Retro Mexico Shirt – Celebrate El Tri's Football Legacy

Mexico's football history stretches back to 1923 when the national team played its first official international. The country hosted the World Cup twice – in 1970 and 1986 – cementing the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City as one of the most legendary venues in football history. The 1970 tournament on home soil saw Mexico reach the quarter-finals, competing in one of the greatest World Cups ever staged, the same edition that produced Pelé's Brazil and the iconic Italy vs. West Germany semi-final.

The 1986 World Cup, however, remains Mexico's finest hour on the global stage. Once again hosting the tournament after Colombia withdrew, El Tri dazzled under coach Bora Milutinović. They topped their group and produced a breathtaking quarter-final against West Germany – a game that went to penalties and ended in cruel heartbreak, but left the world in no doubt of Mexico's quality. Hugo Sánchez, Tomás Boy, and Manuel Negrete – whose volley against Bulgaria remains one of the most spectacular goals in World Cup history – became national heroes overnight.

Mexico dominated CONCACAF for much of the 20th century and into the 21st, winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup a record twelve times. Their rivalry with the United States has intensified dramatically in recent decades, turning into one of the sport's most compelling regional derbies. Mexico also claimed Olympic gold at London 2012, with a young generation including Giovani dos Santos and Javier Hernández "Chicharito" outclassing Brazil in the final.

Despite repeatedly falling at the Round of 16 in modern World Cups – the infamous Quinto Partido curse – Mexico has consistently produced technically gifted sides capable of beating anyone on their day. The 2018 World Cup group stage win over Germany in Russia, sealed by Hirving Lozano's goal, sent the entire nation into raptures and sent seismic tremors through the streets of Mexico City – quite literally, according to monitoring stations.

Mexico has produced a remarkable lineage of world-class footballers, many of whom became genuine icons of the global game.

Hugo Sánchez stands as the greatest Mexican player of all time. His acrobatic goals and supreme technique earned him five consecutive Pichichi trophies at Real Madrid during the 1980s, and he remains one of the most complete strikers European football has ever seen. His presence in the 1986 World Cup shirt turned that green jersey into something magical.

Cuauhtémoc Blanco brought showmanship and invention to El Tri across four World Cups, famous for the "Cuauhtémoc" – his trademark move of cradling the ball between his feet and hopping past defenders. He was the heartbeat of Mexico's squad from the late 1990s through the 2000s.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernández became Mexico's all-time top scorer and the first Mexican to win the Premier League, his instinctive finishing at Manchester United making him a global star. Giovani dos Santos and his brother Jonathan represented the new creative generation, while Andrés Guardado served as the enduring captain and midfield architect across multiple World Cup cycles.

In more recent times, Hirving "Chucky" Lozano brought electric wing play and big-game temperament, his goal against Germany in 2018 etching his name permanently into Mexican football folklore. These players – across their respective eras – are exactly why the retro Mexico shirt carries such emotional power for collectors worldwide.

The Mexico retro shirt catalogue is a treasure trove of iconic designs that span nearly a century of football history. The classic green, white, and red palette – mirroring the national flag – has remained constant, but the execution has varied dramatically across the decades.

The 1970 and 1986 home shirts are the holy grails for serious collectors. Simple, bold green with minimal embellishment, these shirts capture an era when kits were designed for the pitch rather than the marketing department. The 1986 shirt in particular – worn during that unforgettable home World Cup campaign – has a purity and elegance that modern replica shirts struggle to replicate.

The 1994 and 1998 World Cup shirts entered the era of Adidas's more adventurous templates, featuring shadow patterns and bolder graphic elements. The away whites of the 1990s are particularly sought after, offering a clean alternative to the famous green. The early 2000s Atletica-era shirts have a cult following among collectors who appreciate their unique, non-traditional aesthetic from a period when Mexico briefly switched away from the major kit manufacturers.

Nike took over from 2007 and brought a more contemporary template, though their 2010 and 2014 World Cup editions have already achieved retro classic status. With 27 retro Mexico shirts available in our shop spanning these eras, there has never been a better time to own a piece of El Tri's storied shirt history.