Retro Genoa Shirt – Italy's Oldest Club and Nine-Time Champions

Genoa's story begins at the very dawn of organised football in Italy. The club was founded on 7 January 1893 by members of the English expatriate community working in Genoa's thriving port, making it the oldest surviving football club in Italian history. In those early years, the club dominated Italian football with a ferocity that has rarely been matched. Between 1898 and 1924, Genoa won nine Italian Championship titles – a record that stood for decades and still places them among the most decorated clubs in Italian football history.

Those early championships came in a different era, when Italian football was a patchwork of regional competitions before the unified Serie A was established in 1929. Genoa were the dominant force of that pioneering age, winning titles in 1898, 1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1915, 1923, and 1924. The 1924 title was their last, and in many ways it marked the end of an era as clubs from Milan, Turin, and Rome began to assert their financial and organisational power.

The decades that followed were marked by gradual decline from the very top, though Genoa remained a respected Serie A club for much of the mid-twentieth century. The club experienced its share of relegations and returns, including difficult spells in Serie B that tested the patience and loyalty of the tifosi. The rossoblu faithful, however, never wavered.

The Derby della Lanterna – named after the famous lighthouse of Genoa – is one of Italian football's most passionate local rivalries. Matches against Sampdoria, who share the Luigi Ferraris ground, carry enormous civic weight and have produced some of the most emotionally charged moments in the city's sporting history. The two clubs represent different social identities within Genoa, making every derby a battle for neighbourhood pride.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Genoa experienced a revival under president Enrico Preziosi, reaching Europa League football and competing regularly in the upper half of Serie A. After another difficult chapter that saw them suffer relegation to Serie B in 2021, the club secured promotion back to Serie A in 2023 and have been working to re-establish themselves in the top flight. Their story is one of endurance, resilience, and an unbreakable connection to a city that breathes football.

Genoa's history is populated with players who became legends of Italian football and beyond. In the modern era, few players are more associated with the rossoblu than Diego Milito, the Argentine striker who served two spells at the club and became an idol before his extraordinary 2010 Champions League-winning campaign with Inter Milan. His goals for Genoa were crucial in helping the club navigate Serie A, and his connection with the fans remains deep.

Rodrigo Palacio, another Argentine, lit up the Luigi Ferraris with his creativity and work rate, as did the Brazilian midfielder Thiago Motta, who developed significant parts of his game in Genoa before going on to win the Champions League with Inter and later become a celebrated manager. Domenico Criscito, a Genoese native, became the emotional heartbeat of the club across two long spells, captaining the side with fierce local pride.

Luca Toni, the powerful Italian striker who would go on to win the 2006 World Cup, had an important spell at the club, as did the skilful Brazilian forward Rafinha. In goal, Sebastiano Rossi and later Mattia Perin were reliable presences who gave the defence confidence.

Among managers, Gian Piero Gasperini – now famous for his remarkable work at Atalanta – spent time coaching at Genoa and helped shape the club's attacking identity. His pressing, aggressive style left a mark on how the club approached the game and is fondly remembered by supporters.

In the club's earliest championship years, the rosters were dominated by English players – a reflection of the club's British founding – before Italian talent gradually took over and shaped the identity that fans recognise today.

The Genoa shirt is one of Italian football's most recognisable designs: bold red and blue vertical stripes on a classic template that has remained remarkably consistent across more than a century. The rossoblu colours are not merely decorative – they are identity, tradition, and civic pride stitched into fabric.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Genoa shirts were produced by manufacturers including Asics and Lotto, and these versions are among the most sought-after by collectors today. The wide vertical stripes of that era, combined with the relatively simple sponsor branding of the time, give these shirts an honest, athletic aesthetic that resonates strongly with retro collectors. The chest crest – a stylised griffin, symbol of the city of Genoa – anchors each design with heraldic gravitas.

The early 2000s brought Genoa shirts from Kappa, whose iconic tape detailing on the shoulders became instantly recognisable. Kappa's relationship with Italian football clubs produced some of the most collectable shirts of that era, and the Genoa versions are no exception.

Home shirts dominate collector interest, given the iconic stripe pattern, but away shirts – often in white with red and blue accents – have produced some genuinely striking designs over the decades. Third kits have occasionally used deep navy or gold, offering variety for those building a broader collection.

With 90 retro Genoa shirts available in our shop, there is an excellent range spanning different eras, from the immediately recognisable Kappa years to more recent Erreà-produced kits.