It’s a new dawn on Tyneside. Newcastle United and their fans are in dreamland at the moment, and as the team prepare to face AC Milan in the Champions League at the time of writing, though they’re far from immune to difficulties (I’m also writing after the team were handed a 4-1 defeat by Spurs) the outlook for the future has completely changed.

The most popular Newcastle United football shirts

For any diehard Toon fan though, supporting the club is a way of life and not just something to get excited about now that the spotlight is on them. Before the 2021 takeover and even the Mike Ashley saga a couple of forwards were being sung about in the stands of St. James' Park. Two such forwards are top of the pile when it comes to the most popular Newcastle United shirts namesets according to our sales data.

Vintage Alan Shearer shirts

With more than 300 appearances at a close to 1 in 2 goal ratio, Alan Shearer had the stats to back up his legacy. In truth his impact was felt far beyond the stats sheet though, as he became a figurehead for Newcastle as a club and a city. Unsurprisingly he tops our list of the most popular Newcastle namesets, with 28 sales.

Virtually every Newcastle home shirt is worth a second look, but Shearer’s first Toon home is easily one of the high points. The classic adidas design has the potent combination of one of the GOAT sponsors (Newcastle Brown Ale) and an equally legendary nameset.

With adidas soon swooping back into town there will be a lot of people pining for a retro-angled release of some sort. You can guarantee that The Three Stripes will tap into this nostalgia, and as such there’s never been a better time to snap up a Newcastle kit with “Shearer #9” on the back.

Browse our collection of Alan Shearer football shirts here.

Vintage Tino Asprilla shirts

Faustino Asprilla famously arrived to the North East in the middle of a snow storm, and though his stint was considerably shorter than Shearer’s he quickly became a fan favourite. Reflecting his popularity is the fact that he’s second on our most popular vintage namesets with 6 sales.

Making his debut in the same season as Alan Shearer (1996), Tino Apsrilla was fortunate enough to wear the aforementioned 1995/97 home and, perhaps more excitingly, the away from that era. This particular design is often rated as one of the greater Premier League shirts of all time and for my money those ratings are no exaggeration.

From the proper Grandad collar to the stunning colour combo and even the subtle but excellent jock tag, this is a design which stands tall amongst all Premier League shirts let alone Newcastle United shirts. A nameset for Asprilla would be a slightly more hipster choice than Shearer, but if you like a little bit of Colombian flair you can do no better.

Football shirt index (December 2023)