England vs Italy: Ranking the 9 best kit matchups since Italia '90 | OneFootball

Highlights

There’s no doubt about it, England vs Italy is one of football’s greatest fixtures, drenched in history. The two countries have shared some epic head-to-head battles over the past 40 years, including the Italia 90 third-place play-off, the famous 1998 World Cup qualifier, and, more recently, the European Championship final in 2020.

The countries have also shared some of their legendary counterparts playing domestically in both the Premier League and Serie A. Think Chelsea’s Gianfranco Zola, or Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli - still the only Italian to win the Premier League to this day, after setting up Sergio Aguero for that famous goal in 2012. There was Ray Wilkins at AC Milan, David Platt at Juventus and Sampdoria, plus, who can forget Paul Gascoigne, who went over to Italy to wear the blue of SS Lazio in the mid-90s.

As well as the on-field battles, the English and the Italians have been two of the best-dressed international teams over the years. The all-white of England and the Azzurri blue are two of the most recognisable kits in world sport.

When it comes to football fashion, content creator and football shirt collector, Ollyhud, knows his stuff. His insights into the aesthetics and history of football jerseys make his rankings a must-read for kit enthusiasts. From Kappa’s iconic skin-tight Italy kit to Umbro’s 28-year partnership with the Three Lions, and while both sides continue their preparations ahead of Euro 2024 next year, let us take you through the best England vs Italy kit matchups from the past 40 years.

9 2012: England 0-0 Italy

Let's kick off this list with an absolute thriller of a game at Euro 2012. Just kidding. A bore draw in normal time, Italy took England to penalties where Andrea Pirlo took one of the most memorable Panenka spot kicks of all time, dinking the ball down the middle past a helpless Joe Hart.

The Italian midfield maestro pretty much ran the show throughout the match without ever really getting out of second gear. Much like the game itself, the kits on show were pretty boring and came in at rock bottom of our rankings. He appeared to be completely unphased by the Three Lions midfield right up until the penalty shootout, and even the most loyal of England fans won't argue about how well Pirlo played on the night. A simply scintillating performance.

8 2014: England 1-2 Italy

Into the next major tournament and ANOTHER meeting between the two nations with, you guessed it, the same outcome. You'll notice a pattern as we go down this list, with the Italians breaking English hearts more often than not.

In fact, out of the 31 times the teams have met, Italy have won 13 matches, England nine, with nine draws. The first meeting came in 1933, ending in a 1-1 draw, and Italy didn't manage to beat England until the ninth time of asking, 40 years later in 1973. Since then, it's been the Azzurri who have all the bragging rights.

This was the case in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Both teams went into the tournament as favourites to win the group, which also included Costa Rica and Uruguay. Despite beating England 2-1 in the opener, Italy failed to qualify for the knockout stage. The less said about England, the better.

Even in terms of kits, it was a drab affair. It was England's first tournament in Nike gear and, quite frankly, a rather forgettable plain England shirt. Italy's wasn't great either, reverting to the polo shirt collar but a disappointing effort from Puma as far as Azzurri kits go.

7 2018: England 1-1 Italy

When England hosted Italy at Wembley in 2018, it was in preparation for the World Cup in Russia. Having taken over from Roy Hodgson following the Three Lions' embarrassing defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup was Gareth Southgate's first major tournament as England boss. Little did we know that England were about to embark on their most successful run in major tournaments in history, with a semi-final and a European final on the horizon.

The match ended 1-1, with Jamie Vardy opening the scoring before a late Lorenzo Insigne leveller for the Italians, who had failed to qualify for the tournament for the first time since 1958. Not much happened on the pitch, and the same can be said for the kits. Two dull efforts from the two massive footballing nations.

6 2002: England 1-2 Italy

England vs Italy is usually a straightforward affair; England wear white, and Italy wear blue. However, when the two teams met in 2002, for some reason the Three Lions wore red. Maybe there was a new shirt release that needed marketing before the World Cup...

This England away shirt goes down in the history books as the shirt that David Beckham wore to gain redemption at the 2002 World Cup, scoring that famous penalty to beat Argentina after the heartbreak of 1998. But other than that, a fairly average shirt. This Italy shirt, however... Mamma Mia!

