Retro Leicester City Shirt – The Foxes' Fairytale Legacy

Founded in 1884 as Leicester Fosse by a group of old boys from Wyggeston School, the club joined the Football League in 1894 and adopted the name Leicester City in 1919 when the town was granted city status. The early decades were marked by steady growth rather than silverware, but the Foxes gradually established themselves as a resilient force in English football.

The post-war era brought Leicester's first genuine taste of glory. Under the management of Matt Gillies in the 1960s, the club reached successive FA Cup finals in 1961 and 1963, though heartbreak awaited on both occasions. The League Cup provided the breakthrough – Leicester won the competition in 1964, beating Stoke City over two legs, giving the Filbert Street faithful their first major trophy. A second League Cup followed in 1997 under Martin O'Neill, with Steve Claridge's dramatic extra-time winner against Middlesbrough at Wembley sending the blue half of the East Midlands into raptures. O'Neill's side repeated the feat in 2000, defeating Tranmere Rovers to lift the cup once more.

Leicester's history is also defined by its remarkable capacity for reinvention. The club has experienced multiple relegations and promotions, bouncing between the top flight and the second tier with a frequency that has tested the loyalty of supporters time and again. The early 2000s brought financial turmoil and a painful drop to the third tier for the first time in the club's history, yet each setback only seemed to strengthen the bond between team and city.

Then came 2015-16 – the season that changed everything. Claudio Ranieri's 5000-to-1 outsiders did what no scriptwriter would dare imagine, winning the Premier League title with a band of players assembled for a fraction of what their rivals spent. It remains the single greatest achievement in English football history, a fairytale that resonated far beyond Leicester. Local derbies against Nottingham Forest and bitter rivalries with Coventry City have added further colour to the Foxes' story, while European adventures in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2017 proved the title was no fluke.

Leicester City's pantheon of legends stretches across every era. Gordon Banks, widely regarded as the greatest goalkeeper of all time, made over 300 appearances for the club in the 1960s before departing for Stoke City and World Cup immortality. Arthur Rowley remains the club's all-time leading scorer, a prolific striker whose record has stood for decades. Frank McLintock developed into one of the finest defenders of his generation at Filbert Street before his celebrated move to Arsenal.

Gary Lineker, Leicester born and bred, began his extraordinary career with the Foxes, scoring 103 goals before moving on to Everton, Barcelona, and England glory. Peter Shilton, another goalkeeper of supreme talent, honed his craft at Leicester before becoming England's most capped player. The O'Neill era brought fan favourites like Emile Heskey, Muzzy Izzet, and Neil Lennon, warriors who gave everything in blue.

The miracle season elevated new heroes: Jamie Vardy, the non-league striker who broke the record for scoring in consecutive Premier League matches; Riyad Mahrez, the Algerian magician whose trickery mesmerised defences; N'Golo Kanté, the tireless midfielder who seemed to cover every blade of grass. Manager Claudio Ranieri orchestrated the impossible with warmth and tactical shrewdness. Brendan Rodgers later guided the club to FA Cup glory in 2021, with Kasper Schmeichel and Youri Tielemans writing their own chapters in the Leicester story.

Leicester City's royal blue has remained the club's defining colour since the early twentieth century, creating a consistent and instantly recognisable identity. The 1960s and 1970s shirts were simple yet elegant – plain blue with white trim, often paired with white shorts, embodying the no-nonsense style of the era. These early designs are treasured by collectors for their clean aesthetic and historical significance.

The 1980s introduced sponsors for the first time, with Ind Coope adorning the chest, while Admiral and Bukta produced kits featuring the bold design choices typical of that decade. The 1990s saw a golden era of Leicester shirt design – the iconic Fox Leisure home kit and the Le Coq Sportif strips from the O'Neill years are among the most sought-after retro Leicester City shirts on the market today. The Walkers Crisps sponsorship became synonymous with the club during this period, a local partnership that felt genuinely organic.

The 2015-16 Puma home shirt transcended football entirely. That simple blue jersey with the King Power logo has become one of the most iconic shirts in Premier League history, a collector's grail that symbolises the greatest underdog story ever told. With 14 retro shirts available in our shop, there is a piece of Foxes history for every taste and era.