Worst Premier League kits ever: The most embarrassing strips in history

Kit design has always been a gamble, and the Premier League has produced plenty of evidence of that. The 1990s were particularly memorable, with designers given plenty of freedom and some very questionable ideas making it onto the pitch.

Things have not always improved with bigger brands and bigger budgets either, and every now and then, a kit comes along that leaves supporters wondering what the designers were thinking.

Football Ground Guide looks back at nine of the worst Premier League kits ever released, in no particular order.

Liverpool — third kit, 2013-14 (Warrior)

This is probably the first shirt most people would mention when talking about terrible football kits. Warrior split it into jagged black, white and purple sections, making it look as though several different designs had been thrown together.

Then came the socks, with one black and the other purple. Liverpool supporters did not exactly take to it and the shirt is still remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Norwich City — home kit, 1992-94 (Ribero/Mitre)

📸Coventry City vs Norwich City (29/09/1992)

Just look at those Ribero kits… 😍 pic.twitter.com/MAXLP3Yswl

— TSPN Calcio (@tspncalcio) June 12, 2023

Norwich's shirt was covered in scattered abstract marks, which earned it an unfortunate nickname from supporters.

There is some nostalgia around it now because Norwich finished third in the first Premier League season while wearing the kit. The design itself, though, is still difficult to defend and remains one of the strangest shirts from the early years of the competition.

Manchester United — away kit, 1995-96 (Umbro)

Ese último partido vs Southampton, perdían 3-0 en el entretiempo. Los jugadores dijeron a Ferguson que no podían visualizar rápidamente a sus compañeros a la distancia con ese kit gris. Salieron a jugar el 2do tiempo de azul.
Nunca más se usó y se lo apodó: "The invisible kit". https://t.co/S8KcEPqfvW pic.twitter.com/76u29RKRc1

— Lacasaca (@LaCasacaBlog) August 19, 2026

Grey might sound harmless enough, but Manchester United's 1995-96 away shirt became one of the most infamous kits in Premier League history.

United were 3-0 down to Southampton at half-time when Sir Alex Ferguson ordered his players to change into a different strip. The players reportedly struggled to pick each other out against the stands, and the grey shirt was never worn again.

Manchester City — third kit, 2019-20 (Puma)

Manchester City's third kit from 2019-20 was certainly not short on colour. The shirt started bright yellow around the shoulders before fading into orange and pink towards the bottom.

It was quickly compared to a rather famous cocktail, which probably tells you enough about the reaction to it. Puma said the design was inspired by City's attacking football, although plenty of supporters would probably have preferred something a little easier on the eyes.

Tottenham Hotspur — third kit, 2021-22 (Nike)

Tottenham's third shirt was a strange combination of purple, green and digital-style patterns. It looked more like something from a computer game than a football kit.

Nike said the design was inspired by creativity in local neighbourhoods, but that did not stop Spurs supporters from questioning it.

Arsenal — away kit, 2023-24 (Adidas)

Adidas went for a fluorescent yellow shirt covered with fluid black lines and bright blue details. The kit attracted plenty of criticism once Arsenal started wearing it, with supporters branding it one of the most garish in the club's history.

Chelsea — home kit, 2024-25 (Nike)

Chelsea's 2024-25 home shirt caused plenty of debate, with blue and silver mixed together with an orange shade that was meant to look like gold.

The result was a fairly chaotic shirt that some reviewers compared to an oil spill and others to something more suited to a darts player. It certainly did not look like the sort of Chelsea home kit supporters had become used to seeing.

Middlesbrough — away kit, 1996-97 (Errea)

Middlesbrough had some much-loved kits during the 1990s, but this was not one of them.

Errea covered the white shirt with a huge distorted blue cross, which created a pattern that seemed to move the longer you looked at it. It arrived during a memorable but ultimately disappointing season for Boro, who reached both domestic cup finals before being relegated.

Chelsea — third kit, 2020-21 (Nike)

Blue and red stripes ran vertically through the shirt, while there was very little about the design that resembled Chelsea's usual look.

The colours faded into each other in a vertical pattern, while there was very little about the shirt that resembled Chelsea's usual look.