With the Bundesliga officially resuming on 16 May after the COVID-19 pandemic put world football on an enforced break, now is as good a time as ever to officially pledge allegiance to a German side and sport their colours.
Lockdown has also proved the perfect excuse to spend silly amounts of money on unnecessary items, so you can see this as us adding to your shopping list of essential items. Absolutely essential.
If you still haven’t managed to find your German club of choice and find yourself as an avid fan of all things football kits, then look no further. 90min has ranked every single home and away kit from the 2019/20 Bundesliga season from worst to best, to help you make your decision final.
*Disclaimer: 90min is not responsible for any impulse purchases of football kits you decide to make off the back of reading this list…
36. Union Berlin – Away
Someone always had to be last, and unfortunately it’s Union Berlin’s away effort.
It’s a poor one as kits go anyway, but that collar just takes things to another level of ugly. Ban ugly collars on football kits, please.
35. Borussia Monchengladbach – Away
Whoever thought that a big yellow block, slap bang in the middle of an already risky shade of blue, would look good needs to take a long hard look in the mirror at themselves.
Wearing that shirt, too. Probably help them learn not to make that mistake again.
34. SC Freiburg – Home
I’ve worn Sunday league kits with more effort put into them than this one. It looks like that really bad AC Milan copy shirt that your uncle got you for Christmas 10 years ago.
Just smile and nod, and shove it to the back of the wardrobe…
33. Fortuna Dusseldorf – Home
In karate, you have to earn your belts in gradings. Thus, in football you should have to earn the right to put a collar on your kit.
It looks classy and vintage when Europe’s elite do it, but resembles a polo shirt in the Topman sale when everyone else tries it. Sorry, Fortuna fans.
32. Hertha BSC – Away
Back onto Sunday league kits, there isn’t a shirt in this list that is more Sunday league than this one.
Bog standard, outdated Nike template, horrendously ugly sponsor. Next.
31. Hoffenheim – Home
This one is the best of a bad bunch thus far; credit to Joma for trying something a little bit different, but unfortunately different doesn’t always mean good.
The uneven checkered design looks like fencing, and the collar seems confused as to what it wants to be when it grows up.
30. Mainz 05 – Home
There’s something strangely cool about that incredibly German sponsor, but any positives are completely squashed by the decision to combine a collar with a v-neck.
Topman. Sales rack.
29. Mainz 05 – Away
It’s the exact same, but the colours have flipped. Do better, Lotto.
28. Union Berlin – Home
The collar on Union Berlin’s home shirt is immediately better, but that doesn’t make it good.
It’s just a bit meh, isn’t it?
27. Wolfsburg – Away
You can’t have a team name as fierce as ‘Wolfsburg’ – it literally has the word ‘wolf’ in it – and then take to the pitch in a baby blue and green kit.
The new Volkswagen logo that’s lost a bit of weight is also somewhat unnerving.
26. Hertha BSC – Home
Another outdated Nike template, but admittedly this one lands a lot better. The big white and blue stripes feel like a proper throwback.
But for the sanity of everyone watching the Bundesliga, PLEASE FIND A NEW SPONSOR.
25. SC Freiburg – Away
The really cheap collar has been ditched for a much more sensible round neck, and the white and black stripes are a classic that work.
That sponsor is a massive let down, though. So is the lack of a striped back.
24. SC Paderborn – Home
The collar is admittedly horrific, but there’s something about the blue and black combination that’s quite striking.
Looks decent at first, until you realise it’s somewhat reminiscent of the gradients used on every Powerpoint presentation, ever.
23. Augsburg – Home
Credit to Augsburg for trying to make it work with a pretty bold colour combination. Ultimately, though, this kit was never making it to the top considering the competition.
Not bad, not great.
22. SC Paderborn – Away
Again, the collar is a nightmare, but the black and white is a cheat code combination on kits. It just works.
Nice sleeve design, too. Shame about the sponsor looking incredibly League Two.
21. RB Leipzig – Away
There’s only so much you can praise or criticise a combination as classic as deep blue and red.
The fact that it’s essentially a Red Bull t-shirt, not a football kit, is what holds it back.
20. Köln – Away
This one is a really basic, but smart effort from Uhlsport.
The red stripes on the shoulders give the kit a little pop, but when you actually consider what we’re looking at, it is just a plain white kit. Nothing groundbreaking.
19. Fortuna Dusseldorf – Away
Fortuna’s away kit is a much more simple, yet effective effort. And any de-facto English fans looking to support Fortuna should opt for this one.
