The best commemorative kits in football history

The celebratory jerseys have now become cult pieces, must-haves that must be had at all costs even if you don't fall into the collectors category. The special birthdays of the oldest football clubs are anniversaries that are prepared well in advance, to take full advantage of the marketing of the kit. Most of the time it is a single kit, a uniform that is used only once before being framed and displayed in the museums of the most successful companies. Other times, however, it is a shirt that accompanies the team for an entire season and becomes the symbol of a vintage. Let's find out what are the best strategies and results of the clubs that have invested in campaigns to celebrate special events.

Juventus Football Club, shirt for 120 years (2017)

Although the Vecchia Signora officially celebrates her birthday on November 1, the Juventus team celebrated 120 years of history on November 5, 2017. He did it with the usual sobriety, returning to tradition for one evening through the vertical stripes that for decades have made the Juventus shirt iconic. Big party at Juventus Stadium, even if Ciciretti's Benevento made the game very tight. Unique shirt, worn only once and placed in the display cases of the Allianz Stadium museum.

Futbol Club Barcelona, centenary jersey (1999-2000)

Celebratory kits and special years are not always synonymous with luck. This is the case of Barça who, in the 99-00 season, did not celebrate his 100th birthday with a smile. Nike produced one of the most beautiful Blaugrana shirts ever, but the results of the Louis Van Gaal players did not live up to expectations. Having closed behind the Deportivo La Coruna in the league and being out in the Champions League semifinal against Valencia by Claudio Ranieri, Gaizka Mendieta, Santiago Cañizares, Kily González and Amedeo Carboni did not allow Barcelona to celebrate properly. The shirt was worn in the 1999-00 season but its use ran out in 1999.

FC Internazionale Milano, double occurrence (2007/08, 2019)

The evolution of the Inter brand is second only to the process faced a few years earlier by Juventus. If it is true that after every important victory there is an inflection point in what is the cyclical rhythm of a team, it is also true that keeping the bar high is not always easy. Inter has not managed to maintain high standards, but on two different occasions it has shown that the machine can work really well. The first of the two moments is dated 2008, when Inter turned 100 years old. It was the Inter of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Figo, Maicon but also of Maniche, Solari, Rivas and Jimenez. Mancini's team celebrated the centenary with the Scudetto - Coppa Italia combo and with a shirt that remains in the history of the Nerazzurri. The second jersey of the 2007/08 season for the first time puts aside the large Pirelli logo to make room for the Cross of San Giorgio on a white background, as per tradition.

After 11 years, Inter finds again celebrates 20 years of partnership with Nike and for the occasion decides to produce together with the swoosh one of the most beautiful jerseys in Nerazzurri history. Beauty that derives from the mix of 10 different designs (5 sl front and 5 on the back) that form a real harmonious collage, a unique "wave" of its kind. The shirt was worn only once, during the derby against Milan won 2-3.

Manchester United Football Club, from party to commemoration (2001/02, 2008)

The Red Devils kits are among the most popular in the world. Adidas' estimates, at the time of the contract extension with United, were mind-boggling and expectations are going even further. Not all kits, however, are extraordinary. In the 2001/02 season, the Umbro shirt that Giggs & co wore. it was double, what the British call reversible kits. In fact, the jersey was on one side black and white and on the other gold-black.

Much more deeply felt, however, is the memory of the Munich plane crash of 6 February 1958, where 23 people died. On board were the Busby Babes, the team of the era of United. In the Manchester derby in 2008, the Red Devils wore the same shirt worn 50 years earlier by the United: red, with a white collar and completely empty. In that same game, the Citizens' cousins also honored the victims of that tragedy.

Ballspielverein Borussia 09 Dortmund, total black centenary (2019)

The Borussia Dortmund blackout shirt is one of the last in terms of output and is one of those kits that know history even if they follow a modern flow. In reverse from the 120-year shirt of Bayer Monaco, Borussia chooses total black to celebrate its 100 years of history and at the same time uses black to symbolize the end of the coal industry in the German Ruhr region.

Milan and France, when gold becomes celebratory (2019)

2019 marked a fairly clear trend: the golden details on the kits are excellent to sanction the solemnity of a moment. Moments like Milan's 120th birthday - which eliminated the white inserts and replaced them with gold - or the centenary of the French national football team, who played for a game against Iceland played with a kit whose colors recall the French flag with golden inserts.

The stylistic cleanliness of the City, Everton and Toulouse (2017, 2019)

Having the same commemorative strategy does not necessarily represent a minus. Celebrating history through historical kits was the choice of Manchester City in 2019 (for its 125 years), Toulouse the same year (80th birthday) and Everton in 2017 (to celebrate 125 years of Goodison Park). PUMA, Umbro and Joma have produced simple uniforms, exactly like those of the beginnings of the reference clubs. City wore it during the Community Shield final (won on penalties against Liverpool), while Toulouse and Everton on the weekend when the date to celebrate fell.

Chelsea's self-celebration (2020)

50 from the first FA Cup raised to the sky, Chelsea celebrates one of the first successes with a decidedly unique kit. Following the trend of the three teams mentioned above, the Blues also opted for the retro style, with a touch of modernity thanks to the yellow socks. The uniform was worn only once, on the occasion of the (won) FA Cup match against Nottingham Forest.

Olimpia to celebrate 115 years of Lazio (2015)

Although in recent years it has been seen much more often, the Lazio eagle reappeared quite domineeringly for the first time in 2015, when Claudio Lotito's club decided to celebrate 115 years of history with a special kit. Worn only once in the match against Milan (won 3-1 thanks to a brace by Parolo and the goal by Klose) in a year that marked the turning point of the biancoceleste club.

The 125 striped birthdays of Celtic (2012/2013)

When it comes to history it is impossible not to mention the Glasgow Celts. How to celebrate a milestone like the 125 years if the shirt has remained practically unchanged over the centuries? Simple: with a detail that few notice. Probably the most iconic shirt in football history has almost always had 7 horizontal lines, the famous hoops, but for the 2012/13 season the stripes have become 9, to celebrate the most successful streak in the history of the Celtic (9 titles in a row, from 1965 to 1974).