The best Adidas football kits ever

From the moment they entered the game, Adidas have been one of the biggest names in football kit manufacturing.

Club and national teams alike feature here, on FourFourTwo's list of the best Adidas football kits ever.

Let's get stuck in straight away, shall we?

32. Real Madrid home 1982-1884

The iconic nature of Real Madrid’s home kit comes from the fact that it’s basically ‘just’ white – but, over the years, there have been times when they’ve enhanced its distinctiveness by adding a dash of purple.

And this strip from the early 80s – worn by club greats Vicente del Bosque and Uli Stielike, among others – is an all-time great in the history of Spain’s Europe-conquering giants.

31. Argentina home 2006 World Cup

As one of the few national teams to play in stripes, Argentina always stand out – and the Albiceleste’s slick home strip from the 2006 World Cup, Lionel Messi’s first, did so especially.

Jose Pekerman's side made it to the quarter-finals of that tournament, bowing out to hosts Germany on penalties.

30. Northern Ireland away 1982 World Cup

Northern Ireland enjoyed a fine 1982 World Cup campaign, reaching the tournament’s second group stage and beating hosts Spain en route.

The Green and White Army recorded that historic victory – sealed by a Gerry Armstrong goal – while decked out in this gorgeous change kit, one which has been paid homage to in the years since but never quite replicated.

29. Nottingham Forest home 1982-1984

There can’t have been many finer combinations of pinstripe and sponsor’s logo than Nottingham Forest’s Adidas x Wrangler home shirt from the early 80s.

It was something of a transitional period for Brian Clough’s Forest, but the likes of Viv Anderson and Garry Birtles looked resplendent in these red threads.

28. Marseille home 1992/93

An instant classic featuring Adidas’ legendary shoulder-stripes template, Marseille wore this kit as they defeated AC Milan at Munich’s Olympiastadion to win the inaugural Champions League.

White and a tasteful shade of blue made for an irresistible combination as the French giants enjoyed the most successful era in their history, becoming their country’s first continental champions.

27. Wales home 1984

Wales didn’t qualify for any major tournaments during the 80s, but it was a decade when some of the nation’s greatest players of all time were in their pomp.

A certain Ian Rush was the most notable name to pull on this splendidly (yet not excessively, as is always a risk with Adidas) stripey home effort.

26. Ajax third 2021/22

Ajax fans’ tradition of singing along to reggae classic ‘Three Little Birds’ in the stands only began in 2008 – but by 2021, the Dutch giants had released a call kit in honour of the inimitable Bob Marley.

An immediately sought-after modern classic, this shirt – aptly featuring three little birds on the back – flew off the rails.

25. Sporting Kansas City home 1996-1997

When MLS began in 1996, its newly formed clubs had a blank canvas with which to work for their first kits – but some went bolder than others.

Among them were Sporting Kansas City (initially known as the Kansas City Wiz, then Wizards), who burst into being with this delightfully colourful contrast effort.

24. Spain home 1994 World Cup

Rather than the customary Adidas sleeve stripes, Spain’s home shirt for the 1994 World Cup snazzed things up with three lines of diamonds running down one side.

La Roja only reached the quarter-finals of that tournament; they would enjoy far greater successes the following decade – but they never looked quite as stylish in doing so.

23. Bayern Munich home 1991-1993

It’s those shoulder stripes again! And the Bayern Munich side of the early 90s rocked them better than anyone.

Club icons such as Lothar Matthaus, Mehmet Scholl and Thomas Helmer all took to the pitch in this instantly recognisable red and blue number – which was only enhanced by its Opel sponsor.

22. Mexico home 2014 World Cup

You can always rely on Mexico to turn up at the World Cup looking very fashionable indeed – and El Tri’s home shirt for the 2014 tournament goes down as one of their very best of all time.

The Mexicans’ produced a strong showing at those finals, taking a point off hosts Brazil in the group stage and only narrowly going out to the Netherlands in the last 16.

21. Roma home 1991/92

Roma’s Giallorossi colour scheme is utterly unmistakable – and they’ve arguably never looked better in it than at the start of the 90s.

Fresh from winning the 1990/91 Serie A title, they stepped out in this stunner – which features the badge (a wolf’s head, as opposed to more detailed design we know today) on the sleeve!

20. Luton Town home 1982-1984

Luton Town have chopped and changed between white and orange as their home colours over the years – and the Bedfordshire outfit dazzled in both during the 80s.

This sponsor-less, blue-accented design is synonymous with the beginning of the most glorious era in the Hatters’ history, when they reached the top flight for the very first time.

19. Japan home 2022 World Cup

Japan have had their fair share of great Adidas kits, and their 2022 home strip is right up there with the best of them.

Featuring a striking yet not overbearing pattern while maintaining the blue with which the national team are so closely associated (they are nicknamed the Samurai Blue, after all), it’s nothing less than beautiful.

The Japanese famously upset Germany and Spain in this kit at the 2022 World Cup.

18. France home 1984

In 1984, France finally got their hands on a major trophy for the first time, winning the Euros on home soil.

Boasting a star-studded team comprising the likes of Michel Platini and Jean Tigana, Les Bleus defeated Spain in the final while wearing their greatest ever kit (in FourFourTwo’s humble opinion, of course).

17. Boca Juniors home 1981/82

You can’t really go wrong with a Boca Juniors home shirt – but with their 1981/82 edition, the iconic Argentine giants got things extremely right.

Bearing the club’s initials CABJ (Club Atletico Boca Juniors) encased in little stars above that beefy yellow chest stripe, this one was most famously sported by none other than Diego Maradona.