The way the sponsor is integrated into the design makes for bonus points, but what holds it back is that it’s very similar to most Bayern Munich efforts.
18. Werder Bremen – Away
The inherently German sponsor taking centre stage on Bremen’s away shirt creates a unique look.
Combined with the very well put together white and green, it’s a solid effort from Umbro.
17. Hoffenheim – Away
This one is very much like marmite. Not in colour, obviously, but because most will either love it or hate it.
That mint green body is an audacious decision, but ultimately one that works for us. Just. It gets the green light. (Pun intended).
16. Borussia Monchengladbach – Home
Again, this one’s another polarising effort.
Points awarded for creativity and audacity here; it sort of looks like someone’s been testing out new washing up liquids on it, but it does work. In a way.
15. Wolfsburg – Home
This one is probably a surprise entry to many, being so high up.
But when a shirt resembles something that D-X would’ve strolled down to the ring in on an episode of Monday Night RAW in 1999, it’s impossible not to rate it highly.
And if you’re not down with that, we got two words for ya…
14. RB Leipzig – Home
The football traditionalists will be staying well away from adopting RB Leipzig as their chosen Bundesliga side, but you can’t deny that the kit is a good effort.
The subtle graphic on the main body of the shirt takes it up a notch from being so basic. Begrudgingly good.
13. Bayer Leverkusen – Home
An underdog in the football kit world, Jako have done a brilliant job of making Bayer Leverkusen appear as an intimidating, serious team.
The black accents with the red body are unrivalled, and the splashes of white with the subtle diagonal stripes make for a very well-rounded, underrated shirt.
12. Eintracht Frankfurt – Away
A very subtle half and half design on a plain white body; it sounds boring, but it steals the show.
Again, the sponsor fits into the shirt well and Frankfurt’s badge is excellent. Very classy.
11. Werder Bremen – Home
Most green kits are destined to be ugly, but Werder Bremen’s home shirt is a serious exception.
The shade of green used is fresh, and creates a very classy, traditional feel to the shirt. It doesn’t need any flashy components, because the base colour is bold enough. Smart.
10. Augsburg – Away
Their home effort was high risk, minimal reward. But the Augsburg away shirt goes back to basics and is a solid number.
You can’t go wrong with a basic shirt. Especially to balance out a somewhat eccentric shirt elsewhere in the collection.
9. Köln – Away
Very similar to the Augsburg away, Köln opt for a basic red away shirt.
Very subtle, thin pinstripes going down the shirt breathe some extra life into it, however. Effective.
8. Bayern Munich – Away
They don’t come cleaner than this.
It’s an away kit made for the elite. So clean, not a blemish on it. Until you take it to the astro and stain it, that is.
7. Schalke – Away
A similar approach to the adidas Bayern Munich away kit, Schalke take the edge with a very basic yet very sleek design on the sleeves.
The turquoise hit is beautiful.
6. Borussia Dortmund – Away
That black is mean, isn’t it?
Are Dortmund capable of having a bad shirt? No. This one is excellent.
5. Bayern Munich – Home
If we look past the v-neck, this Bayern Munich home kit ticks all the boxes.
Pure, true colours. The sponsor looks like it wants to be there, and the subtle design in the base of the shirt gives it a traditional feel. You could wear that with anything.
4. Schalke – Home
Again, Bayern just lose out to Schalke.
That’s not something you hear often these days, but in kit talk it’s absolutely necessary. Umbro have nailed it for Schalke – those sleeves are tremendous, and the shade of blue is perfect. Another one you’d wear anywhere.
3. Bayer Leverkusen – Away
Leverkusen make the top three with their away shirt. Look familiar?
It should do, because this season’s away shirt is last season’s home shirt. The design is a beauty as it was, but further bonus points for keeping a kit for two seasons in the modern age of football. The traditionalists should be all over this one.
2. Eintracht Frankfurt – Home
Sometimes you can climb up to the top rope, take the dive and your opponent can roll out of the way. When you land the move however, the results are devastating.
Nike went up top with this one, and boy did they connect. The Eintracht Frankfurt home kit is a risky one, but rewarding. The combination of the different coloured stripes, sat on the black base, is striking. This is one for the history books.
1. Borussia Dortmund – Home
Taking the top spot is Puma’s effort with the Borussia Dortmund home kit.
If you can pull off a yellow home shirt, you deserve credit as it is. But Dortmund make yellow home shirts cool. The thing. Style. Those sleeves are unrivalled, and make an already eccentric shirt pop even more. Iconic.
Let’
