Top 10 Football Shirts of the 2021/22 Season

Football shirts are a vessel for diehard fans to display a passion for their club and for global football lovers to immerse themselves within football shirt culture.

With the 2021/22 season behind us, we can take a look at the best football shirts from across the world released over the past 12 months.

10. Man City, Away Shirt

Manchester City have an excellent recent record of producing eye-catching away shirts and their 2021/22 effort was no different. The shirt was released in conjunction with a safe drinking water initiative and the water droplet theme is present throughout the design. What catches the eye most though is the iridescent detailing on the badge and sponsor logos. Bonus points are deserved for the consistency of the theme across sleeve and front shirt sponsors.

9. Inter Milan, Home Shirt

2021 marked the end of the legendary Inter Milan x Pirelli sponsorship deal with fan token distributor Socios.com taking over, but there was little time to reminisce as Nike produced one of their standout kits of the season. The pixelated navy blue and black come together to form the Nerazzuri's legendary stripes, creating a perfect ode to the snake, a symbol entwined in the history of Milan and the club.

8. Venezia FC, Fourth Shirt

Venezia FC was far from a household name when they clinched promotion to Serie A through the play-offs in early 2021, but football shirt fanatics will know that this is a club with a history of producing beautiful shirts. So stunning were Kappa's efforts for the club's long-awaited top-flight return that the club became a social media sensation across the globe. All four of their 2021/22 shirts could claim a place on this list, but the red, black and gold of the fourth shirt oozes elegance and class and earns its place in the top ten.

7. Paris Saint-Germain, Home Shirt

The PSG x Air Jordan collaborations have become nothing short of iconic and in 2021/22, PSG produced one of their finest home shirts in recent memory. The white and red collars are a thing of beauty and are everpresent across the shirt and the shorts, while the Jumpman logo sets the PSG collections apart from any other Nike-produced shirt. Some claim that PSG are a fashion brand first and a football club second - either way, they make some wonderful jerseys.

6. Ajax, Third Shirt

Ajax celebrated their connection to Bob Marley and his legendary song 'Three Little Birds' this season with their stunning third shirt. The song has been a club anthem since it was adopted after a friendly with Cardiff all the way back in 2008. The shirt sold out immediately, but Ajax would never actually play in the original design of the shirt after UEFA forced them to remove the three birds on the collar to comply with equipment regulations.

5. Arsenal, Third Shirt

Arsenal have been leading the way in Premier League kit design since switching from Puma to Adidas and their 2021/22 third shirt might be the pinnacle of their partnership. The design is an ode to the club's 1995/96 away shirt with the lightning bolt design taken from the original to create the pattern for the 2021/22 third shirt. The grainy blue colouring is a call-back to 90s style and culture and completes a memorable effort from Adidas.

4. FC Nordsjaelland, Away Shirt

This may be the least notorious of the shirts on this list, but Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjaelland have produced an absolute corker of an away shirt. Special praise is deserved for the integration of the red and yellow DHL colour scheme into the shirt. The club modernised their badge in 2019 with the detailing of the new effort is present in three vertical stripes.

3. Atletico Mineiro, Away Shirt

Le Coq Sportif have a rich history of producing football shirts and they remain relevant in 2022 thanks to this stunning Atletico Mineiro away shirt. The shirt was actually designed by fan Lucas Adriano and features a detailed map of the club's home state of Minas Gerais. The handwritten club name and club motto "Uma Vez Ate Morrer" (Until I Die) above the Le Coq Sportif logo add an extra touch of class.

2. Venezia FC, Home Shirt

Europe's most stylish club can feel aggrieved not to take the number one spot on this list. The 2021/22 Venezia home shirt will go down as one of the finest shirts of the past decade, and for good reason. The detail on this shirt is staggering with inspiration from centuries of Venetian culture present throughout the shirt, most notably through the stars of the Basilica di San Marco, arranged into a v-shape. Kappa's stunning effort represents the glamour and prestige of one of Europe's most beautiful cities.

1. AIK Royal Edition Jersey

AIK expanded the royal blue of the club's crest to the jersey for the first time ever this year for the extremely limited Royal Edition jersey launch. The shirt belongs in a museum, not on a football pitch, with a map of Stockholm adorned on the chest and the club badge elevated, embroidered and layered with thick blue velvet. There's even a special Nike logo present on the shirt. Only 131 replicas of the jersey were produced by Nike, with all profit donated to helping disadvantaged children in Stockholm play football.