The Best Ever Celtic Shirts
The hoops don't change. That's the point of them. So the best Celtic shirts are never really about the design. They're about who was wearing it, and what happened that night.
We've sold 125 authentic Celtic shirts since 2016, and one name is on almost half of them. Henrik Larsson's #7 is on 61. Nobody else gets past four.
You don't have to love the home shirt to end up with a favourite, either. Andrew from French Football Weekly grew up in Cumbernauld, and told us how his first Celtic shirt was a compromise:
"My mum was always scared of letting me wear a Celtic top. Growing up in a town called Cumbernauld it was a very Celtic vs. Rangers sort of place. So as a compromise she bought me the away shirt." - Andrew, French Football Weekly
Here are the best Celtic shirts we've had through our hands, in chronological order, with a full breakdown of what's sold, to whom, and where.
What you need to know about the greatest Celtic shirts
- We've sold 125 authentic Celtic shirts since 2016, our biggest total for any club countdown so far.
- Henrik Larsson is on 61 of them. That's one in every two Celtic shirts we sell.
- The most popular Celtic shirt we have sold is the 2003/04 Umbro shirt from Larsson's final season (26 sold), followed by the 2001/03 home worn on the road to Seville (15).
- Buyers span 15 countries. The UK takes 77%, then the US and Ireland.
- Every shirt is hand-checked and comes with our no-fakes guarantee - browse the full Celtic collection.
Authentic Celtic shirts
Four Celtic shirts in our archive right now, every one hand-checked and guaranteed genuine:
1998/99 Larsson #7 Celtic Umbro Away Shirt
Genuine Umbro — £149.99
1996/97 Di Canio #7 Celtic Umbro "Bumblebee" Away Shirt
Genuine Umbro — £129.99
1994/96 Van Hooijdonk #9 Celtic Umbro Away Shirt
Genuine Umbro — £149.99
2006/08 Nakamura #25 Celtic Nike European Shirt
Genuine Nike — £119.99
The Best Ever Celtic Shirts, Ranked
1987/89 Home (Umbro) - The Centenary Shirt
Celtic turned 100 in 1988 and won the league and Scottish Cup double to mark it. The shirt got a one-off Celtic cross badge in place of the usual clover. Same hoops, different crest, and a season most clubs would have scripted if they could. We've only ever had two.
1989/91 Home and Away (Umbro) - Proper Early-90s Umbro
The football wasn't great. The shirts were. Big collars, shadow patterns and an away shirt that looks nothing like a Celtic shirt until you spot the badge. Eight of these have sold, including a Packie Bonner goalkeeper shirt, and both are in our archive now: the 1989/91 home and the 1989/91 away.
1991/92 Away (Umbro) - One Season, One Sponsor
Liam Brady's first season as manager, and the only one with Peoples across the chest. A sponsor that lasts a single year makes a shirt hard to find, and this one is. It's the most expensive Celtic shirt we have right now, and there's one in stock. The 1991/92 home is here too.
1992/93 Away (Umbro) - McAvennie's Return
Frank McAvennie came back for a second spell and wore #9 in this. It's loud, it's very 1992, and four of them have sold. If you had this as a kid, you remember it.
1994/96 Away (Umbro) - Van Hooijdonk Arrives
Pierre van Hooijdonk signed in January 1995 and scored the only goal of that year's Scottish Cup final. It was Celtic's first trophy in six years. His #9 away shirt is in stock.
1995/97 Home (Umbro) - Di Canio, Cadete and Van Hooijdonk
No league title. Still one of the most fun Celtic sides of the decade. Paolo Di Canio stayed one season and left people talking about it for thirty years. Jorge Cadete and Van Hooijdonk scored the goals. Six of these shirts have sold, and Di Canio's #7 is the one people ask for.
1996/97 Away (Umbro) - The Bumblebee
Yellow and black hoops. On a Celtic shirt. We've written a whole article about why we love it, and the short version hasn't changed:
"With its bold yellow and black hooped design, the Bumblebee was impossible to ignore." - Mike Maxwell, Football Shirt Collective
Not everyone loved it in 1996. Plenty still don't. But it's the shirt Cadete scored in at Ibrox on New Year's Day 1997, and it's now one of the most wanted Celtic shirts of the 90s. We have two: Di Canio #7 and Cadete #11.
1997/99 Home (Umbro) - Larsson's First, and the Ten Stopped
Henrik Larsson arrived in the summer of 1997. By the following May, Celtic were champions and Rangers' run of nine titles in a row was over. This is the shirt it happened in. Dreadlocks, #7, and the start of seven years nobody at Celtic Park will forget.
1998/99 Away (Umbro) - Larsson and Lubo
Eight shirts from 1998/99 have sold, most of them with Larsson on the back. It was also the season Lubo Moravcik turned up for next to nothing and scored twice in a 5-1 win over Rangers. Right now, this is the only Larsson shirt we have: the 1998/99 away, size L.
1999/01 Home (Umbro) - The Treble
Martin O'Neill's first season. A domestic treble. Larsson scored 53 goals and won the European Golden Shoe. If you're picking one Celtic shirt on results alone, it's hard to argue with this one.
2001/03 Home (Umbro) - The Road to Seville
Fifteen sold, and you know why. This is the shirt from the 2003 UEFA Cup final. Larsson scored twice against Porto and still finished on the losing side. Tens of thousands of Celtic fans went to Seville, most of them without a ticket. Ask any of them which shirt they'd keep.
The 2002/03 away shirt from the same season has sold six. We had one last week. It's gone.
