How many football shirts are sold a year?

Here at TOFFS, we know first-hand that football shirts are one of the highest-selling forms of sports merchandise in the world. Whether they're looking for retro shirts from us or the very latest kits from the club shops, eager football fans buy millions of shirts every year - and as the sport gets ever more popular, the number of jerseys sold grows even more!

Because we know that football fans tend to love statistics, we've pulled together some numbers to provide a picture of just how high shirt sales figures can get, and show which football clubs have the most shirt sales, and which players sell the most jerseys! Let's dig in...

There are few things more important in football than bragging rights, and fans are always looking for stats and metrics to show that their football club is number one. As such, getting the facts right about which club sells the most shirts isn't just a matter of trivia - it's another way of showing which side truly enjoys the greatest popularity on a global scale!

With that in mind, let's have a look at the top ten football clubs with the highest shirt sales for 2021, based on data from Statista:

1. Bayern Munich - 3.25 million shirt sales
2. Real Madrid - 3.05 million shirt sales
3. Liverpool - 2.45 million shirt sales
4. Manchester United - 1.95 million shirt sales
5. Juventus - 1.42 million shirt sales
6. Barcelona - 1.34 million shirt sales
7. Chelsea - 1.31 million shirt sales
8. Borussia Dortmund - 1.22 million shirt sales
9. Paris St Germain (PSG) - 1.18 million shirt sales
10. Manchester City - 1.09 million shirt sales

As you can see, these stats reveal a number of interesting insights into which teams are selling the most merchandise - and what that says about their recent success:

• German giants Bayern Munich were the clear global frontrunners in terms of shirts sold, reflecting their Bundesliga dominance - they sold almost three times as many shirts as Borussia Dortmund, their nearest German rivals
• Real Madrid sold more than twice as many jerseys as their bitter rivals Barcelona - perhaps reflecting the troubled spell Barcelona experienced in the most recent calendar year, including the loss of their talisman Lionel Messi
• Liverpool are the most popular English Premier League side in terms of shirt sales - but eternal archenemies Manchester United are not far behind, even despite their disappointing recent Premier League and Champions League history, showing the enduring popularity of both clubs
• Despite an underwhelming couple of years, Juventus remain by far the most popular Italian side, ranking fifth in the top ten for shirt sales - while the two most recent league winners, Inter Milan and AC Milan, did not make the top ten
• Nouveau-riche Paris St Germain and Manchester City may be enjoying considerable league success, but continue to lag behind their more established rivals in terms of recognition by the average international football fan - both teams just barely scraped the top ten

Which player sells the most shirts?

Buying a replica shirt isn't just about showing your love for your favourite team - for many football fans, it's about paying tribute to a particular player, whose name and number will be emblazoned on their back as they cheer them on from the stands.

Let's take a look at the most popular player choices for personalised football shirts for the 2021/22 Premier League season, as calculated by LovetheSales.com:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
2. Jack Grealish, Manchester City
3. Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United
4. Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea
5. Paul Pogba, Manchester United
6. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool
7. Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool
8. Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
9. Kevin de Bruyne, Manchester City
10. Jadon Sancho, Manchester United

These figures tell quite a clear story - that Man United's fanbase remains fervent in its support of the 20-time English champions, despite their recent travails, which reflects the club's elite status in Premier League history and popularity. The re-signing of global superstar and club icon Cristiano Ronaldo was clearly a key driver of Red Devils shirt sales during the 2021/22 season, as his famous no. 7 jersey was one of the fastest selling shirt options of the year, and drove the most shirt sales overall.

Meanwhile, here's a look at the most popular player choices globally for 2021, according to stats quoted by Sportskeeda:

1. Lionel Messi, Paris St Germain - 1.2 million shirts
2. Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United - 1.05 million shirts
3. Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich - 970,000 shirts
4. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool - 816,000 shirts
5. Kylian Mbappe, Paris St Germain - 790,000 shirts

These global figures help to underline what big business shirt sales are at the very top end of the game, with the biggest superstars - Messi and Ronaldo, of course - both able to sell more than one million shirts each. With both players now approaching the twilight of their careers, who will be the most popular player choice in years to come? Will it be Mbappe? Erling Haaland? Jude Bellingham? Only time will tell...

Get your retro football shirts from TOFFS

If all this talk of shirt sales has whetted your appetite for a classic football kit, look no further than TOFFS' massive range of retro football shirts! We sell high-quality replica shirts inspired by iconic kit designs from throughout the ages, including every Premier League side and the top European sides who have competed for European Cup and Champions League glory over the years.
Take a look at our range today, and get a retro shirt that shows you really know your history!