There are some things the England national football team struggles with. Penalties, for example, although they revived our hopes in 2018; the distraction of the WAGs in Baden Baden or let the manager choose the team in peace.
But fashion comes easy for the Three Lions – whether it’s Phil Foden’s icy blonde mop or Gareth Southgate doing his bit for M&S waistcoat sales. Since American manufacturer Nike started making the team’s jerseys in 2013, there have also been many exciting additions to our wardrobes.
And some that, frankly, we haven’t rated. Let’s go from worst to best…
Honorable mention: 2018 World Cup pre-match shirt
Based on the 1982 Admiral kit, this pre-match artwork was reportedly rejected by the FA on the grounds that it was “too jazzy”, only for it to top the actual 2018 home shirt .
Despite that boob rumor, the shirt has become a modern classic among fans, whose imaginations were captured when they saw it on display in Russia. On the contrary, his relegation to warm-ups did him nothing but favors by making him fresher than he already was.
11. Euro 2016 Away Shirt
The absolute nadir of Nike’s unimaginative carbon copy kit making. In 2016, all the brand’s teams wore the same kit to the Euros: a boring base color, different colored sleeves and the same font for the numbers.
Yes, it looked remarkably like Portugal’s home shirt, but no, it didn’t quite fit. The dark red, bright red and royal blue trim all looked a bit awkward with this shirt which only got one outing at the tournament, a draw with Slovakia. A lazy effort, this one.
10. Euro 2016 Home Shirt
Speaking of lazy efforts, here’s the shirt England were knocked out of Euro 2016 by Iceland.
Nike opted for light blue sleeves on the home shirt that summer, a nod to the heady days of Euro 96 – and it looked remarkably like France’s away shirt. Thankfully, football shirts started to get a little more individualized after this tournament and we’ll never have to go back to that awful pattern – or the memories of thousands of Scandinavians cheering us off the pitch – ever again.
9. home shirt 2013
Euro 2012 was the last tournament with Umbro as kit supplier. Umbro had previously been acquired by Nike but following the tournament, the Three Lions got their first ever Nike tops.
The word you are looking for is “harmless”. When a navy crew neck is the defining look, maybe it’s a little too safe and following starting with a completely blank canvas, these tops look like something you would find on a Fifa game if EA didn’t license the real kit. Still, an upgrade on silly sleeves.
8. Third jersey 2017
The England away shirt should obtained at Euro 2016 was brought belatedly a year later in a friendly match against Germany. All navy, with sky blue numbers on the front.
There was absolutely no need to take this shirt out – and it was only worn once. Still, it wasn’t too garish and the colors were much nicer than the red version of Slovakia’s game.
5. 2014 World Cup Home Shirt
At a time when England were led by Daniels Sturridge and Welbeck, it’s not particularly appropriate that the home shirt should be so boring. It’s basically a white t-shirt with a v-neck.
The 2013 shirt with its round neck never quite looked like an England shirt – perhaps thanks to its lack of tournament experience and its FA 150th anniversary badge – but the one released a year later really does. It has a nice font, at least, and the royal blue looks cool on the shirt.
It was always a base for Nike to get more creative with in future tournaments, but looking back on that peak, it wasn’t too bad. Not very exciting either.
6. 2014 World Cup Away Shirt
The 2014 World Cup away kit never had its day in the Brazilian sun, due to England’s early exit from the group stages. But this shirt worked so future tops could run.
The away shirt that year looks quite indescribable at first glance, but was very subtly striped with the St. George’s cross. A sleek, simplistic design that came with a nicer typeface and didn’t mess up the colors too much: we’re not asking for much, are we?
5. Euro 2020 Away Shirt
The one that has divided fans, the Euro 2020 away shirt opted for royal blue as the shade of change, breaking away from a generation of red and the occasional navy blue. It wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it had redeeming characteristics.
Again, some sort of pinstripes adorned the kit, with a pattern resembling the Three Lions badge itself plastered all over the shirt. The numbering was funky and with pops of red and big brash color, it was steeped in 90s nostalgia without being directly influenced by any particular kit.
But England haven’t worn it to a major tournament either, donning all-white throughout all seven Euro 2020 matches despite opportunities to change it. One that will probably be remixed in 20 years.
4. away kit 2013
Gary Lineker didn’t have a chance to break Frank Lampard’s all-time record phantom goal against the Germans and that kit didn’t make it to an international tournament. Take your pick of the three for the biggest injustice in England’s history.
The shade of red is spot on, the color is stunning and even the white/gold insignia gives it a regal look – but perhaps the clincher is the addition of subtle St. George’s Crosses on each shoulder for that one- this feels a bit more modern than your regular England away shirt.
TFF still find it disappointing to this day that he was substituted for the 2014 World Cup. We’ll still have that night in Ukraine, though.
3. 2018 World Cup Home Shirt
It might be the nostalgia talking – the memories of pub gardens, pre-COVID, Dua Lupa and Calvin Harris on repeat as you play HQ Trivia on your phone – but the England home shirt of 2018 was simply magnificent.
The collar was simple with the nice touches of a red cross on the next one, the font was probably the best England have ever had and putting the number under the Nike swoosh made a nice change. We weren’t just proud of the boys, but proud of how we dressed in this tournament – and while Nike may have ditched the fanciest pre-game top in favor of this one, we’re none the wiser. not crazy.
Frankly, we would buy this one every two years if they made it available.
2. Euro 2020 Home Shirt
It’s not just because we carried it well either.
The Euro 2020 shirt was a subtle reminder of France 98, with the badge, number and swoosh in the center and the numbers in a thicker font. But there were also so many subtleties in this one to love: the pops of red intertwined with the navy blue, the thick, intricate collar, and the broken line on either side that actually grew on us as we went. the tournament progressed.
You couldn’t buy that shirt for love or money when the weather was hot and it’s not just because the people’s prince Jack Grealish looked like a million bucks in that thing . It’s a design triumph – and it would have been had England crashed out against the Scots.
1. 2018 World Cup Away Shirt
We’re going out on a branch here. Had England worn this shirt in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, they would have maintained that lead against Croatia.
It’s quite simply one of the most stunning Three Lions tops of all time and a great example of how to incorporate multiple elements into a cohesive design. The textured cross of St. George on the body is great, the font works especially well with this one and thank goodness they went with the blue/white badge and not a red/white badge.
That shirt was so stunning it was the only reason England won a penalty shootout. This is the level that all other jerseys must now match…
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