When Players Wear the "Wrong" Kits
Apropos of nothing in particular, enjoy these photos of players wearing the shirts of teams they've never played for.
Players in the "Wrong" Kits
The chances are that when you think of a football player, you imagine them wearing either the kit of one of the clubs they've played for or their national team. You've seen them dressed the same on countless occasions, you're familiar with their career history and you probably associate them with a certain kit or colour. So when a photo pops up of them wearing the shirt of another team, one they've never represented, it can make you do a double take. There's a curious novelty to it, much like when a goalkeeper wears an outfield shirt. For your enjoyment, we've put together as many of these instances as we could find. Check them out below and let us know in the comments if we've missed any.
Post-Match Shirt Swaps
The well-worn tradition of swapping shirts with the opponent after a match has provided us with the lion's share of the photos for this particular football kit niche. Rather than pull on a jersey drenched with another person's sweat, most players just take their newly acquired souvenir home to add to their collection. Thankfully, some of them don't let personal hygiene get in the way of creating a photo opp that serves as a window into a parallel universe where their career path took some different twists and turns.
Zidane - AC Milan and Partizan Belgrade
Rivaldo - England
Ronaldo - England
Thierry Henry - Brazil and Portsmouth
Lionel Messi - Fiorentina
Neymar - Uruguay
Gary Lineker - Ireland
Gary Neville - Feyenoord
Alessandro Del Piero - AC Milan
Eden Hazard - PSG
Alan Smith - AC Milan
Charity Matches and Testimonials
These ones can be the most jarring at first glance. You know that player has never payed for that club, but the photographic evidence before your eyes shows them playing a real match in their full kit.
Gianfranco Zola - West ham (Tony Carr testimonial match)
Paul Gascoigne - Arsenal /Paul Merson testimonial match)
Francesco Totti - Inter
This is thought to be the only photo of Francesco Totti wearing the the shirt of a club other than Roma. It came about when Roma and Inter took to the field in each other's kits ahead of their Serie A clash in 1995. The idea was to encourage better relations between rival fans and to honour the memory of Genoa fan Claudio Spagnolo, who had been murdered two weeks previously by a Milan ultra, hours before the two sides faced off.
Forgotten Moves and Switched Allegiances
A young Juan Mata at Real Madrid.
Early days, loan spells, short-lived adventures, forgotten transfers and the ones that got away. Most of these players' careers blossomed a while after these photos were taken, although a couple of them made unexpected detours well after they had established themselves in the game.
John Obi Mikel - Manchester United (cancelled transfer)
Harry Kane - Leicester (loan)
Nicolas Anelka and Nicklas Bendtner - Juventus (both loans)
The two former Arsenal strikers(Bendtner was actually contracted to Arsenal at the time) contributed a joint total of 13 appearances and 0 goals, but still managed to come away with a Serie A winners medal each from their baffling spell together in Turin.
David Beckham - Arsenal (trained with club to maintain fitness)
Johan Cruyff - PSG (played 2 games in 1975 Paris Tournament)
Hector Bellerin - Watford (loan)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Arsenal (trial)
Diego Costa - Brazil (later switched allegiance to Spain)
Jack Grealish and Declan Rice - Ireland (both later switched allegiance to England)
Andre Onana and Mauro Icardi - Barcelona (youth teams)
Raul - Atlético Madrid (youth teams)
Samuel Eto'o - Real Madrid
Downtime
These players show that although their talent and ability is far superior to us mere mortals, we do at least have a shared appreciation for wearing football shirts in our free time for the sake of it.
Erling Haaland
Gregory Van der Wiel
Antoine Griezmann
Frank Kessié
Diego Maradona
Although he's featured in almost all of the above, Diego Armando Maradona deserves his own category as he truly was one of a kind. Probably invited to play in more charity matches and testimonials than anyone else, he was always fond of a shirt swap and when watching Boca Juniors or Argentina, he lived every moment from the stands with as much passion as the most fervent ultras. Even just a photo of Maradona wearing their club or country's shirt is enough to make fans dream of the magic that could have been with El Diego among their ranks.
Which photo is your favourite? Let us know about all the ones we missed in the comments.
Tromsø IL 26-27 European Kits Released
Norwegian Eliteserien club Tromsø IL and equipment supplier Select have officially unveiled the club's new European kits for the 26-27 campaign. The special collection arrives as the Arctic team prepares for their international matches following qualification for UEFA competition.
The home kit maintains Tromsø's iconic look with classic red and white vertical stripes, featuring a clean crew-neck collar and matching sleeve cuffs. Gold text on the upper back reads "HUNDRE ÅR I RØDE OG HVITE STRIPER" (A hundred years in red and white stripes), celebrating the club's centenary of wearing their signature colors.
