How famous is a soccer team that wears white jerseys as their official kit? Very popular right? Perhaps because white is a fascinating and unique color that tends to grab attention easily.
For every professional soccer team, their official jerseys are a means of identification, and more often than not the choice of color is often being determined by the team’s history, culture, or tradition.
So in a sport where kits are as important as the players themselves, ever wondered who the best soccer teams with white jerseys?
1. Real Madrid
Los Blancos “The Whites” as they’re famously called, is arguably Europe’s biggest club synonymous with the all-classic white home kits that they’ve worn for decades across all European soccer stages.
Real Madrid’s all-white kits were inspired by London’s Corinthians FC in 1925 when two of Los Blancos’ former players fell in love with the jersey of the team known for their famous kits which is synonymous with their legacy for elegance and fair sportsmanship.
While the classic all-white jersey has been Real Madrid‘s trademark for decades, there was a time in the history of the iconic club when they failed to wear their white and thereby opted for a black kit.
Then President of the club Pedro Parages, a year later declared the club would return to their all-white stripes, stating that any deviation from the norm would be a bad omen after losing to arc-rival Barcelona in an embarrassing manner in a cup game
2. Germany & England
Ever wondered why Germany and England play in white, particularly Germany despite the fact the country’s flag is a mixture of black, red, and gold?
Germany’s taste for wearing white all began in the late 1100s, following the establishment of the “Teutonic Order” a religious military group formed in Jerusalem to aid and protect Christians on their pilgrimages to the holy land.
If you check out Germany’s coat of arms, you’ll realize that the Prussian eagle remains a central part of German symbolism to date which in other words makes the team stuck with the color.
While for England, history revealed that the first the “Three Lions” lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 they wore a red shirt.
But prior to the era in which they won the World Cup, in 1872 the first ever international match that was played between England and Scotland in Glasgow, the Three Lions wore a plain white top and shorts emblazoned with blue.
England decided to ditch the blue in their kits following a crushing defeat to the United States, to opt for an outright red and white kit which they’re synonymous with to date.
3. Juventus
As a soccer enthusiast, I want to assume you’ve come across or heard the word “Bianconeri” before. If yes, ever wondered the meaning of the word and how it came by?
Juventus is an Italian soccer team based in Turin, Italy, and they’re popularly referred to as Bianconeri which means white and black or Old Lady.
The Italian giants are not only known for their signature black-and-white zebra print kits, but they’re also one of the most successful teams in the world and Italy has consistently dominated Serie A.
The Bianconeri may be synonymous with their white and black stripes, but it must be said that the Turin outfit will forever be intertwined with Notts County because of the backstory to their trademark kits.
4. Olympique Lyonnaise
If there’s any soccer team with a fascinating success story in Ligue 1, it’s Olympique Lyonnaise, for how swiftly they rose to prominence and went on to dominate the French top division for seven years.
Lyon’s official home kits have always been a mixture of white, blue, and red, but white has been the primary color of the French giant for decades.
Aside from the fact that Lyon is one of the most successful and supported clubs in France, they’re also a rooted traditional side with a massive fan base alongside arch-rivals like Olympique Marseille, Paris Saint-Germain, and Saint-Etienne.
5. Tottenham Hotspur
At the club’s AGM held in 1889, the club executives resolved to change the team color to a white shirt and dark blue stripes.
However, prior to the year above, a group of North London teenagers in 1883 formed Hotspur FC, which was named after the combative Henry Percy, popularly known in Shakespeare as Henry IV whose descendants owned land in the neighborhood.
Tottenham being one of the traditional sides in England having been elected to the Southern League in 1895, moved to their old ground in 1899 known as White Hart Lane.
Success on the field of play may have been difficult for the Lilly-whites in recent years, however, it must be said that they defied the odds in 2016 when played in the UEFA Champions League finals.
6. Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille, also known as Marseille is a French professional soccer club based in a city called Marseille France.
The club was formed in 1899 and adopted a traditional home kit which is a clean white base with sky blue accents, or white light blue shorts and white socks.
Being one of the most successful sides in Ligue 1, “Les Olympiens” won the league’s top division ten times alongside other illustrious soccer titles in Europe and France.
Like other clubs, their away and third kits follows a more experimental approach which is common amongst other team, but one thing that remains a norm for the French outfit is the white stripes.
7. Leeds United
Over the years the Elland Road outfit has sported some unique and distinctive kits, especially in the days of Don Revie in terms of colors associated with Leeds United.
The backstory behind Leeds United’s pristine all-white stripes came in an effort to get a team of journeymen and promising youngsters to aspire for greatness, which led to Don Revie famously changing the club’s kit in the early 1960s to all-white.
However, prior to Don Revie’s era, the club playing kits of both Leeds City and United were a combination of blue and gold stripes as incorporated in the heraldic Leeds City crest dating back to 1893.
But since the legendary manager Don Revie dared to dream about changing the club’s kit color, the all-white has stuck ever since.
8. Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV is a soccer team that lost its position at the elite level of German soccer after a disastrous campaign in the Bundesliga in 2017-18.
Despite being one of the most iconic and successful clubs in Germany with a resounding record that stood for 55 years in the history of the club without being relegated.
However, the 2017-18 campaign was a disastrous one for the club which led to their relegation, causing riots among the club’s supporters.
While the club is still putting in the hard work to return to the Bundesliga, being one of the famous teams that sported white kits the idea behind theirs was birthed from the city where the club is based.
9. LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy or Los Angeles Galaxy is arguably the biggest and most successful professional club based in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the United States of America.
In terms of LA Galaxy’s kits, if you look at the history of the club you’ll realize that there are three distinct eras that explain the transitions of their kits as a professional club.
The first kit worn by LA Galaxy’s players was the iconic “Teal & Black” color in 1996-97, which came with a bold look and a mixture of thick stripes to bring back memories of their early years of success in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
After the era of the “Teal and black” color, the club also flirted with different colors and designs, but one kit that remains constant in the history of the California-based club is its distinctive white and navy blue kits.
10. Pumas UNAM
The Club Universidad Nacional, also known as Pumas UNAM is a professional club based in Mexico and founded in 1954. The club was originally a college team with the acronym “Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico”.
In Pumas UNAM’s quest to celebrate their first-ever promotion in 1962, the club changed its kits from solid blue to blue pin-stripes on a golden background which ushered in a drastic transformation in their kits.
Like LA Galaxy, Pumas UNAM also experimented with their kits, but the only thing that didn’t change is their light blue, white and gold stripes coupled with the iconic position of the club’s logo.
Other Football Teams That Wear White Jersey
- Valencia
- Senegal
- Sevilla
- Tranmere Rovers
- Swansea City
- Fulham
- Derby County
- Legia Warsaw
- MK Dons
- Peru
- Poland
- Port Vale
- Preston North End
- Rayo Vallecano
- Saudi Arabia
- Spezia Calcio
- Toulouse
- Tunisia
- United States
You Might Also Want To Read This
- 10 Best Soccer Teams Wearing Black Jersey
- 50 Soccer Teams With Yellow Jersey
- 10 Best Soccer Teams With Read Jersey
- 10 Best Players To Wear The Number 4 Jersey In History
- 10 Of The Greatest Players To Wear The Number 10 Jersey
- Soccer Stadiums: How Much Does It Cost To Build
- What Happened To Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium?
- 5 Of The Best stadiums in the Chinese Super League
