Chelsea have played in a number of the most iconic kits in English football history over the years, so TBR Football has ranked the top 10 shirts the Blues have worn of all time.
The Stamford Bridge natives have donned a number of iconic shirts throughout the club’s history dating back to 1905. While blue has been their traditional home colour ever since 1906 following just a year of wearing a green jersey upon their formation in west London.
Nike has produced each kit for Chelsea since the 17/18 season after replacing Adidas. The American sportswear brand became the Blues’ kit partner after striking a 15-year contract worth £900m. While Adidas had designed a number of the top 10 Chelsea kits of all time…
10) Chelsea 1970 FA Cup final replay kit
Chelsea adopted a blue strip with white socks for the 1969/70 season but had to embrace an alternative kit against Leeds United for a replay of the 1970 FA Cup final. The two clubs had drawn 2-2 at Wembley in the initial tie before the Blues edged a 2-1 fixture at Old Trafford.
READ MORE: The top 10 Premier League kits of all time, ranked
David Webb scored the winning goal for Chelsea in the 104th minute of extra time to seal their first FA Cup title. In doing so, the defender also established Chelsea’s changed kit as one of their most iconic kits with its altered yellow socks, stripes on the shorts and badge.
The kit gained legendary status at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea, briefly, revived it in 2020. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of their first FA Cup trophy, the Blues brought the strip back as a one-off for their third-round clash with Nottingham Forest in January 2020.
9) Chelsea home kit, 2011/12
The 2011/12 season proved to be one of the most memorable in Chelsea’s history and it also featured one of their top 10 kits of all time. Little would Adidas have known when it designed the strip that the Blues would go on to lift their first Champions League trophy wearing it.
Blues legend Frank Lampard would lift the UEFA title in Munich whilst wearing their two-tone blue jersey. Adidas designed a striped shirt for Chelsea that season with dark and light blue segments. It also had three thin stripes on the white shoulders leading down into the cuffs.
8) Chelsea third kit, 2011/12
Adidas had a hot streak with its kits for Chelsea for the 2011/12 season with their away strip also iconic. The Blues hit the road that term in a predominantly white number with a two-part upper segment. It featured a yellow bar above the chest along with a black shoulder zone.
Thin stripes, as are customary for Adidas kits of the era, complimented the design along the shoulders and down the sleeves. Fernando Torres was also wearing their legendary kit when he scored the crucial goal to seal Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final win at Barcelona.
7) Chelsea home kit, 2001-03
Chelsea have twice had agreements with Umbro to design their kits. The British brand first created the Blues’ strips from 1970 to 1981 and then 1987 to 2006. It also created some of the Stamford Bridge outfit’s greatest strips so far across their two spells in partnership yet.
One of Umbro’s most iconic Chelsea kits hit the shop floors in 2001 and it remained on sale through 2003. The Blues retained the manufacturer’s home shirt for two seasons, having produced a clean blue and white ensemble with a thick collar featuring a white border.
6) Chelsea away kit, 2014/15
Adidas paid tribute to Chelsea’s away kits of the 1960s, 70s and 80s when designing their strip for 2014/15. The Blues adopted yellow away jerseys for the first time in 1967/68 and it remained their predominant travelling colour for almost 20 years before a return to red.
Chelsea’s touch to the past with their 14/15 kit hit the spot as Adidas designed a classic. The German brand mixed an all-yellow kit body with a classical blue collar, cuffs and the brand’s trademark thin stripes. Adidas also used the same blue for the badges and sponsor’s logo.
5) Chelsea home kit, 1995-97
The 1990s were awash with brash kits as several manufacturers unleashed their creativity with some hit-and-miss designs. But Umbro’s offering for Chelsea’s home kit from 1995 to 1997, as worn by the likes of Ruud Gullit and Glen Hoddle, was certainly a success story.
Chelsea took to Stamford Bridge in a light blue jersey with thin stripes that also contained Umbro’s logo. While the British brand further incorporated the Blues’ badge into the body of the kit with a faint impression in the background, plus a thick collar and a white V-neck.
4) Chelsea home kit, 2006-08
Adidas designed one of Chelsea’s all-time classic kits for use over the 2006/07 and 07/08 seasons. The likes of Didier Drogba and Ashley Cole helped the Blues win an FA Cup and League Cup double in 2006/07 whilst wearing the German manufacturer’s legendary strip.
The blue kit featured intricate details along the sides of the body and across the shoulders. Adidas used a mesh effect to break up the kit’s sea of blue, plus a thin white border below the shoulders. It also integrated a small silhouette of Chelsea’s lion below the shirt number.
3) Chelsea home kit, 2012/13
Chelsea and Adidas celebrated the west London club winning their first Champions League title in 2011/12 with the design of their 12/13 home kit. The German brand ditched its old white stripes in favour of gold lines. It also had gold logos for the club, brand and sponsor.
Adidas added a further design element in the body of the kit with a thin gradient effect to enhance it. And while Chelsea could not retain their Champions League title wearing one of their all-time top 10 kits, the club did win the 2012/13 Europa League title in Adidas’ strip.
2) Chelsea away kit, 2003/04
White away kits have been a traditional part of Chelsea’s history but no strip has eclipsed Umbro’s design for 2003/04. The Blues also retained the away kit as their third kit for the 04/05 campaign. But it gained its prestige during Claudio Ranieri’s tenure in west London.
Chelsea embraced a white shirt as their away kit for 03/04 that had a two-tone stripe down the centre. One half of the fading stripe was blue and the other was navy blue. The stripe even split for the logo of the club’s then-sponsor and the kit also featured blue detailing.
1) Chelsea home kit, 2005/06
Umbro designed the number one strip in our top 10 Chelsea kits of all time for the 05/06 Premier League season. The British brand incorporated the west London club celebrating their 100th anniversary and the introduction of the Stamford Bridge natives’ latest badge.
Chelsea introduced a new crest for the 05/06 campaign with gold accents and text noting their centenary. Umbro also took their anniversary into account and infused gold touches on the trim and the shoulders. It also used gold thread for its logo to tie it in with the club’s strip.
The kit would further take residence in Chelsea’s history books as Jose Mourinho oversaw successive Premier League titles. He had orchestrated their first Premier League title over the previous campaign and retained the crown in 05/06 whilst donning a now iconic strip.