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Picking up your new club shirt to show your love for the season ahead is the tried-and-tested way to pin your colours to the mast - but when you want to go for something a little bit different, you can't look past a retro shirt.
The market is booming for old-school merch that shows off the styles and cuts of yesteryear, with plenty of clubs getting in on the action and partnering to help reproduce those classic fits.
We've put together a list of the best stores selling retro kits today and some kits available from some of the biggest clubs in Europe to help you find that throwback.
Best retro kit sellers
The number of stores now dedicated solely to selling some of the best vintage football kits, including match-worn shirts, has grown steadily with the trend. There is no shortage of the treasures you can find on these sites, so here are the best to help you find your next retro gem.
Classic Football Shirts
Classic Football Shirts / GoalClassic Football Shirts have existed for over a decade now. Founded in 2006, the site was born out of difficulty finding retro football shirts. The company now has a wide-ranging selection of international and club jerseys. There's something out there for everyone from the Classic Football Shirts range, that's for sure.
Check out Classic Football Shirts full retro kit range
Cult Kits
Cult Kits / GOALThe Cult Kits vintage range includes niche and popular shirts and will appeal to anyone who wants to source a shirt very few people own. The site sells kits for clubs from England all the way to Japan. There are kits in various sizes, with different numbers and players' names on the back to really preserve the era they were bought in.
Check out Cult Kits full retro kit range
Vintage Football Shirts
Vintage Football Shirts / GOALVintage Football Shirts sell kits going back to the 1980s, with an archive covering virtually every British domestic team. With worldwide shipping, you can get your hands on an old-school kit no matter where you are. You can also search via brands like Nike and adidas to find something specific.
Check out Vintage Football Shirts full retro kit range
Best retro kits
Some kits are made special because of the years they were released. What a team can achieve and do in one season cement which retro shirts will stand out from the crowd. Every team has most likely had one of these unforgettable seasons, with players who add character to the shirt. The list of shirts below features exactly this with retro jerseys that transport you back in time.
Best retro shirt for Arsenal fans: 1985 Centenary Home Strip
It might not have been the happiest of anniversaries for the Gunners when they turned up for their centenary in the mid-eighties, but at the very least, they looked good while they were doing so. Bolstered with the additional text celebrating one hundred years since the club was first formed as Dial Square, its full red body comes served with white sleeves topped off with a neatly hooped collar to contrast for a classic finish.
Best retro shirt for Aston Villa fans: 1984-85 Home Strip
A few years on from the glow of their European Cup triumph, the Villans were in the midst of a slow slide towards ultimate relegation to the second tier - but at the very least, this number shows they looked good while doing it. This deep claret body is accented with streaks of blue running from the shoulder down the inside - but the cut-out triangle under the neckline gives it the nicest touch, moving eye focus up to the top for a catching fit.
Best retro shirt for Chelsea fans: 2000-01 Home Strip
The era of Dennis Wise and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink may not have spawned the success that would come at Stamford Bridge over the subsequent decades, but it certainly left its memories for scores of fans - and this shirt played its part in that.
A gorgeous whole-blue number, it also boasts that classic club crest of yesteryear, with the climbing lion making its way over the team's initials. This kit might not have yielded silverware - but it certainly looked the part to do so.
Best retro shirt for Leeds United fans: 1993-94 Away Strip
Settling back in the Premier League after their long-term departure, it can be easy to forget that three decades ago, the Whites were one of the best sides in Europe, the final winners of the old First Division before it was revamped for a new era.
As early mainstays of the competition, they were always near the forefront - and no wonder, with this gorgeous away kit, its main-body blue hue unfurling across the edges and down to the hemline with a superb yellow splatter pattern effect.
Best retro shirt for Liverpool fans: 1986-87 Home Strip
There was no stopping the Reds across the eighties, heavyweights at home and abroad - and they packed the kit to match, showcasing that they could deliver at the top end of their kit game too without breaking a sweat. The traditional red body features minimal stripe piping, setting off the shades to give a low-key ripple effect - and its white and yellow rim hoops help give it a last grace touch to match the rest of its classy look.
