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Matchworn Alfred Jermaniš 10.11.96 SVN 🇸🇮 : BIH 🇧🇦 1-2
Manufacturer: Puma
Source: Collector
THE COUNTRY
The small Central European country of Slovenia in some way fittingly represents Europe as a whole:
The moderate climate and beautiful Alpine scenery in the north, the lush forests and vineyards in the east, and the Mediterranean coasts in the southwest are a perfect summary of what can be expected of the average European country.
“Average” is also a great cue to describe the countries footballing performance. Having had their most successful period from 2000 to 2010, with team qualifying for the 2002 and 2010 World Cup, as well as the EURO 2000, the subsequent years were hallmarked by a steady decline. In 2021, however, the team was able to win their Nations League group, enabling them to get promoted to group B, where they will face Sweden, Norway and Serbia.
THE SHIRT
It was in the early 2000's when Uhlsport gave Slovenia's jerseys their trademark look, by adding a stylized version of the Triglav mountain to the front of the shirts.
Before that, the national team would wear mostly template-based shirts by Puma and Adidas, kept in green and white.
While this shirt is not particularly spectacular, it does evoke some memories of the mid-90's Bundesliga, when Werder Bremen would wear the same template. What makes the shirt really special, however, is the fact that this design was only ever used in a single match, making it one of the rarest shirts of the national team.
Worn by midfielder Alfred Jermaniš during his team's 1-2 loss against Bosnia & Herzegovia, the jersey has a flocked number as well as a flocked federation badge, giving the impression that the shirt was put to together at the last moment. Interestingly, the front number is kept in green, while the number on the back is black, confirming the assumption that this jersey was only intended as a transitional shirt, before the team would eventually switch to Adidas.