The away kit offers a dark navy base highlighted by a striking graphic depicting a map of Europe rendered in glowing gold constellation-style light dots across the lower front. Both jerseys feature the monochrome Select logo alongside the classic club badge and SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge front sponsorship.
Karşıyaka 26-27 Home & Away Kit Released
Turkish club Karşıyaka SK and kit manufacturer Hummel have officially unveiled the new home and away kits for the 26-27 season.
Staying true to the team's identity, the shirt features classic green and red vertical stripes separated by thin white pinstripes. A clean collar design with subtle red and white accents, along with matching sleeve cuff detailing, completes a refined look rooted in the club's tradition.
The away has a tailored look in white with red and green applications.
Hapoel Haifa 26-27 Away Kit Released
Israeli Premier League side Hapoel Haifa and manufacturer Reebok have officially released the club's new away kit for the 26-27 season. The shirt features a tailored graphic design paying homage to the coastal city of Haifa.
The Reebok Hapoel Haifa 26-27 away jersey features a dark charcoal and black base, accented by vibrant red piping along the collar, sleeve cuffs, and front panel seams. Across the body, a tonal graphic pattern depicts iconic local sights, including the famous Bahá'í Gardens terraces, palm trees, architectural steps, and sea waves.
Completing the kit, the back of the shirt displays white player names and numbers in Hebrew font, alongside local partner branding. The kit is finished with dark shorts featuring red side trim and white sponsor logos.
Real Madrid 1992 Retro & OG T-Shirt Spotted in EA Sports Promo
Adidas' upcoming Real Madrid 1992-inspired EQT retro collection and matching OG t-shirt have been spotted in a new EA Sports promotional campaign. Part of the brand's 26-27 lifestyle range reviving classic 1990s Equipment design language, the collection features bold oversized block accents in white, purple, and black.
Babelsberg 26-27 Home, Away & Third Kits Released
German Regionalliga Nordost side SV Babelsberg 03 and technical partner Joma have officially unveiled the club's new home, away, and third kits for the 26-27 season. Featuring classic polo collars and subtle detailing, the collection pays homage to 50 years of the club's home ground, the Karl-Liebknecht-Stadion. The home jersey comes in navy blue with white accents, while the away shirt features a clean white base with dark trim, and the third kit presents a red look with navy details. All three designs prominently display the new main sponsor logo, Potsdam Liebe, across the chest.
Bold Chievo Verona 26-27 Pre-Season Kit Released
Italian club AC Chievo Verona and local kit supplier EVOL have officially unveiled an eye-catching pre-season jersey for the 26-27 campaign. Designed exclusively for summer preparations and friendly matches, the shirt delivers a unique look ahead of the new season.
The new Chievo jersey features a white base highlighted by vibrant geometric pixel-style gradient graphics in shades of blue, yellow, and green across the chest, shoulders, sleeve cuffs, and lower hem. The ChievoVerona crest is centrally positioned on the upper chest, directly above the EVOL logo, with primary sponsor Tre Elle Energy featured prominently across the front. A yellow and navy crew-neck collar and matching sleeve trim complete the detailed design.
Nike Kickers Offenbach 26-27 125th Anniversary Home & Away Kits Released
German Regionalliga Südwest club Kickers Offenbach and technical partner Nike have officially revealed the club's new home and away jerseys for the 26-27 season. The releases coincide with the club's 125th anniversary, featuring a commemorative 125-year crest on both shirts.
The Kickers Offenbach 26-27 home shirt presents a traditional white design with contrasting burgundy accents on the collar and sleeve cuffs. In contrast, the 26-27 away jersey features a vibrant green base accented by double white chest hoops, drawing inspiration from iconic club kits worn during the 1970s.
Wisła Kraków 26-27 Away Kit Released
Polish club Wisła Kraków has officially revealed its new 26-27 away kit, manufactured by Kappa in design collaboration with wonderkitz. Following the launch of their special 120th anniversary jersey, the new away shirt offers a refined look dedicated to the club's supporters.
The Kappa Wisła Kraków 26-27 away jersey features a white base dominated by a subtle all-over tonal star pattern, directly referencing the club's iconic White Star nickname. Gold accents elevate the design, including gold Kappa logos on the chest, gold trim along the sleeve cuffs, and the brand's signature Omini logo band running down the sides. The traditional red TS Wisła crest sits on the left chest, complete with a single gold star above.
Adidas Club América Player Version Jersey Crest Peels Off After Just Two Washes
Club América Fan @ohcaar shared an image of his newly acquired 26-27 home jersey with the heat-applied chest crest detaching from the fabric after only two washes.
The jersey in question is the Adidas player-issue version, which utilizes heat-transferred rubberized logos instead of the traditional stitched badges found on fan replica shirts.