Best retro shirt for Manchester City fans: 1996-97 Away Strip
The sky-blue hues typically come to mind when recalling Pep Guardiola's champions and their continued domination of the game these days - but during the nineties, the best thing about Manchester City tended to be their kits rather than their poise on the pitch.
Take this away strip, for example. Its huge half-cut slopes from right to left, a blurred split between bright white and deep purple, with the club crest taking pride of place in the middle of the chest. It's an audacious bit of kit - and far better than their eyesore change strip this year.
Best retro shirt for Manchester United fans: 1999-2000 Home Strip
The wait for silverware looks set to rumble on at the Theatre of Dreams - but over two decades ago, Manchester United was riding high on the back of their legendary treble, driven by a superb Champions League finale victory. This strip from their follow-up term is the fit for a winner, piped with neat monochrome stripes among the seams and shoulders of the Red Devils' traditional hue to give you a sleek skill when you sport it.
Get it from the Manchester United official store for £41.25
Best retro shirt for Newcastle fans: 1996-97 Home Strip
It might be the start of a bright new dawn for the Magpies following last year's takeover, with plenty of superstars-in-the-making set to journey to St James' Park over the coming years - but throw it all back to the old glory years on Tyneside with this famous strip.
Musician Sam Fender - a loud and proud fan - has helped rehabilitate this one into the public eye with his performances over recent months. With the classic Newcastle Brown Ale logo buried between its black-and-white stripes, you'll certainly look the part of an old-school supporter with swagger to match.
Best retro shirt for Tottenham fans: 1994-95 Away Strip
There's something about this Spurs kit for games on the road that screams drama - a brilliant, cool deep azure colour scheme that belies just how hot-blooded their squad could be in the thick of their action. A collar accented in white and purple gives an extra lick to consider, while that crest - inlaid with a boxed frame and deceptively whopping in size, no less - brings some proper Lilywhites pride to the forefront.
Best retro shirt for AC Milan fans: 1988-89 Home Strip
Arrigo Sacchi's men were the side to beat at home and abroad during this period, Serie A and European Cup winners across their late eighties heyday, and this is the shirt they did it all in. A neat traditional collar gives way to the Rossoneri's iconic black-and-red stripes, cascading down to the bottom - and you'll feel like you're walking in the footsteps of all those legends who graced San Siro when you slip into it.
Best retro shirt for Barcelona fans: 1982-83 Home Strip
Get a touch of traditional Blaugrana brilliance into your wardrobe with this number - taking the iconic Barca club colours and marrying them to an equally iconic pattern in thick, eye-catching stripes. It won't be giving you a surefire touch of genius on the European circuit. Still, it's hard not to feel like you're holding a piece of history with it in hand - this was the shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he helped the Catalan outfit to a domestic double.
Best retro shirt for Juventus fans: 1993 UEFA Cup Final Strip
If you can remember when the Europa League was the UEFA Cup - and even better, if you can remember the days when it was played over two legs - then this slice of history from the Bianconeri's record triumph might be for you. The club triumphed 6-1 on aggregate against Borussia Dortmund, with a 3-1 first-leg win and a 3-0 second-leg victory to notch up an eye-watering score - and those iconic monochrome stripes are an immediate clue as to who you support too.
Best retro shirt for Inter Milan fans: 1990 Home Shirt
Inter Milan has upped their design game for today's football kits, including with a new logo last year. But, you can get the classic blue and black stripes and the logo you will have known and associated with the Italian club. This shirt was worn by some great players in the season of 1990/91 like Jurgen Klinsmann, Aldo Serena, Lothar Matthaus and more.
The retro V-neck with collars gives it an especially reto feel as the collars have long become obsolete in today's football shirt design. It's also a special shirt as it's the season when the Inter Milan won UEFA Cup with a 2-1 win against Roma.
Best retro shirt for England fans: 1990 World Cup Third Strip
This electric blue finish was made iconic at Italia 90 as the Three Lions notched up their second-best performance at the World Cup, matched only by their exploits four years ago in Russia and exceeded only by the triumph of 1966.
Its jagged patterns are like a gateway to another era when England looked like they could take on the world and win - and with hopes high that they can improve upon consecutive great finishes to bring home the trophy this time at Qatar 2022, this will get you in the mood to believe.