The Best Ever Italy Shirts
Nobody does football shirts like Italy. The deep blue. The gold trim. The sense that even the kit man has been to a tailor. Italy shirts have been worn by Baresi, Baggio, Maldini, Del Piero, Totti and Pirlo, and somehow the shirts have always kept up.
They also travel. We've sold 45 Italy shirts since 2017 to buyers in 17 countries, and most of them have left the UK. Paolo Maldini's name is on 13 of them, more than twice as many as anyone else.
For this one we didn't just look at the sales. We went back to the people we've interviewed. That includes Rob Warner, the designer behind Italy's 2006 World Cup shirts, and shirt designer Irving Perez, plus our own Phil Delves, who has ranked more Italy shirts than most people have owned.
What you need to know about the greatest Italy shirts
- Italy's best shirts span Diadora, Nike, Kappa and Puma, from Italia 90 to the 2006 World Cup winners.
- The most popular Italy shirt we have sold is the 1996/97 Nike Euro 96 shirt (8 sold).
- Paolo Maldini is the most popular name on the back by a distance (13 sold), ahead of Del Piero (6) and Baggio (4).
- Italy is our most international best-seller: buyers in 17 countries, and the US is close behind the UK.
- Every shirt is hand-checked and comes with our no-fakes guarantee - browse the full Italy collection.
Authentic Italy shirts
Vintage Italy shirts go fast. Here's what's in our archive right now, every one hand-checked and guaranteed genuine:
1990 Maldini #7 Italy Diadora Home Shirt, Italia 90
Genuine Diadora — £129.99
2000/01 Totti #10 Italy Kappa Home Shirt
Genuine Kappa — £149.99
1998/99 Del Piero #10 Italy Kappa Shirt
Genuine Kappa — £119.99
1988 Italy Diadora Long Sleeve Home Shirt
Genuine Diadora — £69.99
The Best Ever Italy Shirts, Ranked
1968 Home - The First Euros
Plain blue, white collar, crest on the chest. Italy won their first European Championship at home in 1968, after a semi-final against the USSR was settled by a coin toss. When Phil Delves ranked every Euros-winning shirt, this one came fifth:
"Italy's impossibly classic all blue affair worn at Euro 1968 was essentially used for 14 years" - Phil Delves, Football Shirt Collective
It's the template every Italy shirt since has been measured against.
1982 Home - World Champions
Paolo Rossi's six goals. Marco Tardelli's scream. A 3-1 win over West Germany in Madrid. The 1982 shirt is the one Italy fans of a certain age will always pick first.
1990 Home (Diadora) - Italia 90
A home World Cup, Totò Schillaci coming from nowhere to win the Golden Boot, and a semi-final defeat to Argentina on penalties in Naples. Italia 90 is still the tournament people mean when they talk about football in the 90s, and this Diadora shirt is a huge part of why.
1994 Home (Diadora) - USA 94
Roberto Baggio dragged Italy to the final almost on his own, then missed the last penalty against Brazil in Pasadena. The shirt doesn't get talked about enough. Phil Delves agrees, writing in his pick of the best USA 94 shirts:
"Despite reaching the final, Italy's kit seems like something of an underrated look." - Phil Delves, Football Shirt Collective
1994-96 Home (Nike)
Nike took over after USA 94, and Italy's shirts moved into the era our customers like most. Six of the Italy shirts we've sold come from this set, with Maldini and a young Del Piero on the back. Nike's Italy years, 1994 to 1998, account for 18 of our 45 Italy sales. No other era comes close.
1996/97 Home and Away (Nike) - Euro 96
Our best-selling Italy design: eight sold across the home, the away and the goalkeeper shirt, with Maldini, Del Piero and Ravanelli on the back. On the pitch, Euro 96 went wrong for Italy, out in the group stage in England. Off it, this is the Italy shirt British collectors remember, because it was the one they saw all summer.
1997/98 Home (Nike) - Le Tournoi and France 98
Worn at Le Tournoi in 1997 and the World Cup a year later, where Italy went out to France on penalties in the quarter-final. When we picked the best shirts worn at Le Tournoi, this one made the list:
"Italy's deep blue kit from Nike was pared-back and dignified." - Mike Maxwell, Football Shirt Collective
Maldini and Baggio both feature in our sales from this shirt.
1998/99 Home and Away (Kappa)
Kappa arrived and Italy shirts got tighter, sharper and more Italian. Seven sold, with Maldini, Totti and Del Piero on the back. Mikey Traynor of balls.ie told us where his loyalties lie:
"I've got a thing for the classic Kappa jerseys from the time such as Italy and Roma" - Mikey Traynor, balls.ie
A Del Piero #10 from this season is in stock, size L/XL.
2000-02 Home (Kappa) - Euro 2000
Skin-tight Kappa, Totti's chipped penalty against the Netherlands in the semi-final, and a final against France lost to a golden goal. For shirt designer Irving Perez, this is where it all started:
"My all time favourite jersey that continues to inspire me today and the helped me understand how passionate I was about football kits was Kappa's Italy Euro 2000 jersey." - Irving Perez, football shirt designer
Six sold, with Maldini, Inzaghi and Nesta on the back. A Totti #10 home is in stock now, size S.
2002 Home (Kappa) - World Cup 2002
Even tighter. Kappa's Kombat shirt for Japan and South Korea fitted like a wetsuit. The tournament ended with a golden goal defeat to South Korea and Totti sent off, but the shirt is still one of the most distinctive Italy have worn.
