Badges

Which badge belongs on which shirt?

Every European competition has its own sleeve badge in its own colourway: the Champions League in white and black, the Europa League in orange, the Conference League in green. They are not interchangeable. On top of that, almost every competition badge comes in pairs: you need two for one shirt, one on each sleeve. That is regularly overlooked.

Badge of Honour and winners' patches

Clubs that have won the Champions League five times or more, or three times in a row, do not wear the standard starball but their own badge with the title count. Real Madrid, AC Milan, Liverpool, FC Barcelona and Ajax fall into that group. There is also the titleholder version, valid for a single season and a single club. For collectors those are the most interesting badges of all: they tie a shirt to one specific year. National leagues have title markers too, usually a narrow patch on the chest below the club crest.

Applying without damage

Badges go on with a professional heat press. Temperature and pressing time vary by supplier — typically 150 °C for Sporting ID, lower for others — so follow the instruction supplied with the product. Peel the carrier the way it says, cold or warm; get that the wrong way round and you lift the relief with it. Combine badges with the matching name set to finish a shirt properly.