We've placed this kit match up at number six on the list, but not because of Kappa's Italy shirt (don't worry, this shirt reappears further down the list). We feel the England kit brings the quality down a tad.

5 2023: Italy 1-2 England

At five on the list, we have the two current shirts. The most recent meeting was a tense affair at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples. England ran out victorious with goals from Harry Kane and Declan Rice on a memorable night for the Three Lions, putting them in full command of Group C in UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying.

We're used to seeing England in this shirt by now, having reached the quarter-finals of the Qatar World Cup with some memorable performances against Iran, Wales and Senegal. However, we're still unsure about the thought of Italy wearing Adidas.

The Azzurri made the switch from Puma to Adidas earlier in the year and, despite Italy and Adidas already having a historic relationship - Adidas provided Italian kits for the 1974 and 1978 World Cups - there's something not right about seeing the shirt being worn on the pitch.

Anyway, with Adidas' rich history of international kits, we're confident that future releases will hit the mark. You've only got to look at the Germany, Argentina, Sweden and Japan shirts from down the years. The sportswear giant has created some of football's most iconic shirts, and it's only a matter of time before they get things right with Italy—still, a decent effort.

4 2021: England 1-1 Italy

The Euro 2020 final is the match that the build-up promised a lot. Wembley Stadium, under the famous arch, the Three Lions in a major final for the first time since 1966 and the wild scenes inside Wembley after beating Denmark. However, the story did not go according to plan. England took the lead, Italy equalised, and the game went to a penalty shoot-out. You know the rest (sorry, England fans!).

However heartbreaking this game was for the Three Lions faithful, and the questionable decisions that took place in the game as far as the hosts were concerned, it was the best kit match-up in recent years. Italy's will go down as a modern classic and England's is probably the best we've had in the Nike era, despite fans of both teams having different memories of this game.

3 1997: Italy 0-0 England

In 1997, England and Italy faced each other three - yes, THREE - times, and the scores turned out pretty even. Italy won the first game 1-0. England then won the second 2-0 in Le Tornoi, but the most important result was 0-0 in Rome. A game that sealed England's place at France in 1998.

It was a memorable result for England, with Paul Ince, Paul Gascoigne and David Beckham all part of Glenn Hoddle's squad, but also a couple of memorable kits. England in Umbro. Italy in Nike. Some classic '90s collars on show. What a match-up!

2 1990: Italy 2-1 England

Italia 90 was known for its football shirts. The tournament had quite possibly the best selection on show compared to any tournament, ever! England's trio of home, away and third shirts are widely regarded as the Three Lions' best-ever kit combinations, with the third now a cult classic and fan favourite.

Italy's Diadora design wasn't bad either. The Italians ended up beating England in the third place play-off on home soil thanks to goals from Roberto Baggio and Salvatore Schillaci, in between David Platt's second-half strike. Who could forget the iconic scene of Paul Gascoigne crying? A man who charmed an entire nation despite finding himself on the losing team on the night, and has some amazing stories from this tournament.

1 2000: Italy 1-0 England

At number one we have two beauties! One that we've seen already in this list (see number 6), and another one that is one of England's greatest-ever kits. In our opinion, anyway.

Let's start with Italy's kit, which they wore for two tournaments - Euro 2000 and World Cup 2002. A minimalistic masterpiece from Kappa, with a simple tricolour badge, a plain blue design and the Kappa logo on the sleeves. On top of this, a skin-tight material that would revolutionise football shirts. And don't get me started on the all-white away shirt... bellissimo.

And then, there's England's shirt, crafted by Umbro. A kit that just screams 90s football. The faint pattern on the shirt, the Umbro badge running down the sleeves, the crew neck. But the thing that made these Three Lions shirts so iconic were the red namesets. Absolute beauties!

The two countries had contrasting tournaments at Euro 2000, with England eventually losing out on second place in the group to European giants Romania - yes, Romania. Although Germany did finish bottom of the group, so every cloud and all that. The Italians went on to the final, eventually losing out to France through a David Trezeguet Golden Goal.