Get ready to relive the beautiful game from Italia ’90 to South Africa 2010 as we dive into the nostalgia of World Cup theme music, comparing the iconic opening tunes and broadcast stings from BBC versus ITV. From operatic Nessun Dorma that soundtracked classic England shirts and unforgettable matches, to the sounds that became as memorable as the goals themselves, we’re ranking the best and worst World Cup TV themes of the 90s and 2000s.

This episode brings together football fans, music lovers, and World Cup obsessives to debate the tunes that defined summer after summer of international football. We talk broadcast heritage, football nostalgia, iconic moments, rank the classics, and discuss how these theme tracks shaped the soundtrack of World Cups past — from BBC’s grandeur to ITV’s stylistic choices. Tune in for nostalgic chats about kits, commentators, classic matches, and the theme music that made them unforgettable.

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In this episode of Kiss the Badge, the focus is fully on football shirt collecting. From retro football shirts and vintage football kits of the 1990s and 2000s to the modern football shirt market, this episode explores why collecting football shirts has become such a powerful obsession.

I break down why I collect football shirts, whether football shirts are meant to be worn or preserved, and how modern football shirts compare to the classic kits that defined an era. We also look at the culture around football kit collecting, including nostalgia, authenticity, and what makes certain shirts truly collectible.

There’s also a practical side to football shirt collecting: the best places to buy football shirts, the worst places to avoid, how to spot good deals, and how the market for vintage and retro football shirts has changed over time.

Whether you’re deep into football shirt collecting, just starting a football shirt collection, or simply love classic football shirts from the 90s and 2000s, this episode digs into why these shirts still matter — and why we can’t stop collecting them.

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Before social media, before highlights on demand, before football became constant noise, there was school football in the 90s — and it was everything.

In this episode, I look back at growing up with football at school in the 1990s: playing every break time and lunchtime, representing my school team, and the unforgettable feeling of scoring a goal in a school match. We talk about playground classics like Wembley singles, Wembley doubles, headers and volleys, jumpers for goalposts, and how football was something you played with your mates, not something you consumed through a screen.

We also explore how our relationship with football has changed. No internet, no social media, no endless debate — just sitting down to watch Match of the Day on a Saturday night, or ITV’s Champions League coverage midweek, letting football come to you rather than chasing it.

There’s also a deep dive into the weird and wonderful world of 90s football shirt sponsors, including a look at my own Plymouth Argyle 1996 home shirts and why football kits from that era still mean so much. That leads into a discussion of Plymouth Argyle’s 1996 season, my first ever football match, and a memorable trip to the old Wembley for the Third Division play-off final against Darlington — with, of course, a word on Neil Warnock.

This is a nostalgic look at football in the 90s — school football, playground games, lower-league journeys, iconic kits, and why it felt so easy to fall in love with the game back then.

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