Football shirts are big business, and fashion has become as big a part of football as having a pie and a pint with your mates. In this modern age, football clubs have to walk the tightrope of making money through sponsorships, but also having a kit that looks good.
In this exploration of iconic football pairings, Football FanCast journeys through time and leagues to uncover the stories behind some of the most memorable alliances.
From Barcelona's historic collaboration with UNICEF during their golden era to PSV Eindhoven's record-breaking bond with Philips, each pairing tells a unique story and has helped to create some of the most memorable shirts in history.
In this list, shirts are ranked by the look on the shirt itself as well as its standing in football culture.
13 Dr Martens West Ham United 1998-2003
Talk about knowing your audience. Dr Martens' sponsorship of West Ham is an almost perfect match; the only way it could have been made any better is if Stone Island made the kits instead of FILA. Paolo Di Canio was stomping about the old Boleyn Ground wearing this, which is very fitting.
The partnership came to an end in 2003, lasting just five years. In that short period of time, the boot company helped make some of the best claret and blue shirts in history, not just for West Ham. Seeing them dotted around the new Olympic Stadium is a throwback to where West Ham came from.
12 Unicef Barcelona 2006-2012
Having previously gone sponsor-less entirely, Barcelona's commitment to the charity UNICEF came at arguably the most successful period of their history. Between the years of 2006-2011, players like Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, and Andres Iniesta were sporting the logo while banging in goals and winning trophies.
"FC Barcelona is highly committed to work with UNICEF to advance the global message of the importance of children's issues and to promote education and sport," said ex-Barcelona director Ramon Pont. The partnership yielded around €19m for the charity, but in the end, money won out, and the Catalan club ditched Unicef for the Qatar Foundation in 2011.
11 Parmalat Parma 1987-2004
From the late 90s to the early 2000s, Parma were a major force in Italian football. Gianluigi Buffon, Hernan Crespo and Fabio Cannavaro were all ripping it up in the picturesque Italian city before the club went bankrupt in 2004. Parmalat, a food and dairy corporation, were with them all the way.
Parma aren't the only football club Paramalat have sponsored, Benfica, Boca Juniors, Palmeiras, and even Real Madrid have had the brand strewn across the front of their shirts. The company sponsored their hometown club as they got promoted to Serie A in 1990.
Interestingly, the period of time Parmalat sponsored Parma also turned out to be when the fraud began. The company is still operating, but it's a shell of its former self, much like Parma Calcio.
10 Philips PSV 1979-2016
PSV and Philips is the only duo on this list to be in the Guinness Book of World Records – it's the longest sponsorship of a sports team in history. The technology company founded the club in 1913 as a pastime for its employees.
The history of both club and sponsor are so deeply interlinked, it would be impossible to imagine one without the other. PSV's ground is called Philips Stadion, which is just a few minutes from the company's headquarters in central Eindhoven. They ended their shirt sponsorship deal in 2016, but Philips still works with the club in other ways.
9 Quilmes Boca Juniors 1994-2002
For good and bad, beer goes hand in hand with football. This won't be the only brewery sponsorship on this list, but it is arguably the coolest. Football hipsters across the globe weep tears of joy when they spot a Quilmes-sponsored Boca shirt out in the wild.
It's Juan Roman Riquelme, it's late-career Diego Maradona, it's La Bombanera going nuts. If you close your eyes and think of a Boca shirt, it probably has Quilmes on the front. The beer is pretty good, too.
8 T-Mobile Bayern Munich 2002-present
Bayern Munich being sponsored by T-Mobile just feels right. Their minimalist, no-nonsense logo suits a club with the ruthless efficiency of Bayern. The partnership started in 2002 and has coincided with a period of unprecedented dominance for the Bavarians.
Bayern have now won 11 Bundesliga titles in a row, and could yet win another without breaking much of a sweat this season (unless Bayer Leverkusen are able to maintain their superb start). T-Mobile are the biggest telecommunication company in Germany, and Bayern are the biggest club. It was meant to be.
7 Carlsberg Liverpool 1992-2010
Fernando Torres' beautiful, long blonde hair blowing in the wind as he runs off to celebrate yet another goal is exactly what comes to mind when we think of Liverpool and Carlsberg. There isn't a better advert than that; in the end, that's what sponsorship is all about.
Although not technically against the rules, alcohol shirt sponsors have dwindled in the UK. There hasn't been a Premier League club sponsored by an alcohol company since 2017/18, they're all betting companies instead now.
6 Opel AC Milan 1994-2006
It's no coincidence that a lot of these sponsors coincide with a very successful time in the club's history. Who remembers the sponsor AC Milan had on their shirt when they were relegated in 1979/80? (They didn't have one, but the point still stands).
When German car manufacturer Opel sponsored AC Milan, Italian football was at its best, and I Rossoneri were the poster boys. Maldini, Kaka and Shevchenko won Champions League with Opel front and centre of their iconic shirts.
5 O2 Arsenal 2002-2006
O2, an iconic sponsor for an iconic club at the most iconic time in its history. Wenger's Invincibles, arguably the best side in Premier League history, won the league title without losing a single game. The Gunners weren't the only ones who struck gold – think of all that sweet, sweet publicity O2 got by being associated with that team.
Arsenal have had their fair share of iconic short sponsors; JVC or Dreamcast could both have easily made this list, but it's hard to look past that famous Henry kneeslide. The partnership ended in 2006, and with it, Arsenal's ability to win Premier Leagues…
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ByAlex Roberts Dec 7, 2023 4 Vodafone Man Utd 2000-2006
Old Trafford used to be where megastars were made. Becks with his long, dirty blonde hair was pulling in enough sponsorship money that he might end up buying the club if the Glazers ever sell up. Rooney was pre-hair transplant, and Cristiano Ronaldo was a skinny boy with something to prove. All of these players' careers started with Vodafone.
None of us here were privy to what was said in either Vodafone's or O2's boardrooms, but do we think it's a coincidence that two of the country's biggest telecommunications companies sponsored Arsenal and Manchester United at a time when their rivalry was at it's fiercest.