Opinion: Why Roma has the best football shirts in the world right now

Last week, FOOTY.COM reached No.1 on their epic countdown of the 100 best football shirts in the world and awarded the top spot to AS Roma. Here's why...

It’s been another incredible year for football shirts.

The summer was transformed into a veritable whirlwind of retro throwbacks and bold design choices, as brands fueled the anticipatory fire ahead of the new season and convinced us to open our purse strings once again.

In a year that’s also seen the Copa America, African Cup of Nations and Women’s World Cup take place, the stream of fantastic kits has quickly become a cascading flood.

Each one of these shirts is meticulously crafted to encapsulate the character of either club or country, implementing subtle nods to their history, culture and overall identity. Once seen as simple uniforms for players to identify their teammates, football kits are now a platform for clubs to express their individuality and distinguish their own character.

And, this year, nobody has done it better than AS Roma.

The latest home, away and third shirts aren’t just proving popular amongst the Giallorossi faithful, but also capturing the imagination of fans across the globe.

Those in the stands of the Stadio Olimpico will always adorn the traditional reds and golden yellows, but now all manner of shirt collectors and Calcio lovers are desperate to wear those same colours.

The new away shirt has certainly struck a chord with football fans on a global scale.

Featuring a distinctive lightning-themed sash, this is a design packed with the kind of fun and character only Roma could really pull off, while a new ranking by FOOTY.COM recently named it the best football shirt in the world.

It’s bold, beautiful and unmistakably Roman, with the Jupiter-inspired graphic emphasising the club’s courage to go against the curve once again. In a year packed with nostalgic throwbacks and retro remakes, Roma is bursting out from the crowd with something completely new and fresh, fittingly striking down upon the other shirts in a flash of creativity and Bowie-esque style.

Of course, Roma is not your everyday football club. The Giallorossi is at the forefront of the wider footballing community, becoming famous not only for performances and success out on the pitch, but also the pioneering work on social media and subsequent charity initiatives.

This is more than a football shirt, it’s the perfect depiction of what the football club is (and always has been) all about. And it doesn’t stand alone.

Roma has always been blessed with one of the most beautiful colour palettes in football, so seeing their crest attached to such a stunning shirt is certainly nothing new.

What’s rare, however, is to see a club come up with such a majestic set of three, with Nike arguably putting together one of the finest full collections ever made.

The away design is joined by a magnificent home shirt, making full use of that glorious palette and blazing with the kind of Roman fire Daniele De Rossi would be proud of. The lightning theme features yet again, this time making its way into the smart collar and cuffs, offering a sense of uniqueness but without unnecessarily overdoing it.

The rich maroon reds of Rome are streaked across the very fabric of the game, splashing colour upon the canvas of tense title-deciders and synonymous with some of Italian football’s greatest players. To have anything different would be a travesty, and yet still Nike has managed to inject a freshness that stays true to the traditions of the club. It’s phenomenal work.

While the home kit might feature the fire of a De Rossi tackle, it’s undoubtedly Roma’s third shirt which boasts the casual beauty of a Francesco Totti assist. The lightning theme has been put to the wayside here, but in its wake comes a truly remarkable all-over jacquard pattern, which includes both ‘ASR’ lettering and the iconic Lupetto.

The Nike Futura logo features on the breast, as Roma finally indulges in a bit of nostalgia and send us back to the mid-1990s. This coincides with a glorious retro collar, which matches up with the smart sleeve cuffs by using the contrasting Giallorossi colours to unbelievable effect. It’s nothing short of stunning, gorgeous or any other synonym you want to throw in here.

It’s a shirt collection which doesn’t just break the mould or teach others a serious lesson in style, but it also never loses sight of the club’s identity. These shirts help to set Roma apart, coinciding with the other fantastic work being done off the pitch and marking yet another positive stamp on the beautiful game.

All three designs are already within the pantheon of great Roma shirts, and will take on a truly iconic status if they can be matched by excellence on the pitch.

We all remember Bruno Conti in the Barilla shirts of the 80s. We all remember the shirts worn by Gabriel Batistuta, Vincenzo Montella and Francesco Totti. Maybe, just maybe, one day we’ll look back and remember Nicolò Zaniolo wearing a lightning-themed masterpiece.

Click here to shop the current AS Roma kits on the official club store.