Best New Soccer Kits From Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich
Praising the best from England, Spain, Germany, France, and Italy.
For better or worse, soccer clubs introduce new uniforms (or kits) each season. Yes, it’s obviously a money-making mechanism for the clubs, but it also ensures that a bad design won’t stick around too long like in American sports (sorry, Hawks and Clippers fans). Sometimes it even feels like a club introduces a hated design just to boost sales further for the following season — looking at you, troll Barça. Even though these designs will be gone in a year, let’s take a moment to celebrate some of the Best New Kits from the top leagues around the world.
Premier League
Chelsea
The reigning English soccer champs have added red trim, pinstripes, and a henley collar to liven up last year’s boring shirts. As is tradition for the champions, the BPL sleeve logos will be gold.
Tottenham Hotspur
The change kit is an opportunity to experiment a little bit with design. Under Armour gets it just right with a strange but unique, clean, and aesthetically pleasing reverse chevron for Spurs.
La Liga
Real Madrid
You’re guaranteed at least one beautiful shirt each year in Spain’s top flight. Since Barcelona punted, we’re left with Real Madrid’s cleaner-than-ever home kit. Los Blancos rid their white strip of any embellishments without looking too plain.
Rayo Vallecano
A mid-tier club like Rayo Vallecano will probably never make a splash on the field amid Spain’s behemoths, so they at least make a statement with their kits. Their new change kits features a rainbow sash across the front to honor the “unsung heroes of society” in support of the LGBT rights and equality movement.
Llagostera
Llagostera actually play in Spain’s second division – Segunda División – but they get credit for taking what’s theirs. After Barcelona revealed their much-maligned hoops design, Llagostera cried foul. They looked just like Llagostera’s own classic kit, so they upped the ante and, with Danish kit supplier Hummel, copied Barça’s Nike design to a tee.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
After playing around with blue-and-red-striped kits, FC Bayern has returned to all red. Even the typically obnoxious Adidas three-stripes look great as a deep red contrast. The three diamonds on the bottom hem, meant to represent the Bavarian flag and the club’s crest, are a great touch.
Fußballclub Carl Zeiss Jena e.V.
FC Carl Zeiss Jena actually play in Germany’s fourth tier – Regionalliga Nordost – so they are way off the radar. They have very basic Adidas kits, but Carl Zeiss Jena absolutely nailed it with the shirt sponsor: German extreme metal band Heaven Shall Burn.
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Leave it to the French to have some beautiful sports uniforms. PSG combines navy and midnight blue for nice and subtle contrast, letting the bold red stripe (with a thin white outline) stand out.
FC Nantes
Nantes’ new Umbro kit somehow makes bright yellow classy, not garish. With subtle jacquard striping and a contrasting green henley collar, Nantes (home to USMNT great Alejandro Bedoya) can finish at the top of our hearts, but not the table.
Serie A
SSC Napoli
Napoli are our lone representative from Italy’s Serie A with their brand new Kappa kits. The soft powder blue looks great, as always, but the mock turtleneck collar really brings it home.
Honorable Mention
The World Champion United States Women’s National Soccer Team
No. 1 on the field. No. 1 in our hearts.