16. Belgium home 1984

Belgium rubbed shoulders with the world’s best during the 80s, finishing as runners-up at Euro 1980 and fourth at the 1986 World Cup.

In between those two highs, the Red Devils lined up in a shirt that looks a bit like something your gran would knit you for Christmas and you’d pretend to be really grateful for – and that’s precisely what makes it so brilliant!

15. Peru home 1978 World Cup

Not every team can pull off a sash – and that’s largely because Peru were one of the first to rock such a kit design.

What you see is what you get with this legendary little number – worn most prominently by the South American nation’s greatest ever player, Teofilo Cubillas (and the inverse away version wasn’t too shabby, either!).

14. Colombia home 1990 World Cup

Colombia are well known for playing in yellow – but at the 1990 World Cup, they went rogue, choosing red as their main ‘home’ colour.

And it’s not hard to see why: this is an absolute dazzler – and, most importantly, it contrasted perfectly with Carlos Valderrama’s peroxide-blond afro. What a kit!

13. Arsenal away 1991-1993

If someone compared your outfit to a bruised banana, you probably wouldn’t take it as a compliment – but Arsenal more than got away with such a look while on the road during the 1991/92 and 1992/93 seasons.

Tony Adams and Ian Wright were just two of the Gunners legends fortunate enough to play in one of the great away kits.

12. Club America home 1993/94

Petition for more football shirts to have great big colourful chevrons dominating them. Why? We present you Club America’s home jersey from the 1993/94 season.

The decorated Mexican giants were enduring a bit of a barren run on the silverware front around this time – but at least they were winning in the kit stakes. Phwoar.

11. Soviet Union third 1988

Ok, you’re going to see this geometric template a few times between now and the end of the list – but can you blame us? It’s mesmerising.

The Soviet Union was heading for dissolution by the end of the 80s, but its football team were able to bow out in style thanks to this washed-out red classic of a kit.

10. Seattle Sounders away 2023-2024

What has kung fu got to do with football unless you’re Eric Cantona? Actually, quite a lot if you’re the Seattle Sounders.

Inimitable martial artist Bruce Lee called Seattle home for many years, and the city’s MLS franchise honoured the ‘Enter the Dragon’ star with this – for want of a better word – dragonesque change strip ahead of the 2023 season.

9. Leeds United away 2023/24

These days, if Leeds United are referred to by a nickname, it’s invariably the Whites – but the Yorkshire outfit historically have a far less generic one: the Peacocks.

And their away strip for the 2023/24 campaign honoured to that moniker with a suitably flamboyant display of design genius – one that was sure to, er, ruffle a few feathers in the Championship.

8. Rangers home 1994-1996

Rangers well and truly dominated the Scottish top flight in the 90s, winning eight out of nine titles during the decade.

And for the 1994/95 and 1995/96 campaigns, they were not only superior to Glasgow arch-rivals Celtic in a footballing sense but a sartorial one, too. There’s so much to love here: the badge subtly woven into the fabric; the high collar; how… BLUE it is. Superb stuff.

7. Manchester United away 1990-1992

Manchester United’s last away strip of the pre-Premier League era was arguably the best they’ve ever had.

A glorious geometric effort, its most famous outing came in the 1992 League Cup final at Wembley (despite United being the designated home team) – where Brian McClair's first-half goal saw off Nottingham Forest.

6. Newcastle United home 1995-1997

Newcastle Brown Ale has to be a contender for the greatest sponsor in Premier League history – and its case is helped by the fact that it took pride of place on one the greatest shirts in Premier League history.

Kevin Keegan’s wonderful ‘Entertainers’ team – Shearer, Beardsley, Ginola et al – lit up the English top flight in this unforgettable number, pushing Manchester United all the way in the 1995/96 title race.

5. Borussia Dortmund home 1988/89

Get ready to fall in love again: that template is back – and on no club kit was it more mesmerising than Borussia Dortmund’s 1998/99 home shirt.

Club legends including Michael Zorc and Andreas Muller were among those lucky enough to wear these threads, as the Black and Yellows ended a 24-year major trophy drought that season by lifting the DFB-Pokal (German Cup).

4. Liverpool home 1989-1991

Liverpool’s greatest Adidas shirt is quite possibly their greatest outright. If ever there was a pattern to encapsulate the aesthetic of the transition from the 80s into the 90s, it’s this.

Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and John Barnes were just a few of the Reds greats to pull on this jersey en route to the 1989/90 First Division title (and its grey away accompaniment wasn’t bad either!).

3. AC Milan home 1990-1993

Some of AC Milan’s more recent kits have been a bit try-hard, diluting the immediacy of the Rossoneri’s trademark colours of red and black.

In the early 90s, however, they kept things simple – to breathtaking effect, as evidenced by this, their first Adidas kit in a decade (which was at its best in 1992/93, when it bore the Motta sponsor’s logo and the Scudetto shield denoting the previous season’s Serie A title win).

2. West Germany home 1990 World Cup

If you're going to imbue a national team's shirt with the colours of the country's flag, you might as well jazz it up – and Adidas did that to breathtaking effect here.

West Germany won the 1990 World Cup in their greatest kit of all time – the green-ish alternate version of which wasn't half bad, either!

1. Netherlands home 1988

In 1988, the Netherlands finally fulfilled their potential by winning a major tournament – the 1988 European Championship – and it was fitting that they did so in the greatest kit of all time.

Yes, it's the third time we've included this Adidas template on this list – but when it was made to look this damn irresistible, can you really blame us?