THE VITALS:

Team: Japan

Brand: Adidas

Era: 2012-13 (Used for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: VERY GOOD

While the shirt does bare some slight wear and bobbling, the shirt does some still in very good condition.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: 13-14 Years

Pit to Pit Measurement: 18 inches

Shirt Length: 25.5 inches

Made in the Adidas ‘ClimaCool’ series that was introduced ahead of the 2012-13 season; this shirt, although a child’s size, could also fit someone who usually wears a size extra small shirt.

DESCRIPTION: 

After the inclusion of red in the previous shirt, Adidas took the inclusion a step further by implementing a red stripe down the centre of the shirt. This shirt would be the first in the range of Japan shirts made by Adidas to use such a dark shade of navy, however, the navy is broken up by a lighter shade, (more akin to the hue used in the previous shirt), that is used brilliantly on the sleeves. The dark navy was also used for the shorts and socks, and the red strip is also used down the middle of the socks. It is worth noting that the red stripe on the shirt pays tribute to the tragic Tsunami that affected Japan in 2011, bearing the text: “All Support For Japan”.

THE SEASON:

With 2011 concluding with Japan’s 20 match unbeaten streak (in normal time) end at the hands of North Korea, however, the memory of that loss in Pyongyang was quickly erased as they defeated Iceland 3-1 in the 2012 Kirin Challenge Cup. A second shock defeat would lurk around the corner as Uzbekistan defeated the 2011 Asian Cup winners in Aichi 5 days later. Business as usual would resume when the national side reunited in May 2012 as Azerbaijan, Oman and Jordan were beaten soundly, before battling to a 1-1 draw with Australia on 12/06/12. The highlight of 2012 would no doubt be the ‘Samurai Blue’s stunning 1-0 win over ‘Les Bleus’ (France) at the Stade de France on 12/10/12. In 2013, Japan would have the Confederations Cup in Brazil to look forward too, however, their form ahead of the World Cup curtain raiser in June was far from their best; winning just 3 of 6 games before the tournament opener against Brazil on 15/06/13. While they would exit the competition at the group stage, they would play their part in one of the finest games you would have ever seen, as they fell 4-3 against Italy on 19/06/13 in an instant classic in Recife. Prior to their participation in the Confed’s, Japan sealed their place at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and would enjoy fine wins over Australia, South Korea and Ghana before the year’s end.  

The notable players that season(s) were:

Takashi Inui, Ryoichi Maeda, Mike Havenaar, Shinji Kagawa, Hiroshi Kiyotake, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda, Yasuhito Endo, Hajime Hosogai, Kengo Nakamura, Makoto Hasabe, Hideto Takahashi, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Sakai, Yuzo Kurihara, Yasuyuki Konno, Atsuto Achida, Gotoku Sakai, Yuto Nagatomo, Masahiko Inoha, Eiji Kawashima, Shusaku Nishikawa