Football HistoryBy Tochukwu Mesigo

Why Some Football Clubs Play in Unusual Colours

Why do Arsenal play in red? Why do Juventus wear black and white stripes? Most club colours were not chosen — they were borrowed, gifted or inherited.

Ask most fans why their club wears its colours and the answer is usually 'tradition'. But tradition has to start somewhere — and for a surprising number of the world's biggest clubs, that starting point was a gift, a chance meeting or a coincidence that happened over a century ago.

Arsenal Red: A Gift From Nottingham Forest

Arsenal play in red with white sleeves, and they have the famous gift to thank. In 1886, when the club was founded in south-east London as Dial Square, the founders were two former Nottingham Forest players. They had no kit, so Forest — one of the biggest clubs of the era — donated a set of their own red shirts. Arsenal have worn red ever since, and the white sleeves were added later as a design flourish.

Juventus Black and White: Straight From Notts County

Italy's most successful club wears stripes that were literally borrowed from an English club. In 1903, Juventus asked their English-born players to source a kit that would be more striking than their original pink shirts. The players asked their contacts in England, and Notts County — one of the oldest clubs in the world — sent over a set of black-and-white striped shirts. Juventus liked them so much they never changed, and the 'bianconeri' were born.

Athletic Bilbao: The Southampton Connection

Spain's Athletic Bilbao wear red and white stripes, and the origin story involves Southampton. In 1910, a Basque player named Juanito Elorduy returned from England with red-and-white shirts he had bought in Southampton — either from the Saints themselves or on their model. Bilbao adopted them the same year, and the colours spread to become the defining kit of Basque football.

Barcelona: The Basel Story

Barcelona's famous blaugrana — blue and garnet stripes — are the subject of several origin stories. The most popular version links the colours to FC Basel in Switzerland, through the club's founder, Swiss-born Hans Gamper, and a friend who provided shirts in the colours of the Swiss club. The story is repeated in club histories, though the exact details are debated. What is certain is that Barcelona have worn blue and garnet since the very beginning of the club in 1899.

AC Milan: 'Red Like Fire, Black to Invoke Fear'

AC Milan's red and black stripes were chosen by Herbert Kilpin, the English founder of the club, who explained the meaning directly: red for the fire of the club's spirit, and black to invoke fear in opponents. That explanation, passed down in club legend, is one of the few colour origins with a stated philosophy behind it.

Liverpool All Red: Shankly's Decision

Liverpool are now inseparable from all-red, but the club wore white shorts and red shirts for most of its history. The all-red kit arrived in 1964, when manager Bill Shankly decided the psychological impact of an entirely red outfit would intimidate opponents. Liverpool wore the new kit at Anderlecht and won 3-0; the colour scheme has been the club's identity ever since.

Celtic's Hoops and West Ham's Claret

Celtic adopted their green-and-white hoops in 1903, in a deliberate nod to their Irish identity and the green of Ireland. West Ham United, meanwhile, have worn claret and sky blue since the club's earliest days in the early 1900s, with the famous claret shirt with sky-blue sleeves established by 1904 — a look that has barely changed in more than a century.

Colours tell stories, and so do badges. For more club identity tales, see the strangest football club badges.

Last updated: August 2026 | By Tochukwu Mesigo | Category: Football History