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While most of the big clubs across world football’s top leagues have their kits supplied by global giant sports brands — such as Nike, Adidas and Puma — a less-known Italian company has been standing right alongside them with its own impressive lineup.

Having reviewed hundreds of this season’s jerseys — ranging from league and tournament kit rankings to uncovering the most stylish and wildest shirts — Macron consistently stood out, delivering some of the best, most imaginative, and expertly executed designs of 2024.

The Bologna-based manufacturer may not provide teamwear for many of the most illustrious clubs out there, but some of the home, away, third-alternate and special-edition designs that it has been cooking up are among the finest we’ve seen.

Macron has successfully muscled its way into the professional kit picture and can now legitimately stand shoulder-to-shoulder with soccer’s apparel giants, who recently have often relied on producing multiple variations of the same template.

In addition to all of the Macron kits that have been featured in our coverage this year, here are some other top-notch jerseys worn by clubs outside of the elite.

AD Cueta (home)

This shirt was designed in collaboration with fashion label Pompeii. It proved to be an instant hit among footballing hipsters and it’s not hard to see why. With vintage checkerboarding and bold, gold-block lettering, the jersey is as stylish as it is distinctive.

Cádiz CF (home)

Cádiz have a true retro-modern classic on their hands. The angular, asymmetrical graphics are a visual nod to the home shirts worn by the Spanish side back in the 1990s, and the bright canary yellow is suitably fitting for a club in a city on Spain’s southern coast.

CD Castellón (away)

As part of a set of kits celebrating Castellón’s promotion to the Segunda División, the away shirt is inspired by the “essence of the earth,” with a tricolour band on the sleeves to represent the hues of the province — green for the pine forests, blue for the coastline, and orange for the Mediterranean orange groves. As if that wasn’t enough local flavour, a linear pattern taken from ceramic tile art can also be found in the fabric.

The Belgian club ran a preseason competition for young fans to submit designs for their 2024-25 fourth kit and the result is this rather unusual geometric effort. Here’s hoping it inspires a trend for more fan-designed jerseys in the future.

FC Basel (fourth)

Macron has been supplying Basel’s kits for the past three years and this season it cooked up a wild batch of designs — from the radical, flame-licked home and away kits to a bespoke prematch shirt featuring an aerial map of the Swiss city printed in silver on black. However, the gilded special-edition fourth shirt puts them right back in the room. The basilisk — a mythical half-rooster, half-serpent creature that once appeared on the city’s historic coat of arms — now graces the shirts of the local football club, featured repeatedly in the weave of the stunning gold jersey.

Miami FC (home)

While MLS club Inter Miami CF have got fans all over the world wearing pink jerseys with Lionel Messi‘s name on the back, their kit is put firmly in the shade by the city’s “other” team. USL Championship club Miami FC, founded in 2015, is wearing the “Predator kit” this year — an azure home shirt embossed with a reptilian skin print inspired by the Florida Everglades’ apex predator, the American alligator.

Real Sociedad obviously have a firm blue-and-white striped template when it comes to their home kits, but the same rules do not apply to their away jerseys which have been black, pink, grey, mint green and orange in recent years. The 2024-25 edition sees the Basque club going for gold with a lustrous design inspired by the beams and joists of their Anoeta stadium.

Ternana Calcio (third)

Superb stuff from the Italian second-tier side, whose nifty grey 2024-25 third kit is inspired by the colours of their home city’s municipal coat of arms (black, red and green) as well as the armoured scales of the dragon that appears on their club crest. If House Targaryen had a football team, they’d probably turn out in something like this.

Vancouver FC (Cherry Blossom kit)

Directly inspired by the vibrant pink blossoms of cherry trees that bloom across the Canadian city each spring, Vancouver FC’s special-edition shirt also supports Pink Shirt Day, a national anti-bullying campaign, with a portion of every sale donated to the cause.

Wrexham (away)

While the Welsh club’s red home shirt features a subtle dragon scale pattern, Wrexham’s grey away jersey brings the design to the forefront. The pattern is a tribute to the 266 people who lost their lives in a tragic explosion and fire at the nearby Gresford Colliery in 1934, which caused tunnels to collapse.

York United FC (away)

Eschewing the old adage that blue and green must never be seen together, Canadian side York United used their club colours to great effect to create this exquisite checkerboard jersey. The club’s away kit, with it’s thick green bars and pinstripes of green and gold, is worthy of inclusion here in its own right, but the home kit just about shades it in the style stakes.

Images courtesy of @adceutafc, @cadizclubdefutbol, @cdcastellon, @fcbasel1893, @macronfootball, @realsociedad, @ternana_calcio_official, @themiamifc, @vanfootballclub, @yorkutdfc on Instagram

Arsenal suffered a major injury blow on Monday after Mikel Arteta confirmed winger Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks” with a torn hamstring.

Sources have told ESPN that the 23-year-old was told the news after seeing a specialist, having left the stadium on crutches following the Gunners’ 5-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend.

“It’s not looking good,” Areta said. “He’s going to be out for many weeks. I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks.

“It’s a huge [blow]. He’s obviously a big player for us, you just have to see the impact that he has on the team. It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.

