The best World Cup shirts of all time – and what makes them iconic

Some say you can measure a life by the World Cup. A four-year notch in a timeline from wide-eyed toddler to tuned-in teen and beyond. A fountain of football memories – the teams you loved, the heroes you idolized, the iconic shirts worn by them.

This is the shirt we are looking at today. Jersey tells a story that. A timeless masterpiece. But what makes a kit’s legacy so lasting?

Matthew Wolff is best known for designing Nigeria’s popular outfit as well as the victorious France outfit at the 2018 World Cup.

The American’s portfolio includes Paris Saint-Germain, a host of Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League teams, and even the United Soccer League club he co-founded, the Vermont Green. So he knows his way around a kit.

“Most of my favorite football kits are from my childhood in the 90s and early 2000s,” Wolff explains. “This is the phase of life when players really feel like superheroes and their kits feel so magical.

“Mexico 1998, USA 1994, Germany 1990 and 1994, Japan 1998, Nike sets from 2002, even Cameroon’s sleeveless top in 2002. Those are special kits in my mind because of how big and great they felt to me as a little boy.

“A shirt becomes iconic in part because of what happened when someone was wearing it. Over time it also changes how we perceive and appreciate a football kit.”