown:
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
50. Pescara - Special Home
Luigi D'Agostino; remember the name.
Pescara's special edition shirt shines as one of the feel-good stories of 2020 (and boy, did we need those!).
At the same time as the Coronavirus bound many Italian children to their homes, Pescara took it upon themselves to run a competition for young fans to design a shirt for the team. 6-year-old supporter Luigi won the competition with a wonderful rainbow effort, and the shirt subsequently won the hearts of collectors the world over. Crucially, proceeds from every sale went to charities invoked in the fight against COVID-19.
- Phil Delves.
The sentiment behind this shirt is superb. During the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy, little Luigi D’Agostino (aged 6) won the club’s competition to design the next home strip. It’s just incredibly fun and you can’t help but smile when you look at it. Bravo to Errea and Pescara for making it all happen.
- Kevan Thorpe, FOOTY.COM.
Compare prices on Pescara shirts
49. Charlton Athletic - Away
Another hummel entry in the Top 100 Shirts and another kit that is looking to the past for inspiration. Based on the away kit from 1989/90, this grey shirt has always been popular with the fans, so much so that consultation with hummel and the fans was the reason the club have returned to grey as their change colour.
As with many hummel kits this season, the detail of the collar and cuffs -black, red and white in this case- compliment the overall look of the shirt. Although not one of the most extravagant in terms of details, this simple and effective change kit I believe will be one of the stand-out shirts of the season.
- Gavin Hope, Football Kit Geek.
48. Stade Rennais - Home
This year, Puma have taken inspiration from cities and cultures to design some of the most beautiful and eye-catching shirts in football. This Stade Rennais home shirt is a fantastic example of this.
On the surface, it’s a red shirt with black collars and cuffs but it’s the circular mosaic pattern that really elevates this shirt. The shirt takes inspiration from Rennais artist, Isidore Odorico, and his mosaic designs which can be seen around the city. Yet not only did Odorico influence the city but the football club as well, as he also played for them and later on became their president.
Not only is this a fantastic way of bringing the club and the city together on the shirt, but the mosaic design is a great way of bringing some flair to what would normally be a plain, red shirt.
Compare prices on Rennes shirts
47. Leones Negros - Home
A shirt as colourful as the Mexican league itself. South American football is known for its fiery passion and this shirt truly encompasses that. The Black Lions, as they’re affectionately known by their avid fans, have worked with Umbro to create a vintage-looking masterpiece.
The fairly plain silhouette has red, yellow and black ribbons dripped down it, finished off by solid trims and a textless, traditional badge which would look good on anything. This lion certainly roars loudly.
- Kevan Thorpe, FOOTY.COM.
46. Port Vale - Home
Port Vale’s new home kit is absolutely fantastic. There, I said it.
Sure, this kind of ludicrous insanity is going to divide opinion more than Brexit ever could, but I’m all for brands trying something downright mental. Yes, that trippy pattern would probably look a lot smarter if it just featured on the sleeves, but it’s Errea’s desire to go completely over-the-top which makes the whole thing really work.
You probably already know that Robbie Williams had a hand in the design, so I’ll save all my terrible Take That puns for another day. Either way, most would argue this is either one of the best or the worst kits this season, and so the question mark in the sponsor just about sums it all up perfectly. I’ve no idea what’s going on, but I think I like it.
- Ben Hyde, FOOTY.COM.
45. Fluminense - Home
Umbro can keep this Fluminense magic coming. After taking over from Under Armour earlier this year, the English brand are simply continuing the outstanding work they’ve been doing in South America. This is clean, classy and without doubt the best Fluminense shirt I’ve seen in a really long time.
The classic stripes have been jazzed up by a subtle pattern, while the traditional maroon, green and white feel like they’re practically popping out of the shirt. It’s the kind of colour palette you can’t really go wrong with, but this is a marked improvement on last year’s offering - and I can’t help but notice how darn polished the whole thing looks.
- Ben Hyde, FOOTY.COM.
Compare prices on Fluminense shirts
44. Halifax Town - Third
It’s a tough job to stand out in the lower leagues, but The Shaymen x adidas have definitely shown everyone they’re more than fair t’middlin’ with this tasty burgundy and gold effort. Consistency is part of the attraction here, with each detail following the colour scheme perfectly. Horizontal pinstripes, vertical midweight stripes and pixel styling all brilliantly synchronised.
It could well be another mixed bag of a season for the Yorkshire club but by ‘eck, they’re going to look reight good trying. Go on, get thi’sen one nar.
- Kevan Thorpe, FOOTY.COM.
Translation for the above: this is a good shirt.
- Ben Hyde, FOOTY.COM.
43. Atletico Madrid - Home
Now that’s a collar. The old-school two-button design initially makes this shirt look incredibly traditional, a notion which goes out the window as soon as you notice the “painted” stripes. I’m going to be honest and say this brushstroke style doesn’t usually float my boat, but Atletico’s transition from normal stripes has worked a lot better than, say, Juventus’.
It’s an incredibly strange blend of traditional and modern style, but perhaps the strangest thing is that it all just about works. Nike have really made an effort to move away from the tired Vapor kits of previous years, but somehow the new collar and stripes don’t stop it from looking beautifully simple.
Still, it’s disappointing that the stripes don’t carry onto the back, and I’ve absolutely no idea why the crest doesn’t sit centrally in a stripe. It’s making my eye twitch a bit.
- Ben Hyde, FOOTY.COM.
Compare prices on Atletico shirts
42. Gremio - Home
When was the last time you saw a poor Gremio home kit? Doesn’t happen, does it*. Blue and black stripes almost always works well and Umbro have produced for them here.
The sponsor being integrated so well really helps this kit, the bold white text with black outline means in blends in perfectly with the kit. I prefer the collar used on the 2019-20 shirt, but you can’t have it all.
*They’ve probably had shockers too, but it’s no good being vague in your views on social media – stick your neck on the block and give an opinion, man!
- Kit Crimes.
41. Motherwell - Home
Very smart from Macron. They’ve got the colours right and I don’t see any issues with the collar as it compliments the white on the sleeves.
When introduced in June, the kit was without a sponsor, same as last season, though this time around there was no publicity-hungry bookmaker begging for attention.
The shirt has since been adorned by a firm called Paycare, but the logo is unintrusive, and there are far worse ways for sponsors to spoil shirts.
Can’t let this review end without mentioning Motherwell’s away: it’s a beauty, too!
- Kit Crimes.
Macron have pulled it out of the bag here, taking a retro style and mixing Motherwell’s traditional claret and amber to perfection. The minimal white detailing and floppy collar both round the shirt off excellently, Fir Park’s never looked so good!
- Kevan Thorpe, FOOTY.COM.
NEXT>
This is Part 6 of 10. Explore the rest of the countdown:
100-91 | 90-81 | 80-71 | 70-61 | 60-51 | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1
