The 10 best Chelsea kits of the Premier League era | OneFootball

Chelsea have been five-time champions and ever-presents of the Premier League since its inception in 1992, but which of their kits in this time were their best?

With 30 years and more to pick from and near-annual changes, there is a plethora of options to pick from. Some kits are made famous by their design and some by their sponsors, and Chelsea have had many brilliant ones over the years.

The trendiness of Chelsea’s kits in the 1990s was suitable given they were the first truly cosmopolitan club in English football, while in the 2000s and beyond, they’ve always been at the forefront of both success on the pitch and in their kit selections.

With that in mind, here are the top 10 Chelsea kits of the Premier League era.

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10 Chelsea home kit 2014/15

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Eden Hazard of Chelsea evades Sidney Sam of Schalke during the UEFA Champions League Group G match between Chelsea and FC Schalke 04 on September 17, 2014 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

This season saw Jose Mourinho capture his third league title for the club in what was the second season of his second stint in charge. The signings of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, as well as the return from loan of Thibaut Courtois, were pivotal to their domestic success, which also saw them win the League Cup.

It was only fitting so that they were clad out in a brilliant kit, its sleekness suitable for a lot of their football that season.

9 Chelsea away kit 2003-05

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Frank Lampard of Chelsea celebrates after scoring the first goal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on September 20, 2003 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

The first away kit of the Roman Abramovich era was one of the club’s absolute best. The design was exquisite with black and blue stripes down the middle of a white canvas.

It was highly suitable that in its second year of use, the club won its first league title in 50 years under Jose, although by then it was more of a third kit for the Blues.

8 Chelsea home kit 2016/17

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Diego Costa of Chelsea (L) celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Southampton and Chelsea at St Mary's Stadium on October 30, 2016 in Southampton, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

The Blues roared into action after a shocking 10th-place finish the previous season, winning their second league title in three seasons in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge.

93 points came in one of the more underrated league-winning seasons, and the Blues did in style, both in terms of their 3-5-2 football and their brilliant home kit. It was the last time the club have were Premier League champions. Maybe they should go back to this design next season?

7 Chelsea home kit 2003-05

LONDON - DECEMBER 18: Arjen Robben of Chelsea celebrates scoring his teams third goal during the Barclays Premiership match between Chelsea and Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on December 18, 2004 in London, England. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images)

Like their away kit from this period, their home jersey was a thing of beauty and unbelievably suitable to the kick-off of the golden period in the club’s history.

Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho had a season each with this as the home kit, as the Blues began to outspend every single club in the world on their way to a thrilling league title and back-to-back Champions League semi-final appearances.

6 Chelsea away kit 1997-99

Chelsea were the first club to truly embrace the globalisation of the Premier League, signing the likes of Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Frank Leboeuf in the later stages of their careers. This led to the Blues becoming hugely successful in cup competitions.

Their yellow and blue away jersey in 1997/98 became iconic for many of these runs, with the Autoglass sponsor a bonus. Jerseys from this period have since become retro favourites of the Stamford Bridge faithful.

5 Chelsea home kit 2005/06

LONDON - APRIL 09: Didier Drogba of Chelsea in action during the Barclays Premiership match between Chelsea and West Ham United on April 9, 2006 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

The club’s 100-year anniversary had a jersey more than appropriate as gold was added to the Umbro kit in place of its standard white-lined design. That the Blues were defending Premier League champions and went on to defend their crown made it all the more memorable.

Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba played and looked like champions from day one.

4 Chelsea away kit 2008/09

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Frank Lampard of Chelsea celebrates after scoring the first goal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on September 20, 2003 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

A full yellow kit sounds a bit risky, but it came off in spectacular style for Chelsea in another season of ups and downs for a club that seems to just thrive on chaos.

Big Phil Scolari arrived in West London to much fanfare, but things went pear-shaped rather quickly, leading to Guus Hiddink being drafted into rescue the club’s season, which of course he did. A third-placed league finish was great but an FA Cup triumph topped things off, and the yellow kit looked elite in the Wembley sun.

3 Chelsea home kit 1995-97

Another top-tier kit from the club’s mid-1990s renaissance, which would see them lift the FA Cup in the second and final season of this home kit design.

Coors was the drink of choice for the season and made it for a classic sponsor.

2 Chelsea home kit 1997-99

17 Sep 1998: Roberto Di Matteo of Chelsea in a challenge with Erik Edman of Helsingborgs during the European Cup Winners Cup match at Stamford Bridge in London, England. \ Chelsea won the game 1-0. \ Mandatory Credit: Ben Radford /Allsport

From one brilliant home kit to another, Chelsea knocked it out of the park in the mid-to-late 1990s. This period also saw the club's first challenge for the league title, coming third and just four points off champions Manchester United in 1998/99.

With Gianfranco Zola running the show on the pitch and Gianluca Vialli in the managerial dugout, Chelsea were super stylish and their kit reflected this magnificently.

1 Chelsea home kit 2012/13

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 29: Chelsea's David Luiz argues with referee Martin Atkinson after receiving a yellow card during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on September 29, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The gold worked so well in 2005/06 that they did it again seven seasons later to further team success, and again it was very fitting given it came off the back of their first Champions League title the season prior.

Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard looked resplendent in the kit as the Blues went through another mid-season managerial change which led to more trophy success. The club’s most disliked manager ever, Rafael Benitez, replaced club legend, Roberto di Matteo, much to the chagrin of the fanbase. A Europa League title by May of that season only slightly tempered their feelings towards the ex-Liverpool gaffer.