After my picks for a modern classic United shirt (See post here), I sat down to select my top 5 shirts from 1990 - 1999. This was a fantastic period to be a United fan, and I remember the shirts fondly from this time. There were a couple of shirts that were in the top 5 and a couple that were nowhere near (the 1996/1997 home and away shirts).
Best Manchester United Shirts 1990-1999
5 - 1996/1997 Third Shirt
4 - 1992/1994 Third Shirt
The iconic green and gold shirt is from the original colours of Newton Heath. Not only was this shirt amazing, so were the launch photos -
There were also squad photos with all the players having greased down hair and fake moustaches to make them look like it was the 1900s. Cantona particularly suits this look!
The string design collar was also used on the home kit for these 2 seasons. The shirt had a sublimated pattern with MUFC all over, as did the home shirt. This gives it an even better appearance when viewed up close. These are popular and collectable shirts, especially in good condition with the original strings.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of fakes around of these, mainly with CANTONA 7 on the back. This shirt has never been remade by Umbro, and I have found no official remakes.
There have been talks and rumours of Adidas doing a remake of this shirt as a third shirt in recent seasons, but it has never materialised. I cannot imagine United playing in green and gold under the Glazers ownership, but you never know!
3 - 1992/1993 Away Shirt
2 - 1998/1999 Home Shirt
The shirt from the treble season will always be remembered fondly. The home shirt in 1998/1999 had Umbro patterns down the sleeve, although this was not worn in Europe due to UEFA's advertising rules. The long-sleeved version of the shirt is highly collectable and can go for well over £300.
1 - 1990/1991 Home, Away & Goalkeeper Home Shirt
You cannot split these kits up - each one is a masterpiece and forms an incredible collection of shirts for one year. There is even the 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup away shirt that came out at the end of the season too.
The home has a unique patterned design, which is more pronounced on the home goalkeepers. This is consistent across the two shirts and ties them together well. Everything about this shirt is perfect for me as a Manchester United fan.
The goalkeeper shirt shows the design better with the green and black combo. Again these shirts are getting rarer and rarer to get hold of in good condition.
There is also an away version that follows the same template but is blue instead of green. These are even rarer, and I don't know if they were commercially available in adult sizes.
Then we get to the away shirt. What a shirt. The iconic snowflake shirt is much sought after by collectors, and they fetch a high price in good condition. This is mainly because the Adidas logo is prone to fading and coming off, the SHARP is prone to wear and tear, and the material is like a magnet for pulls! Find one in grey condition, and you have done well.
I'd love to see one found in someone's loft still with the tags in the original bag. There is bound to be one hiding somewhere.
These shirts have a match-worn/ player issue, which is the opposite of today's shirt—the badge and logo are embroidered rather than printed. If you have one that can be checked out as a player issue, it is worth a lot of money.
I hope you enjoyed this look back at my favourite United shirts from the 1990s. Find me on social media to share your favourites!
