Is your football shirt authentic or fake?
As demand for authentic football shirts has grown, so has the supply of counterfeits and some fake shirts are now almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing. In this guide, we’ll show you step by step what to look for, so you can confidently determine whether a shirt is genuine.
If you buy shirts online, you probably know the feeling, not knowing who to trust and worrying about paying too much for a fake. We have authenticated hundreds of football shirts from all major brands and compiled this guide to help you make the right choice. A suspiciously low price is often the first warning sign.
Platforms such as Vinted and Marktplaats are full of football shirts, especially popular shirts from major clubs and national teams. Many counterfeit shirts look almost identical at first glance, but an unusually low price is often the first clear red flag.
Product Codes & Style Numbers
Product codes are one of the most reliable ways to verify whether a football shirt is authentic. Each brand uses its own system, but genuine shirts always follow a fixed and consistent structure. Search the code online and compare it with an authentic shirt from the same season.
To check whether a football shirt is genuine, locate the product label and note the code exactly as it is printed. Then search for it online. The result should match the shirt you are inspecting exactly. If it leads to a different model, returns no results, or produces inconsistent matches, this is a clear warning sign.
Adidas
On Adidas football shirts, the product label is usually located near the collar. On older models, it can often be found beneath the care labels. The top line shows the production date, while the second line contains the product code. Check that this code matches the correct shirt exactly.
In addition, compare the label’s finish with authentic Adidas shirts online. Pay attention to details such as print quality, label material, and overall finishing. You can also use our authentic Adidas football shirts as a reference.