The greatest Premier League kits of all time
- Premier League clubs have produced some astonishing kits over the years
- The 1990s and early 2000s were particularly excellent eras for shirts
- The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have produced some of the division's best
By Mitch Wilks
The Premier League has witnessed some of the world's greatest players, most sensational storylines and sublime football shirts.
As your dad might say in the pub on a Saturday afternoon, things were often better in the good old days. Vintage shirts from the 1990s and early 2000s offer some of the most daring and exquisite kits in English football history, many of which have become relics for collectors across the country.
Nike and adidas have cornered the market over recent decades but, as you'll soon see, plenty of other kit manufacturers have served up some absolute stunners in the Premier League era.
Here are the greatest Premier League kits ever.
30. Liverpool home (2019/20)
A pandemic might have interrupted their maiden Premier League title, but Liverpool still finished top of the mountain in style.
The underappreciated New Balance finished their stint as Liverpool's attire provider with a sensational pinstriped number that has written itself into club legend.
29. Nottingham Forest home (1994/96)
Baggy as anything, a massive collar and three colours that work tremendously well together.
It was a simple formula for success in the 90s and Nottingham Forest ticked all the boxes with their home shirt from 1994 to 1996, as they finished third in the top flight in 1994/95.
A fruitful era for Umbro, that's for sure.
28. Crystal Palace home (1997/98)
Okay, yes, this is just the exact same template used by Bayern Munich from around the same time. It's still magnificent, though.
The Eagles weren't to be mistaken for the Bundesliga giants as they finished dead last in the Premier League, but they did so with a swagger about them at least. Silver linings.
27. Wigan Athletic home (2005/06)
The Latics debuted in the English top flight with a bang, finishing tenth and reaching the League Cup final.
They did that in a proper groovy kit, too. The likes of Pascal Chimbonda, Paul Scharner and Jimmy Bullard balled out in this effort from JJB which combined stripes with a solid blue section in the upper chest.
26. Chelsea home (2003/05)
Generally, V-necks aren't cool. Like, at all.
On occasion, though, they get a slight pass in football. Chelsea's home effort from 2003 to 2005 was simple yet stunning and made the V-neck look like a million dollars.
The fact that they won the Premier League in this lovely Umbro shirt makes it all the more gorgeous for supporters.
25. Manchester United home (1994/95)
It's a little bit marmite, this one, and very 90s. But we absolutely love it.
That massive black collar is incredible, but the Old Trafford graphic embedded into the front of the shirt is rather unique to say the least.
Eric Cantona looking ace in it with his collar up earns it a spot in the top 30.
24. Southampton home (2001/03)
Back when Southampton were a mid-table Premier League side in the early 2000s, they had a knack for wearing underrated gems. James Beattie looked fab smashing goals in while donning this one.
Stripes are a cheat code for success. The sponsor also matches colours with finer kit details, and the V-neck is subtle yet effective. Good work.
23. Manchester City away (2011/12)
One that flies under the radar, Manchester City's home kit steals memories of the 2011/12 season for obvious Sergio Aguero reasons.
But their away kit was slyly the much classier option. A hark back to their history, Umbro reeled out the red and black stripes and set them off with yellow accents to create a modern classic.
22. Manchester City home (2009/10)
Going back-to-back, City's home effort from a couple of seasons prior pips a solid away kit. It was another excellent shirt brought to life by some truly world-class players, with Carlos Tevez one of just many stars to don this one.
Umbro set the bar high with their debut, going back to basics with City's home kit but doing so effectively. No nonsense and a reminder of how good a kit can be without overcomplicating it with silly graphics.
21. Manchester United home (2002/04)
Think of this kit and the first thing that comes to mind is Ruud van Nistelrooy destroying defences with unmatched penalty box instinct. The good old days for United fans.
That early 2000s Nike template was so simple yet deadly. Red and black with a touch of white, United looked mean.
20. Liverpool home (2004/05)
Reebok ran the streets in the 2000s and had Liverpool looking incredible.
Their 2004/05 home shirt didn't overcomplicate matters, but the touch of white under the arms and the ever-iconic Carlsberg sponsor saw the Reds win the Champions League in style.
Getting your hands on this shirt will cost you a small fortune these days.
19. Arsenal away (1993/94)
Arsenal couldn't make a bad football shirt if they tried during the 90s, with their 1993/94 away shirt one that is often slept on when compared to its banana-inspired predecessor (we'll get to that).
adidas' use of the three stripes was unrivalled at the start of the Premier League era and this particular template was employed effectively by many a team.
That yellow and navy blue combo is just different gravy, though.
18. Blackburn Rovers (1994/95)
Blackburn's first and only Premier League title was won in a solid kit for the era, with Asics supplying some delightful shirts during the 90s.
Nostalgia is kind and glosses over some ropey McEwan's Lager sponsor design, but Asics' half/half design and tremendous button-up collar deserves credit.
17. Chelsea home (2005/06)
Having turned the Barclays on its head the season prior, a Chelsea side led by a young and villainous Jose Mourinho went back-to-back for league titles.
They did it in a modernised classic. Traditional Chelsea blue was tinged with gold elements and completed with a modern-looking Samsung sponsor in a well-balanced effort from Umbro.
16. Manchester United home (2007/09)
Manchester United dominated the Premier League with arguably their strongest ever squad in the late 2000s and won the club's third Champions League final.
