Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Five Hundred, a new feature where we give a guest an imaginary £500 budget to spend on football shirts! What will they choose, new or old, quantity or quality, club or country? Let’s find out…
Our special guest spender today is Austin (@Austinmjlee on Twitter). A Kilkenny City and Ireland fan, he’s pulled together a unique collection of shirts with his budget, some I’ll bet you’ve never seen before. Here we go:
SAMPDORIA 95/96 AWAY
Austin: “Sampdoria have one of, if not the most iconic shirt templates in the football…it has loads of amazing details with the stripes under the button and on the trim of the collar are lovely touches. I’m a big fan of Asics shirts.”
Cost: £100, Total so far: £100
Sampdoria, like Ajax, have a design so instantly recognisable that they haven’t felt the need to change it. While clubs like Inter Milan and Barcelona constantly try to reinvent the wheel, Sampdoria sits back and knows that people like the classics. All of their shirts are created equal, but some are more equal than others, especially true of their ASICS period. A nice collar, stripes on the placket, a sponsor that looks cool even though you have no idea who they are, all the ingredients for a classic shirt.
FC METZ HOME 20/21
Austin: “Everyone knows I love a good Kappa shirt and this is as good as any I’ve seen in recent years. It’s lovely maroon colour with an interesting graphic on the front.”
Cost: £67, Total so far: £167
The crest on this shirt fascinates me. Usually we see a shield or a roundel but this looks like the symbol for a futuristic cult. This was the first shirt of theirs to receive it in fact, wether they are rebranding as a group that believes the apocalypse is nigh remains to be seen.
VIKING STAVENGER HOME 86/88
Austin: “This 80s shirt is a standout…I also like the way the different sponsors add a bit of colour without taking from the overall aesthetic of the shirt.”
Cost: £123, Total so far: £290
If you’re not familiar with this team, here’s a primer: Viking Fotballklubb, also known as Viking Stavenger, play in Norway’s Eliteserien which is their top flight. They’ve been around for over 100 years and have won 8 league titles in that time. This shirt is actually from one of the rare seasons where they weren’t in the top division, but don’t let that put you off. A wonderful Adidas template, complete with Trefoil and not one but two giant Viking badges on the shoulders. You won’t bump into anyone else who has one…
AUXERRE HOME 20/21
Austin: “This shirt is throwback to the early ‘00s and their exploits in Champions League which you’ll remember their Kappa shirts with the PlayStation2 sponsor. It’s a great modern retake on absolute classic.”
Cost: £70, Total so far: £360
As Austin alluded to, this shirt looks like it would’ve been right at home in the early 2000s. The piping, the tight looking fit, that mosaic pattern on the side of the shirt really lifts the whole thing too.
EINTRACHT FRANKFURT HOME 91/93
Austin: “I know Puma have been getting a bit of slack lately for their controversial turd shirts so my next one takes us back to a simpler time…Perfect example of simplicity done right.”
Cost: £110, Grand total: £470
I’m not quite sure why the Puma logo is on the opposite side to where you’d usually find it, but if anyone is going to mess with tradition, it’s going to be Puma isn’t it. I’m surprised it isn’t made from spandex and have 3 sleeves. Instead, its a pretty classy looking number, well worth Austin’s fictional pounds.
A connoisseurs choices, but would we expect anything less? Big thanks to Austin for taking part, make sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@austinmjlee). Do you have a favourite? How would you spend differently? Head over to Twitter to discuss! The next Fantasy Five Hundred will be coming soon!
Kit For Brains 
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