“I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet. But I have a few. Then I want to speak with the players as well to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because that is going to mean we are going to be different.

“He was gutted. You can tell that he has not been injured because he was really, really emotional and really down. And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. And he will be fine but he is going to need a few days. He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room.

“His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”

Although Arteta was keen to play up the internal alternatives, news that Raheem Sterling is also set for a spell on the sidelines following a knee injury is a further blow given the Chelsea loanee would have been an obvious replacement.

“He’s going be out for weeks I believe,” Arteta said. “He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury. It’s his knee. We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”

It is the third hamstring injury Saka has suffered this season.

The England international is a pivotal player for Arteta, starting 16 of their 17 Premier League matches — only missing October’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth through injury.

He has amassed nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games across all competitions and when asked whether Arsenal are ready to go into the January transfer market to replace Saka if needed, Arteta replied: “The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem out at the same time.

“We predicted more it would be something else, for example if something happened in the defensive line. But the job is done and, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad.”

Arsenal host Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Arsenal suffered a major injury blow on Monday after Mikel Arteta confirmed winger Bukayo Saka will be sidelined for “many weeks” with a torn hamstring.

Sources have told ESPN that the 23-year-old was told the news after seeing a specialist, having left the stadium on crutches following the Gunners’ 5-1 win at Crystal Palace last weekend.

“It’s not looking good,” Areta said. “He’s going to be out for many weeks. I cannot be too specific because I don’t know, but it will be many weeks.

“It’s a huge [blow]. He’s obviously a big player for us, you just have to see the impact that he has on the team. It’s going to be a really good exercise for us to think of ways to overcome another challenge because we’ve had a lot over the season.

“I am putting some ideas together. I haven’t got there yet. But I have a few. Then I want to speak with the players as well to understand how we are going to generate that and take it in a positive way. Because that is going to mean we are going to be different.

“He was gutted. You can tell that he has not been injured because he was really, really emotional and really down. And we need to lift him up. It is a big part of his job. And he will be fine but he is going to need a few days. He will immediately realise that he is so important in that dressing room.

“His energy level, his body language, and how he communicates with the rest of the team has to be really good because it is the only way at the moment he can help, so he better do that well.”

Although Arteta was keen to play up the internal alternatives, news that Raheem Sterling is also set for a spell on the sidelines following a knee injury is a further blow given the Chelsea loanee would have been an obvious replacement.

“He’s going be out for weeks I believe,” Arteta said. “He needs further testing tomorrow to understand the extent of his injury. It’s his knee. We have to wait and see another 24 hours. Unfortunately he’s going to be out for a while.”

It is the third hamstring injury Saka has suffered this season.

The England international is a pivotal player for Arteta, starting 16 of their 17 Premier League matches — only missing October’s 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth through injury.

He has amassed nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games across all competitions and when asked whether Arsenal are ready to go into the January transfer market to replace Saka if needed, Arteta replied: “The preparation is done and we are ready if something happens. Obviously we didn’t predict a situation with Bukayo and Raheem out at the same time.

“We predicted more it would be something else, for example if something happened in the defensive line. But the job is done and, okay, if something has to happen, we will be open. But the main focus is now, how will we extract still a lot of potential that there is in this squad.”

Arsenal host Ipswich at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Ruben Amorim is under no pressure from Manchester United bosses to pick Marcus Rashford, a source has told ESPN, with the Portuguese head coach being allowed to handle the situation with the England forward without outside intervention.

Rashford has been dropped from the squad for the last three games, including the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Sunday. Speaking during his exile, the 27-year-old has said he is “ready for a new challenge.”

His continued absence could harm United’s negotiating position ahead of a possible move when the January transfer window opens. But a source has told ESPN that Amorim will be left to decide when to reintegrate Rashford with no pressure from co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe or technical director Jason Wilcox to bring him back in from the cold.

Wilcox is heading up United’s recruitment following Dan Ashworth’s exit as sporting director just five months after arriving from Newcastle United.

Rashford is one of United’s top earners on more than £325,000-per-week. He’s under contract until 2028 — a potential stumbling block for any interested club looking for a cut-price deal.

A source told ESPN that Rashford has been told there is no guarantee that a January transfer will materialise. United are willing to listen to realistic offers.

Despite a downturn in form which has contributed to Rashford losing his place in the England squad, he remains United’s biggest star and they will not consider offers which are not viewed as financially viable.

Rashford said he wanted a “new challenge” just two days after being axed from Amorim’s squad for the 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It is unclear whether he has submitted a formal transfer request.

Speaking about Rashford’s decision to comment publicly on a potential move away from Old Trafford, Amorim told Sky Sports on Monday: “It is a hard situation. I understand that these players have a lot of people around them, making choices that are not the first idea from the player.

“I am always here to help Marcus. I have to do what I have to do. They chose to do the interview, as it is not just Marcus. I understand that.

“As a coach I focus on performance and the way you train. The rest, it is better for me and the club to deal with that when the time comes. At the moment I focus on improving Marcus and we need a talented guy like Marcus. I forget the interview now and see what I see on the pitch.”

Rashford has scored seven goals in 24 appearances in all competitions so far this season. He signed a lucrative long-term contract in July 2023 but has scored only 15 goals in 67 games since.