We at The Gentleman Ultra are fascinated by football shirts, especially Italian football shirts. Many of the greatest jerseys ever made originated from Serie A.
Next in our series is site writer Henry Bell, who was given the task of whittling down his top five.
Cagliari 1969/70
In 1970 Cagliari became the first club to win the Scudetto from ‘the South’. Their success was built around the iconic number nine, Gigi Riva, who would become the mould for future bombers such as Bobo Vieri. His nickname, “Rombo di Tuono” or the “Roar of Thunder”, sounds hyperbolic but, in reality, it underplays his powerful, explosive style which resulted in a third capocannoniere crown, and a Serie A winners medal.
Henry: I’m a Napoli fan, and I know I’m not supposed to like Cagliari but my partner is Sardinian. My favourite Calcio conversations are always with my mother-in-law, Masa in Tonara, Sardinia, conducted in my terrible Italian with plenty of hand waving. It’s impossible to underestimate the esteem with which Gigi Riva is held in Sardinia, and any visitor to a bar on the island should start their Calcio chats with his name. The shirt itself is typical of the team, confident, stylish and historically underrated.
Modelled by: Gigi Riva, Nene, Ricciotti Greatti and Sergio Gori
Cagliari in 1969/70: Serie A, 1st. Coppa Italia, 3rd. Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Round of 32.
AC Milan 1987/88
In one of the most controversial Scudetto races in league history, Milan emerged champions after Diego Maradona’s SSC Napoli side dramatically ran out of steam towards the end of the season with rumours of Camorra betting rings being the principal cause. The Milan side was full of flair, fronted by Dutch duo Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit. Arrigo Sacchi’s first season had downs as well as ups but when all pieces clicked, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Henry: I wasn’t quite of football watching age during this era but have spent many an hour on YouTube going back through it. This kit is gloriously simple and, for me, is so evocative of this great side which went toe-to-toe with Napoli for many years. Milan’s 4-1 trouncing of Napoli is painful for me to watch but Ruud Gullit’s performance was the greatest individual showing against i partenopei during the Maradona era. This picture of them together is also a favourite of mine: footballing confidence personified.
Modelled by: Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Carlo Ancelotti and Ray Wilkins
AC Milan in 1987/88: Serie A, 1st. Coppa Italia, Round of 16. UEFA Cup, Round of 32.
Fiorentina 1997/98
Fiorentina finished fifth in one of the highest quality combinations of teams that Serie A has ever seen. Their Argentine talisman, Gabriel Batistuta scored 21 goals in a lethal strike partnership with Belgian Luis Oliveria. There was no shame in finishing fifth in a league with talent such as Ronaldo, Roberto Baggio, Oliver Bierhoff and Alessandro Del Piero but the momentum generated couldn’t quite lead to future success with manager Alberto Malesani departing for Parma after only one hugely memorable year in charge.
Henry: I know that everyone chooses this but is there a more representative shirt from this glorious period of Calcio? I was 13 in 1997, a fully signed up member of the James Richardson fan club and I drank in Serie A coverage on Channel 4, which was the only free-to-air football available in the UK at the time. I don’t come from a family that’s interested in football but my weekends were spent watching Batigol smash in goals and playing Fifa 96 with my brother. He’s still a Nintendo obsessive but the Calcio bug never bit him, perhaps a retro copy of this shirt might do the job?
Modelled by: Gabriel Batistuta, Rui Costa, Edmundo and Luis Oliveira.
Fiorentina in 1997/98: Serie A, 5th. Coppa Italia, quarter finals.
Palermo 2009/10
This season was one of Palermo’s famous fifth placed finishes during i Rosanero’s greatest period. The squad had quality throughout from front to back, with Edison Cavani, Fabrizio Miccoli, Javier Pastore, Simon Kjaer and Salvatore Sirigu all representing Le Aquile. Notoriously trigger happy owner Maurizio Zamparini still managed to fire a manager during the campaign, replacing Walter Zenga with Delio Rossi on match day 14. Palermo were one of the league’s entertainers, scoring 59 and conceding 47 in 38 matches.
Henry: Palermo’s pink shirts are one of the most evocative sights in Italian football. Does anything quite encapsulate Sicilia’s idiosyncrasy than these bright, almost fauvist kits?! I’d all but given up on English football by 2009, and, alongside Napoli’s phoenix-like rise during this time, Zamparini era Palermo with their goals and drama helped push me back towards the light of Calcio. It’s a shame that there’s a betting sponsor on this shirt but the memories of the season make it impossible to exclude.
Modelled by: Edison Cavani, Javier Pastore and Fabrizio Miccoli.
Palermo in 2009/10: Serie A, 5th. Coppa Italia, fifth round.
Napoli 2016/17
Maurizio Sarri’s second season in charge of Napoli resulted in the side finishing as Serie A top scorers with 94 goals. Injury to summer signing Arkadiusz Milik led Sarri to convert Belgian striker Dries Mertens to a striker and he finished as runner up in the capocannoniere race with 28 goals. The season when ‘Sarri-ball’ really took off: Mertens, Insigne, Hamsik and Callejon all finished with goals in double figures, Jorginho emerged as a world class regista with the drastically improved Kalidou Koulibaly also impressing in defence.
Henry: 2016 was a tough year for me, I’d made a career change from being a theatre director to a university lecturer and ended up living alone in Sheffield, away from my partner and family. Napoli helped this transition by providing the best team football I have ever seen. This away kit is just beautiful and it gets double points for being the only kit which has resulted in me getting free pizza. An eagle eyed owner spotted me during a trip to Sarajevo and insisted I didn’t pay. Ciro Mertens’ goal against Genoa this season is also my favourite non-Maradona strike in a Napoli shirt and what a shirt to do it in.
Modelled by: Marek Hamsik, Lorenzo Insigne, Jorginho and Dries Mertens.
Napoli in 2016/17: Serie A, 3rd. Coppa Italia, Semi-finals. Champions League, Round of 16.