Jersey Week: The five worst Juventus kits of the last decade

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Quick disclaimer off the top,: It is I, the artist formerly known as Manu C. With the upcoming launch of the yet to be named BWRAO podcast, it felt like a good moment to stop writing under a pseudonym and start using my real name for a change. That’s it, that’s the news, back to the article.

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As Jersey Week continues here at SB Nation, we thought it would be important, nay, necessary to bring some unpleasant memories back.

As much as we would all love to only talk about the cool looking jerseys, the bad ones also deserve some recognition. Because how could we tell a jersey is great if it weren’t for an atrocity in the past?

In order to give these kits their full due, we are only taking into account the last decade of Juventus football. Starting with the 2010-11 season and using this currently on hold season as the cutoff date, it works great since we almost achieve a 50/50 split with kits manufactured by Nike and Adidas.

Will that split hold when we get to the countdown?

Let’s find out.

Here, in my opinion, are the worst five Juventus jerseys of the last 10 years. As always, this a subjective analysis, as taste differs between fans and there is no real right or wrong answer. However, do remember that if you do disagree, I’m right and you are wrong. I don’t make the rules, folks.

Let’s get it.

5. 2018-19 away kit (Adidas)

After reviewing all of the kits Juventus has worn, it kind of shocked me how very few of them are actually legitimately bad. By and large, both Nike and Adidas did OK jobs in general with a lot of decidedly sharp looks.

That’s how you start this list — with a jersey like this one which is objectively not horrible! The only reason it makes the list is because, well, it’s boring.

In fact, it’s so boring it was insanely difficult to find a job in the BWRAO archive where Juventus is wearing it as it quickly got supplanted by the third kit during that season as the de facto away jersey despite this one being the actual away kit.

They grey/beige color is as bland as it gets, and while the top button gives it a little flair it is not enough to really make the kit stand in any way. Again, it’s not bad per se, but I doubt many of you even remember it and that’s enough to land it on the list.

4. 2011-12 away kit (Nike)

By far what I imagine is going to be the most contentious choice on this list.

This kit was used as the away kit in the 2011-12 season and as the third choice kit in the 2012-13 season, so Juventus got their money’s worth with this design. I’m sorry, but I hate it. The large black star looks cartoonish and silly and the pink hue is far too strong for my taste.

Pink kits are risky propositions in general, but you live and die with the tone of pink you select. At the time, I guess, neon colors were more popular, but it’s still not great for me. The Adidas rendition a few years later was a far better spin on the pink concept kit and the superior look by and large. I know a lot of people really like this one and whatever floats your boat, my guys, but I cannot join you on that one.

4. 2016-17 third kit (Adidas)

The Zebra kit!

A clearance rack staple for what, I swear to God, felt like two years.

This kit is the most “What if...” kit of them all, because at its core I kind of like what they were trying to do. Incorporating the zebra print into a jersey is a bold decision that I think could have really looked great. Unfortunately, what we ended up with was ... not.

I do not know what it is but it was a kit that never quite seemed to look right. Maybe using the print in the whole jersey? Or reversing the colors so it was all black with white details? Something could have done to make this look better, unfortunately we will never know.

Also, it couldn’t have helped that they debuted this at a preseason friendly against West Ham in which a clearly overweight Gonzalo Higuain made the kit no favors. Look at the above photo, I know it’s preseason but come on my guy, you just became the highest all-time transfer in Italy!

Luckily, we all know he played himself into shape and it was just a bad day at the office for him, but it doesn’t help the case of the zebra kits.

2. 2019-20 away and third kits (Adidas)

This season has been by far the worst year for Adidas as a kit manufacturer for Juve. If you want to add the home kit to this tier I wouldn’t blame you, as the decision to take away the classic striped look was an extremely controversial one. However, once the initial shock wore off, I ended up really liking how the kit looked as a whole. It won’t be making any best of the best lists, but I think it was a worthy effort.

The away and third jerseys are rough, though. Both kids are lightly emblazoned with what looks like a camouflage pattern? It’s legitimately hard to explain what they were trying to do, but the effect at best feels unnecessary and at worst its just ugly

I especially loathe the blue on blue on blue look Cristiano Ronaldo is sporting on the above photo. You have to, have to, assume they were shooting for a Smurfs look, right? I mean they had to realize that’s what it looked like.

This could easily be the best of the worst, if you will, if it weren't for a clear victor from earlier in the decade.

1. 2014-15 third kit (Nike)

Brutal. Just awful.

The undisputed winner of the worst kit of the last decade is this Kermit-looking kit design that was bad back then and it kind of looks even worse now.

It manages to combine so many aspects of other bad kits into just one. The monochrome look, the colors not being related to Juventus at all, the neon, oh God it’s just so neon green it hurts.

There is nothing redeemable about these things, and they couldn't even get the name and number right! The white on the number provides no contrast and it gets lost, why not match it to the black of the other details? Who knows!

A sad swan song for Nike who stopped manufacturing Juventus kits after that season. The failure is magnified because the other kits developed during that year were actually some of the best looks Nike did while working for Juventus, but there is no way to salvage this MLS-looking monstrosity.