2006 Home and Away (Puma) - World Champions Again
The shirt that won the World Cup in Berlin. It's also the one with the best story behind it, because we asked the man who designed it. Rob Warner told us the brief was simple:
"The technical brief was to get the players to run faster." - Rob Warner, designer of the 2006 Italy shirts
The navy lines on the home shirt were added to make the players look like they were moving even when they were stood still. And the white away was his favourite:
"Italy 2006 away was probably the favourite shirt I've designed." - Rob Warner
"The white away shirt was meant to be an alter ego to the home shirt. It was like a superhero costume with a V-neck t-shirt overshirt." - Rob Warner
Gianluigi Buffon wore gold, and conceded just two goals all tournament, an own goal and a Zidane penalty. As Matt Leslie wrote in his look at Buffon’s career in shirts:
"Designed by Rob Warner, the World Champion's shirts have gained cult status with some" - Matt Leslie, Football Shirt Collective
Five of our Italy sales come from the 2004-06 Puma years, with Del Piero, Pirlo and Baggio on the back.
2020/21 Home (Puma) - Euro 2020
The most recent shirt on our list, and the one that won Euro 2020 at Wembley. Phil Delves was a fan before a ball was kicked. Writing about the embroidered Puma set, he said:
"The latest set of Italy kits are undoubtedly some of the best in world football this year." - Phil Delves, Football Shirt Collective
Give it twenty years and this will be a vintage classic too.
Shirts We'd Add To Our Archive Next
A few Italy shirts we're always hunting for:
- An original 1982 World Cup shirt. The reissue is great. The real thing is better.
- The 2006 Puma away. Rob Warner's favourite. Ours too.
- Buffon's 2006 gold goalkeeper shirt. Two goals conceded in seven games, in gold.
- The 1968 Euros shirt. Simple, perfect and almost impossible to find.
Most Popular Italy Shirts We've Sold
Sample size caveat: this covers 45 recorded units since 2017. That's enough to see which eras sell, but not enough to call this a definitive ranking.
| Shirt / era | Units sold |
|---|---|
| 1996/97 Nike home, away and goalkeeper, Euro 96 | 8 |
| 1998/99 Kappa home and away | 7 |
| 1994-96 Nike home and away | 6 |
| 2000-02 Kappa home, Euro 2000 | 6 |
| 2004-06 Puma, incl. World Cup 2006 | 5 |
| 1997/98 Nike home, World Cup 98 | 4 |
| 1992-94 Diadora home, incl. USA 94 | 4 |
| 1985-90 Diadora home, incl. Italia 90 | 3 |
| 2007/08 and 2017/18 Puma away | 1 each |
By maker, Nike's 1994-98 shirts lead with 18 sales, then Kappa (13), Diadora (7) and Puma (7).
Most Popular Italy Shirts By Player
| Player | Units sold |
|---|---|
| Paolo Maldini | 13 |
| Alessandro Del Piero | 6 |
| Roberto Baggio | 4 |
| Francesco Totti | 3 |
| Andrea Pirlo | 2 |
| Franco Baresi, Filippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Nesta, Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Vialli | 1 each |
Maldini outsells Baggio three to one. Twelve of the 45 shirts had no name on the back. For the club side of the story, our Best Ever Juventus Shirts and Best Ever Inter Milan Shirts are worth a read. Baggio played for both.
Who Orders The Most Italy Shirts?
| Country | Units sold |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 10 |
| United States | 8 |
| Australia, Italy, Switzerland | 2 each |
| Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, South Korea, Sweden | 1 each |
| Not recorded | 9 |
Buyers in 17 countries, and almost three quarters of the shirts with a recorded country left the UK. Italy shirts are a global language.
Italia 90 Training Wear
Italy sell off the pitch as well as on it. Alongside the 45 match shirts, we've sold 29 Italy training shirts, track tops and jackets. In stock now: a 1990/92 Diadora training shirt (M), a 1990/92 Diadora track top (M), a 1988/90 Diadora track top (L) and a 2002 Kappa rain jacket (XL).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Italy shirt of all time?
Our pick is the 1990 Diadora home worn at Italia 90. Going by our own sales, the most popular is the 1996/97 Nike shirt worn at Euro 96.
Who designed Italy's 2006 World Cup shirt?
Rob Warner, working for Puma. He told us the technical brief was to get the players to run faster, and that the 2006 away was probably his favourite shirt he designed.
Who has made Italy's shirts?
In the vintage era, Diadora made Italy's shirts up to USA 94, Nike from 1994 to 1998, Kappa from 1998 to 2002, and Puma from 2003, including the 2006 World Cup.
Are Football Shirt Collective's vintage Italy 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. Our 1982 and other retro reissues are clearly labelled as reissues.
How much do vintage Italy shirts cost?
Prices depend on era, condition and player name. Our vintage Italy shirts currently range from around £50 for a newer Puma shirt to £150 for a Totti Euro 2000 home.
Why Buy Your Italy Shirt From Football Shirt Collective
Kappa and Nike-era Italy shirts are faked a lot. 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 name sets and not aftermarket printing. Want to check one yourself? Read our guides to spotting a fake Kappa, Nike or Puma shirt, or send it to our Fake Shirt Checker.
