Retro Atletico Madrid Shirt – Los Colchoneros Through the Ages

Atletico Madrid were founded in 1903 by Basque students as a subsidiary of Athletic Club Bilbao, breaking away to become an independent club in 1906. For decades they were a solid but secondary presence in Spanish football, winning their first La Liga title in 1940 and establishing a rhythm of league challenges across the 1940s and 1950s. Their defining golden era, however, came in the 1970s under coach Luis Aragonés. Atletico won back-to-back La Liga titles in 1973 and 1977, and reached the European Cup final in 1974, memorably drawing 1-1 against Bayern Munich in Brussels only to lose the replay two days later. It remains one of the great what-ifs in Spanish football history.

The club endured a catastrophic relegation to the Segunda División in 1999-2000, a fall as shocking as any in Spanish football. Yet they bounced back immediately, and the following decade laid the groundwork for something historic. When Diego Simeone took charge in December 2011, he transformed a club drifting in Real and Barça's shadows into genuine contenders. Under Cholo, as the Argentine is universally known, Atletico won La Liga in 2013-14 in stunning fashion – clinching the title on the final day at the Bernabéu itself, an act of sporting theatre perfectly scripted for a club that has always thrived on the underdog narrative.

Atletico also reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2014 and again in 2016, both times losing heartbreakingly to city rivals Real Madrid. The 2016 final in Milan went to penalties after Sergio Ramos equalised in stoppage time to mirror the 2014 Lisbon final – a cruelty almost beyond belief for Atleti supporters. Yet the club's spirit never cracked. They won the Copa del Rey, the UEFA Super Cup, and added another La Liga title in 2020-21, their tenth league championship. The Madrid derby – El Derbi Madrileño – remains one of Europe's most charged fixtures, a clash of cultures, class, and identity that defines the capital every season.

Atletico Madrid's history is populated by players of immense quality and character, men who embodied the club's relentless work ethic and heart.

Luis Aragonés was not only the architect of the 1970s success as manager but a legendary forward for the club throughout the 1960s, scoring over 120 goals for Atleti. His spiritual successor in terms of iconic status is Fernando Torres, the boyhood Atlético fan who emerged from their academy and became one of the most thrilling strikers of his generation before his emotional homecoming in 2015 to end his playing days at his first love.

Antoine Griezmann arrived in 2014 and blossomed into arguably the finest player in the world during his peak seasons in Madrid, combining ice-cold finishing with supreme technical quality. His jersey numbers flew off the shelves. Radamel Falcao, the Colombian predator who spent just two seasons at Atleti between 2011 and 2013, scored 70 goals and won the Europa League and UEFA Super Cup, creating memories that still bring audible sighs from supporters.

In goal, Jan Oblak has been a decade-long pillar of certainty behind one of Europe's meanest defences. Diego Forlán, Sergio Agüero, and Diego Costa all wore the red and white stripes with distinction. And as manager, Diego Simeone transcends football to become part of the club's cultural identity – his fist-pump on the touchline, his combative philosophy and intensity, an extension of everything Atletico Madrid represents.

The Atletico Madrid retro shirt is defined by those iconic bold red-and-white vertical stripes, one of the most distinctive designs in football. In the early decades the stripes were broader and the fabrics heavier, lending a working-class sturdiness to the kits that perfectly matched the club's identity. The 1970s kits under Luis Aragonés featured a classic simplicity – no sponsor, a clean badge, and that unmistakable candy-stripe pattern that turns up on supporters' walls across the world.

The 1980s brought kit manufacturers more visibly into the design, with Meyba producing some memorable takes on the traditional scheme. The early 1990s saw a brief but striking period with different collar designs and the first major commercial shirt sponsorships. The mid-1990s kits – particularly the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons under the Jesús Gil era – have become cult items among collectors for their bold graphic elements and vivid colour contrasts.

The 2013-14 La Liga title-winning shirt is perhaps the most coveted retro Atletico Madrid shirt of the modern era – worn during Simeone's miracle season and immortalised by Griezmann, Costa and company. Away shirts in blue-and-white or all-navy have their own dedicated following. With 270 options in our shop, from the Vicente Calderón days to the Metropolitano era, there is a piece of Atleti history here for every taste.