The best ever World Cup shirts – and what makes them iconic

Some say you can measure a life by World Cups. Four years notch up the timeline, from wide-eyed kid to ready-made teenager and beyond. A showcase of football memories – the teams you love, the heroes you adore, the iconic jerseys they wore.

Those shirts are what we’re looking at today. Jerseys that tell a story. Timeless masterpieces. So what makes a jersey’s legacy so lasting?

Matthew Wolff is known for the outfits he designed for France’s winners, as well as the Nigerian outfits that were hugely popular at the 2018 World Cup.

The American’s portfolio includes Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League teams Paris St-Germain and even the United Soccer League club Vermont Green, of which she is a co-founder. So he knows how to use a kit.

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

“Mexico 1998, USA 1994, Germany 1990 and 1994, Japan 1998, Nike’s 2002 set, even Cameroon’s tank top from 2002. These are specific jerseys that stick out in my mind because of how big and amazing they felt to me as a little kid.

“A shirt becomes iconic in part because of what happened while someone wore it. The passage of time also changes the way we perceive and appreciate a football jersey.”