Home 2006/09
Manufacturer: Adidas
Source: Sport Shop on eBay
THE COUNTRY
After the 1998 World Cup, my interest for the German national team slowly faded. I was (and still) am an avid supporter of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and so the thought of cheering for a team, mostly consisting of Bayern München players, didn’t really make sense for me. Instead of rooting for the Germans, I decided to support the underdogs of the football world.
During the EURO 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, my nation of choice was Slovenia. In 2004, however, an even smaller footballing nation emerged into the bel étage of European football: the Latvians!
With a surprising second place in their qualification group, Latvia entered the play-offs where they managed to beat Turkey and consequently became the first Baltic team to ever qualify for a major tournament.
While Latvia wasn’t as successful as the other underdogs of the tournament – the Greek – they still managed to earn a more than respectable point, when they drew 0-0 with Germany.
Latvia, a country where football only ranks third in popularity (behind ice-hockey and basketball), was ecstatic and many saw a great future for the team. However, what would follow was the slow and steady decline of Latvian football… (read more here).
THE SHIRT
Even if I only started my quest for the 211 FIFA shirts in 2019, I was always very much interested in football jerseys. For the EURO 2004 I was determined to buy a Latvia jersey, to show my support, yet none of the sport shops in knew had any in stock. I was in fact able to find a shirt online, but the hefty price tag scared me. While browsing eBay in 2006 I came across this very shirt and bought it for a more than reasonable price.
Of course, I didn’t have the slightest idea that it was even possible to collect a football jersey of every country, so I felt that my newly acquired Latvia jersey was in fact an absolute rarity.
The shirt is based on an Adidas template and features a divisive asymmetric collar. Kept in maroon, Latvia’s national color, the shirt gains some individuality and also features a nice FA badge with golden details.
Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to get the shirt in size L. While I could comfortably wear it in the baggy-pants-laden 2000s, I would love to have it in size S or M. So, if you got one lying around, feel free to contact me.
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