Away 2022/23
Matchprepared Ildefons Lima Solà 03.06.22 LAT 🇱🇻 : AND 🇦🇩 3-0
Manufacturer: Erreà
Source: Collector
When Italian manufacturer Macron took over the „UEFA Kit Assistance Scheme” in 2018, Europe’s smaller footballing nations were finally granted bespoke kits which reflected their individual national identity. After Macron’s contract with the UEFA ended in 2022, collectors were curious what other Italian manufacturer Erreà’s approach would be. While other nations like the Faroe Islands or Cyprus received pretty boring shirts, Andorra was undoubtedly the winner of Erreà’s 2022 kit run. Certainly, a step backwards in quality, the shirts’ actual designs might be the best ones the country had in years.
The blue away shirt comes in a classy design with dark zigzag patterns, resembling the Pyrenean mountains and, for the first time in Andorra’s footballing history, the team takes the field wearing the country’s coat of arms on their chest, rather than a federation badge.
This shirt was prepared for no one other than Ildefons Lima Solà Andorra’s former captain and current world record holder. With a career spanning 24 years and 109 days, Lima became a national player for his country in 1997 when he was just 17 years old, making him the football player with the longest international career! He debuted in Andorra’s second ever match – a friendly against Estonia – where he would also score his first goal for his country. With 11 goals in 134 games, Lima is not only Andorra’s most-capped player, but also the team’s top goalscorer. All that while being a central defender!
Despite being a football legend, Lima is also an avid shirt collector. Thanks to his numerous appearances against big national teams in the past, he swapped shirts with players like Wayne Rooney or Cristiano Ronaldo. Lima also owns every Andorra shirt ever used, which makes an Andorra shirt collector like me very jealous ;-).
