Home 1996/98
Manufacturer: ABA Sport
Source: Depop
Click here to listen to Mexico's national anthem:
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THE COUNTRY
Ā”Arriba, Arriba! Ā”Ćndale, Ćndale!
(Speedy Gonzales, *1955)
These might have been the first words that introduced me to Mexican culture ā or at least a cartoonish stereotype of sombreros, El Mariachi, tequila, la cucaracha and cacti. My second encounter with Mexico might have been Jorge Camposā flamboyant jerseys during the 1994 World Cup and, four years later, this iconic piece of polyester.
As an eleven-time (and therefore record-)COCACAF Gold Cup winner, the Mexican national team basically had a subscription for the FIFA World Cup and yielded great players like Hugo SĆ”nchez, Rafael MĆ”rquez, Luis HernĆ”ndez, Javier HernĆ”ndez āChicharitoā and many more.
In 2019 I finally had my third encounter with Mexican culture, when I was able to experience this beautiful country first-hand. And while some of the stereotypes turned out to be true, I wasnāt able to find a mouse with a sombrero and ADHD, however, there was una cucaracha in one of our AirBnBsā¦.
THE SHIRT
Whatās there to say, that hasnāt been said about this spectacular shirt? Top 3 stuff right there! (2nd place in BBCās āTop football shirts to wear before you die listā)
The iconic Aztec calendar inspired design by Mexican manufacturer ABA Sport was allegedly designed within twenty minutes and has since then become an absolute cult kit that fetches ridiculous prices on eBay and such. Luckily, I didnāt have to give one of my kidneys to finally get this jersey but instead was able to find it on small ads for a more than reasonable price.
Whatās special about my shirt is the āHewlett-Packardā-advertising and the āTu mejor negocioā¦ā (meaning āYour best businessā¦ā for all you gringos!) print on the collar. Although, I wasnāt able to find any information about it, I assume that this shirt was gifted to employees or advertising partners for promotional purposes. Aside from these small ad prints, the shirt is identical to the 1996 kit and came in great condition. There have actually been numerous alterations of the kit e.g., for the 1998 World Cup and even a horrible green and red version that looks like a Photoshop filter gone wrong, has been produced.
And now excuse me, Iām going to get myself some Corona (joke is only funny in 2020), put on the shirt and watch a comic mouse brutally torture a cat.