2003/04 Home (Umbro) - Larsson's Last Season
Our best-selling Celtic shirt by a distance. 26 sold. Larsson's seventh and final season ended with a league and cup double, and two goals in the Scottish Cup final in his last competitive game. He left with 242 goals for the club. People buy this shirt to remember how it ended.
2004/05 (Umbro) - Hartson, Juninho and the End of Umbro
The last Umbro Celtic shirt, and the first season after Larsson. John Hartson carried the goals, Juninho passed through, and Martin O'Neill signed off with the Scottish Cup. Nine have sold.
2005-08 (Nike) - Keane and Nakamura
Nike took over in 2005. Roy Keane wore #16 for six months at the end of his career. Then Shunsuke Nakamura scored that free kick against Manchester United and sent Celtic into the Champions League last 16 for the first time. His #25 European shirt is in stock, and you won't see many.
2012/13 Home (Nike) - The 125th Anniversary Shirt
Made for the club's 125th year, and worn the night Celtic beat Barcelona 2-1 at Celtic Park. That's all the history a shirt needs.
2020/21 Home (adidas)
Celtic's move to adidas was the most anticipated kit deal in Scotland for years. Our reviewer Matt Leslie gave the first home shirt four stars out of five:
"From the evidence of my social feeds in recent months, few shirts have been as hyped as Celtic's first collaboration with adidas." - Matt Leslie, Football Shirt Collective
Full hoops back on the sleeves, a simple crew neck and gold trim. adidas kept it simple, and it worked. You can read the full review here.
Shirts We'd Add To Our Archive Next
Our sales data only covers what we've sold. Here are three Celtic shirts we haven't had yet, and that no list should leave out:
- 1967 Home - the Lisbon Lions. Plain hoops, no sponsor, numbers on the shorts, and the European Cup.
- 2006/07 Home (Nike) - the hoops Nakamura was wearing for that free kick against Manchester United.
- 2016/17 Home (New Balance) - the Invincibles shirt, from the unbeaten domestic treble.
Most Popular Celtic Shirts We've Sold
Sample size caveat: this covers 125 recorded units since 2016. It's our largest sample for any club countdown so far, but it is still directional and not definitive.
| Shirt / era | Units sold |
|---|---|
| 2003/04 Umbro home/away (Larsson #7, Thompson #8) | 26 |
| 2001/03 Umbro home (Larsson #7) | 15 |
| 2004/05 Umbro (Hartson, Juninho, Lennon) | 9 |
| 1998/99 Umbro away/home (Larsson #7, Moravcik #25) | 8 |
| 1989-91 Umbro home/away (incl. Bonner goalkeeper) | 8 |
| 2001/02 Umbro away (Larsson #7) | 6 |
| 2002/03 Umbro away (Larsson #7) | 6 |
| 1995/97 Umbro home/away (Di Canio #7, Van Hooijdonk #9) | 6 |
| 1996/97 Umbro "Bumblebee" away (Di Canio #7, Cadete #11) | 5 |
| 1997/99 Umbro home (Larsson #7) | 4 |
Most Popular Celtic Shirts By Player
| Player | Units sold |
|---|---|
| Henrik Larsson | 61 |
| John Hartson | 4 |
| Paolo Di Canio | 4 |
| Lubo Moravcik | 3 |
| Neil Lennon | 2 |
| Stiliyan Petrov | 2 |
| Mark Viduka | 2 |
| Pierre van Hooijdonk | 2 |
Larsson has more than fifteen times the sales of any other Celtic player. 38 of our 125 recorded units carry no player name at all. They're plain hoops, bought for the badge.
Who Orders The Most Celtic Shirts?
| Country | Units sold |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 88 |
| United States | 9 |
| Ireland | 4 |
| Sweden | 2 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| UAE, Australia, France, Spain, Canada, Brazil, Croatia, Hong Kong, Poland, Norway | 1 each |
Three in every four Celtic shirts stay in the UK. The US is second, Ireland third. And yes, two have gone to Sweden.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Celtic shirt of all time?
Going by our own sales, it's the 2003/04 Umbro home from Henrik Larsson's final season, followed by the 2001/03 home worn in the 2003 UEFA Cup final in Seville. The 1996/97 "Bumblebee" away is the most talked-about away shirt.
Which Celtic player's shirt is most popular?
Henrik Larsson, by a long way. His #7 is on 61 of the 125 Celtic shirts we've sold. John Hartson and Paolo Di Canio are joint second with four each.
Who made Celtic's shirts in the 1990s and 2000s?
Umbro made Celtic's shirts through the 1990s and up to 2005. Nike took over from 2005 to 2015, then New Balance until 2020, when adidas began the current deal.
Are Football Shirt Collective's vintage Celtic shirts authentic?
Yes. Every shirt we sell is hand-checked before listing, comes with multiple photos so you know exactly what you're getting, and carries our no-fakes guarantee, backed by an Excellent rating on Trustpilot.
How much do vintage Celtic shirts cost?
Prices depend on era, condition and player name. Our Celtic shirts currently run from around £55 for a 2011/12 Nike third shirt to around £200 for the rare 1991/92 away with the one-season Peoples sponsor.
Why Buy Your Celtic Shirt From Football Shirt Collective
Larsson shirts are some of the most wanted in Scottish football, and fakes follow demand. Every shirt we sell is hand-checked, comes with multiple photos so you know exactly what you're getting, and carries our no-fakes guarantee, backed by an Excellent rating on Trustpilot. Where we can, we stock shirts with official flock name sets and not aftermarket printing. Not sure about a shirt you already own? Send it to our Fake Shirt Checker.
