Chocolate works, obviously. But if the person you're buying for gets more nervous about Liverpool versus Manchester United than about choosing between milk and dark chocolate, there are better options.

An original football shirt is one of them. It already had a story before you bought it, and unlike anything from a souvenir shop, this exact piece exists only once.

Why a secondhand shirt makes a good souvenir

• It's an original. Every shirt was made for the season on its label. No reprints, no fakes.
• It's a one-off. There is exactly one of every shirt. Nobody else brings the same one home from Zurich.
• Its condition is honest. We grade every shirt from 1 to 10 and note what is worn or repaired.

For fans of Swiss football

An older FC Zürich, GC or Switzerland shirt makes a distinctly Swiss football souvenir without "ZURICH" printed across it in giant letters. For a wider choice, browse our Swiss clubs, from Basel to Servette.

For fans of international clubs

A gift bought in Zurich doesn't have to come from a Zurich club. Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern or Milan: the shop has over 900 original shirts, so there is a good chance the right club is there. Every shirt is a one-off, so the exact selection depends on what's in stock that day.

For kids and teenagers

There is a dedicated kids' shirts section in the shop. For a child waiting at home, a real shirt from their club usually beats a soft toy. Travelling with the whole family? Our route is in Zurich with football-mad kids & teenagers.

Size: the one tip that matters

Older shirts are cut differently from today's, so the size on the label tells you little. Before you travel, measure a shirt that fits the person well: lay it flat and measure armpit to armpit. We list that width in centimetres for our shirts online, and in the shop you can simply ask.

Where and when

RetroShirts
Badenerstrasse 280, 8004 Zurich
Tram 2 or 3 to Zypressenstrasse

The shop is open Tuesday to Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays. Opening hours and directions

We only ship within Switzerland and Liechtenstein, so if you're visiting from abroad, buy it in the shop and take it home with you.