Nike decked them out in one of their most underrated kits. Pure red with white detailing, as Cristiano Ronaldo and co. blew up in the AIG sponsored effort.
Bonus points for keeping it for two seasons, too.
15. Arsenal home (2002/04)
Back at it with a stunning Nike template, Arsenal were consistently the best-dressed team in the Premier League's opening decade. The fact that they had Thierry Henry terrorising defences up front naturally helps appearances, too.
Simplistic but true, it's Arsenal at its best. They also went like unbeaten in the Premier League in it, or something like that. Not too shabby.
14. Leeds United home (2000/02)
Nike were really good in the early 2000s, weren't they?
Mark Viduka and Alan Smith were firing Leeds well into the European depths in a pure white shirt that was stunning. Simplistic but stunning.
A Strongbow shirt sponsor in the Champions League semi-final? More of that, please.
13. West Ham home (1999/01)
It's difficult for West Ham to do much in terms of making different yet equally brilliant kits with claret and blue as the main focus.
They nailed it on the turn of the millennium though. Made by FILA and sponsored by Dr. Martens, Paolo Di Canio had a blast in this tasty number.
Every hipster's dream shirt, they certainly don't make them like this in the modern era. We wish they would.
12. Coventry City home (1996/97)
Some poorly executed sponsor logo work holds this one back from breaking into the top ten.
A questionable Peugeot sponsor doesn't derail from an exceptional effort from Le Coq Sportif, though. Light and dark blue stripes are completed with a massive collar (of course) and some interesting checkers at the end of the sleeves.
Coventry had quite the reputation for their kits in the 90s.
11. Liverpool away (2008/09)
This is everything an away kit should be.
Subtle use of home colours, a touch adventurous in design with the faint, checked print on the front and a solid sponsor to finish. Better yet, Liverpool's away kit that season was worn when Fernando Torres ripped Manchester United a new one at Old Trafford.
This one is remembered fondly on the red half of Merseyside.
10. Ipswich Town home (1993/94)
That slanted sponsor feels so wrong that it becomes so right. It's something you don't see too often anymore.
Combined with white sleeves, a vintage badge and a lace-up (yes, actual lace-up) collar, this Ipswich number was far too good to see them finish 19th.
9. Manchester United away (1993/95)
An away kit for two seasons. That is a rarity.
When it's as good as this, though, you can understand why. United's black number from the early Premier League days has only gotten better with age. Combining it with yellow and blue accents worked a treat.
This particular shirt is synonymous with a certain Ryan Giggs, even if it's not the shirt in which he scored that famous goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup.
8. Arsenal home (2005/06)
Arsenal's home kit from 2005/06 breaks every rule of home shirts, but does it beautifully.
A maroon and gold effort to close off their final season at Highbury, we appreciate the Gunners modifying the usual shade of red that makes their home shirts instantly recognisable.
This oozes class.
7. Newcastle United away (1995/96)
There's a case to suggest that nostalgia is putting 90s kits at an advantage in this list.
They are at an advantage, but simply because they were incredible. Newcastle played away from home in an audacious yet equally groovy number. Horizontal stripes, an incredible sponsor and an unnecessary collar that looks absolutely boss.
6. Manchester City home (1993/95)
Umbro hit the nail on the head with this one.
City languished in the Premier League, but did so in a kit that remains one of their best ever. A sky blue effort with a subtle collar and detailing on the sleeves, it quickly gained cult status outside of football with the Gallagher brothers wearing them.
5. Tottenham Hotspur home (1999/01)
A little more conservative in their approach by this point, adidas still decked out Tottenham in a stunning shirt.
The collar is huge but the piping and minimalism was perhaps a touch ahead of its time to be appreciated enough. Combine it with a superb Holsten sponsor and some cult heroes donning it and you have a worldie of a shirt.
4. Liverpool home (1993/94)
Oh my word. Look at it.
Daft neckline, absurd stripes all around and an overly baggy fit as Liverpool took to the pitch in their adidas EQT-themed home kit that was red, white and a touch green. It's absolutely magnificent and deserves respect from non-Liverpool fans worldwide.
90s adidas templates never cease to amaze.
3. Manchester United home (1998/99)
Overshadowed by their European home kit that season, United's domestic home kit is nothing short of exceptional.
The Sharp sponsor and Umbro arm detailing work a treat together, while a zip-up collar was strange yet stunning. It combines simplicity with the perfect level of complexity to create a perfectly balanced kit.
2. Newcastle United (1995/97)
Daft adidas stripes on the arms, an arrogant button-up round neck and that Newcastle Brown Ale sponsor, Newcastle wore one of the greatest Premier League kits ever.
Failing to win the league in this kit should've seen it shunted to the hall of shame, but it's far too good for that. Neutrals everywhere can appreciate its beauty, as can Man Utd fans having managed to snatch the Premier League away from them.
1. Arsenal away (1991/93)
One of the most famous and daring football shirts of all time, Arsenal's fabled 'Bruised Banana' shirt is the pinnacle of kit creation across over three decades of the Premier League despite being used in its inaugural campaign.
The beginning of a golden era of Arsenal shirts in partnership with adidas, the colour scheme, collar, Trefoil logo, old-school Gunners badge and simple but effective sponsor make this a home run.
It simply doesn't get better than this.
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