From Eagle Feathers to Aztec God. Ranking the Top 10 National-Team Jerseys in Football.

In the world of football, the beauty of the sport extends beyond the pitch and into the realm of aesthetics. One of the most recognizable and cherished aspects of the game is the football kit — those iconic shirts, shorts, and socks that not only represent a team’s identity but often become symbols of history, success, and passion. While opinions about what constitutes the “best” kit are subjective, here’s a list of 20 of the most iconic football kits of all time, celebrated for their style, historical significance, and enduring appeal.

10. Denmark 1986

No football shirt will be all things to all men — and yet Denmark’s 1986 resolution of halved segments is just that. It’s gentle pinstripes and pure red: all at once. It’s jarring on an 80s TV set and dazzling in person. It’s both minimal and loud.

This is a football shirt like nothing else in history and yet it’s totally impossible to copy it and do it better than the original. Denmark took one of these to the 1986 World Cup and a white version with the badge inverted, while the likes of Southampton and Aston Villa were given similar designs by the brand. But there’s no beating this one. Even the no-frills, no-logo protests of Qatar don’t come close. It’s Laudrup the elder, Simonson and Molby in full throttle: it’s devastating.

9. Belgium 1984

Diamonds are formed under extreme pressure. The Belgium shirt of 2018 was inspired by another, as the Red Devils wore this at Euro 84. OK, so they only won once and bombed out in the group stages — but they looked incredible. Take that, fire sleeves.

8. Spain 1996

Another fascinating take on the Three Stripes. Spain wore this top in England for Euro 96, which featured a navy sleeve and the Spanish Football Federation’s logo in the background of the red. The touches of gold are a great touch — and after the diamond-lined ’94 effort, this felt like a continuation of sorts. It wouldn’t look out of place on the back of a filly at the Grand National.

7. Brazil 1970

The outfit that the greatest team of all time wore. All that Brazil needed was a bright yellow and rounded collar, as Pele and co. shone in the Mexican summer. Intriguingly, they had two kit manufacturers back then — one for the first half, one for the second. This entry on our list is a joint one of sorts, in which case.

6. West Germany: home, 1998–90

According to legend, the pattern is supposed to represent West Germany’s timeline. Victory in 1974 at the World Cup cascades down to the low point four years later, as they’re dumped out at the second group stage. They then lost two consecutive finals before the pattern’s steep incline to 1990’s last win as West Germany. A lovely idea… if ruined its appearance on Boca Juniors, Leicester City and Cork City shirts, before it was mirrored for 2018’s disastrous tournament in Russia.

The fact is that the Deutsch pattern on Italia 90’s top doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s still arguably the most recognisable geometric squiggle in international football history, emblazoning the German flag in a way that connected the eye-catching primary hues of the 80s and the polygonal experiments of the early 90s. It was so great that the German badge had to awkwardly sit above.

5. Nigeria 2018

This is the product that changed football kit culture forever. Inspired by those 90s eagle feathers, this ascended beyond football fans and became an item of clothing that couldn’t be bought for love nor money — it convinced manufacturers that playing it safe wasn’t safe at all. Nigeria’s 2018 home kit was part of a larger collection and a larger movement: it was worn once in Russia but more than that, it’s modern art.

4. Colombia 1990

The symmetrical shoulder bars were worn by plenty and very nearly covered up by Carlos Valderrama’s ridiculous barnet. But though Colombia struggled at Italia 90, they looked fresh as hell. Arguably the best yellow South American shirt not to have come out of Brazil.

3. France 1998

Ahh, c’est belle. France stood on top of the world in 1998 with a collection of nebulous misfits who hadn’t yet crystallised into their final form but Les Bleus’ home tournament vintage is the definitive look. The horizontal bands of red, the Adidas stripes, the golden cockerel, the collar for upturning in that very French fashion. It’s absolutely beautiful — and though France have gone darker for recent tournaments, the regal blue will never be bettered than that halcyon summer.

2. Netherlands 1988

If even Vincent van Gogh had created this masterpiece, we’re sure some people would’ve raised their eyebrows at just how spectacular it is. The perfect shading of orange bought together by the classic chevrons, a divine V-neck, the trefoil Adidas logo and that iconic Dutch lion badge all make this kit simply wonderful.

1. Mexico 1998

Depicting Aztec god Quetzalcoatl on the front of their shirts, Aba Sports took some local inspiration to make Mexico stand out in 1998. Patterned bases of tops had never been quite so brash and brilliant: it has become the considerable bar to which all over El Tri shirts have since been judged…