5 Emerging Football Kit Trends To Watch

In 2018, more than half of the planet tuned in and watch the World Cup. That’s billions of football fans across the globe.

Contrast that with American football, with roughly 20 million fans tuning in to watch the sport. It’s safe to say that football, otherwise known as soccer, is the world’s sport.

And with so many people tuning in to watch football, there are a lot of eyeballs that can see the latest football kit on their favorite teams. Football shirts and shoes have become much more trendy in the past decade, with kit designers taking notice.

Modern designs occasionally pull from retro themes but also test the waters by doing something completely new. So what are the latest trends when it comes to athletic apparel in the football world?

Read on below to find out now.

1. Kits Gone Wild

Kit designers are pushing the boundaries lately with their latest creations. In fact, many of the current European football kits have drawn a lot of criticism, as the designs are vibrant.

You either love them or hate them, there’s no in-between. Both Chelsea’s and Barcelona’s current home kit features complex patterns that have sparked a lot of criticism from fans and rivals alike.

Tottenham’s current away jersey features a galaxy-like background with multiple colors, while their third jersey features bold purple and green coloring. While diehard fans may love them, most in the football community can’t stand looking at them.

But every year, there’s another chance to put out a new kit. Designers are taking on risks and trying things that haven’t been done before.
While some of the kits are a hit, many others are a miss. Most of the community prefers simplistic designs rather than those with bold patterns.

2. Keeping It Classic

Every now and then, a football club will release a retro-inspired kit that pays homage to a kit of old. These kits are often much simpler in their designs, sporting the club’s home colors, without much in the way of distraction.

Bayern Munich, in January of 2021, released a special classic kit featuring a hand-painted design. The kit was designed by musical artist and designer, Pharrel Williams.

It was worn in their DFB Pokal match where they suffered a surprise loss, but the kit still shined.

Liverpool’s current away kit pays homage to their classic kit of 1996-97. It sums up the 90s soccer scene with style and grace. The off-white colorway makes it easy for fans to wear at any time, not just when they’re at a soccer match. And the green collar gives it a sophisticated look.

More soccer clubs are producing at least one classic, simple style kit since they often have three or four different kits every year.

3. All Eyes on the Shoes

Soccer stars are some of the biggest icons in the modern world. Their fame extends across nearly every border.

Just check the Instagram states. Out of the 13 athletes with the most followers on Instagram, 11 are football players.

Players put a big emphasis on their game shoes. Shoe brands will often work with key players to develop their own special line of football shoes.

Antoine Griezeman, the world cup winner with France, has a line of Puma shoes available. But football Nike shoes are on top, with stars like Ronaldo, Mbappe, and Neymar each sporting their own swoosh cleats.

Shoes in general, including cleats, running shoes, and street shoes, are of particular interest to the fashion and collector communities, and soccer stars give them a reason to continue buying more.

4. Messi and Ronaldo Still Win

We saw two massive moves in 2021. Messi moved clubs for the first time ever with a shock departure from Barcelona. But his debut at Paris was more than a warm welcome.

Paris jersey sales with Messi’s number 30 were staggering as soon as they were released. It’s estimated that almost one million shirts were sold in 24 hours.

And Christiano Ronaldo departed from Juventus and made a massive return to Manchester United. He’s back in his number 7 jersey that started his career all those years ago.

With such a big homecoming, shirt sales among Manchester United fans went wild. But the estimated sales of Ronaldo’s shirt was much lower than that of Messi’s, sparking endless controversy online.

Either way, it just goes to show you that the kings of modern football are still on top, even as they reach their mid-30s.

5. The One-Time Football Kit

There’s also a growing trend in teams developing unique kits that are only used once. These are surprise kits, often leaked to the public on the day of the game.

The latest instance was Napoli, an Italian club, who released a Halloween kit for their game against Torino on October 17. The kit is all black and features a spider web background.

Only 1,927 of these kits were released for sale, paying tribute to the club’s founding year. Napoli went on to win the game 1-0.
German champions Bayern Munich also put out a one-time kit for Octoberfest in 2021. The kit is dark green with gold accents.

The club crest is surrounded by an edelweiss flower, which symbolizes Bavarian tradition. The club wore the kit for their 7-0 win over Bochum.

And don’t forget Chelsea, the latest European champions. Their “42” kit is inspired by their Champions League victory, where Kai Havertz scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute of the match.

The kit was limited to 420 pieces. It features elements and key moments of the game on the shirt.

Clubs that put out limited edition kits sell out in moments. And they keep the number of pieces small. If you can get your hands on one, you have something of serious value.

A Symbol of Football Culture

The football kit is essential to the beautiful game, and wearing them as a fan means more than following fitness trends.

The jerseys that are worn for football practice, and those worn during the games, are representative of the culture that billions of people take part in every single day.

While most of us will never live out our childhood dreams of playing professional football, we can, and we will continue wearing our favorite team jerseys, whether this year’s kits are on point or make us gag.

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