THE VITALS:

Team: Argentina

Brand: Adidas

Era: 2015-17 (Used for the 2015 Copa America, the 2016 Copa America Centenario and the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Campaign)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: EXCELLENT

This article comes to you in excellent condition with the material standing brilliantly bar some marks and pulls on the back of the shirt, meanwhile the national team crest and Adidas embroidery are in great shape!

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Small

Pit to Pit Measurement: 18 inches

Shirt Length: 27 inches 

Made by Adidas in their ‘ClimaCool’ range of shirts which they introduced in 2015, this shirt continues Adidas’ transition into more fitted shirt sizes as these dimensions lend themselves to a perfect size small fitting shirt!

DESCRIPTION:

Barely a year after Adidas released the home and away strips for Argentina ahead of their quest to win the World Cup in 2014 came a fresh pair home and away kits for the ‘Albiceleste’ in 2015 to adorn them ahead of the quest for continental glory at the 2015 Copa America in Chile! Unlike the home strip which was replaced again in 2016, the away shirt would remain for a near 3 year cycle until the new home and away shirts were released in November 2017. The new away shirt would maintain the v-neck cross-over collar that was used for the 2014 away shirt, however, the similarities end there as a darker navy was restored as the away colours after the split shades of blue that were used in 2014. White would also be restored as the colours of the Adidas 3-stripes and embroidery, while a darker shade of navy and sky blue were also included as minimal applications. This shirt would be worn in Argentina’s victories over: El Salvador, Uruguay, Bolivia and the United States of America between 2015-17.

THE SEASON(S):

A rollercoaster 2014 for Argentina that featured the heartbreak of losing in the final of the World Cup would end with defeat to Portugal in a Messi vs Ronaldo glamour friendly in England as the ‘Tata’ Martino era went 3-2 in its first five matches.

2015 would see attention moved towards winning the Copa America in Chile in the summer and begin qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The year got off to a winning start as the pair of March friendly’s in the USA against El Salvador and Ecuador. The national side would reunite in June to put 5 goals past Bolivia as they readied themselves for the Copa which kicked off against Paraguay on June 13^th.

Argentina would throw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Paraguay, however, 1-0 wins over both: Uruguay – the reigning champions who incidentally won the title in Argentina back 2011 and then Jamaica ensured that the 14x Copa America winners reached the quarter final against Colombia. Carlos Tevez would get his redemption after missing his penalty in the shootout versus Uruguay in the quarter final back in 2011; he would score the spot-kick that sent Argentina to the semi-final!

Instead of the anticipated super-clasico against Brazil; Paraguay would be their opponents in the semi-final on 30/06/15, unlike the group-stage affair; Argentina ran rampant – winning 6-1 to reach a second successive major tournament final as they faced Chile in the final on 04/07/15. Sadly for the ‘Albiceleste’ their hearts would be broken again, losing on penalties to the host nation.

Following on from their defeat in the Copa America final, they would beat Bolivia 7-0 on 04/09/15, however, the qualifying campaign for the World Cup would begin with a pair of draws with Paraguay and the Brazil, before ending the year with a 1-0 win over Colombia.

2016 would begin with Argentina and Chile reprising their Copa America final clash in Santiago, and Argentina would prevail 2-1 in the Chilean capital on 24/03/16 and then saw off Bolivia 2-0 to conclude the March 2016 round of qualifiers.

The opportunity to win continental gold would present itself again in 2016 as the Centenario edition of the Copa America took place in the United States, and they would kick-off the tournament by defeating Chile 2-1 in Santa Clara on 06/06/16. Gerardo Martino’s side would light up the group stage with follow up wins over Panama and Bolivia with 5-0 and 3-0 wins respectively. Argentina carried that form into the quarter final when they defeated Venezuela 4-1 on 18/06/16 to set up a semi-final versus the hosts – USMNT. It would be yet another goalscoring showcase for the ‘Albiceleste’, as they won 4-1 to set up a fateful rematch with Chile in the 26/06/16 final.

Over 82,000 fans packed into the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford where another goalless draw unfolded after 120 minutes to set up yet another penalty shootout. Lionel Messi and Lucas Biglia would miss their respective kicks as Chile claimed back-to-back Copa America final wins over Argentina. In the aftermath of these most recent set-back saw Martino abdicate his post as manager, and in a stunning turn of events; Lionel Messi would also declare his retirement from the national team!

Edgardo Bauza would be entrusted with seeing Argentina to the World Cup, fortunately, there was nearly 5 months between his debut in the dugout against Uruguay on 01/09/16 and in that time, the AFA were able to convince Messi to end his international exile, and he would score the goal in the 1-0 over Uruguay. The new tenure would not find it easy as Argentina drew twice followed by 2 defeats, before ending the year with a win over Colombia to reignite the qualifying campaign.

2017 would start with a crucial 1-0 win over Chile, however, they’d be set back once more in the quest for Russia as they were beaten 2-0 by Bolivia on 28/03/17. This game would be the last for Bauza in charge as he was replaced Jorge Sampaoli – the man who guided Chile to their back to back Copa America triumphs over Argentina!

His first test in the dugout would be against Brazil, and Gabriel Mercado’s goal would a 1-0 win over Brazil in what was a first win over their fierce rival’s since 2012. They would follow that win by beating Singapore 6-0, however, back on the World Cup qualifying front, a trio of draws with: Uruguay, Venezuela and Peru left automatic qualification hanging in the balance with victory a requisite in the final game against Ecuador on 10/10/17 to ensure they were in the draw for the Group Stages of the World Cup. In the country’s time of need, who else but Lionel Messi would step up to the plate as he netted a hat-trick in Quito to earn a 3-1 win for Argentina, and more importantly, a 3^rd place finish in the group to reach the World Cup in Russia in 2018!

The notable players that season(s) were:

Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Rodrigo Palacio, Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Angel di Maria, Erik Lamela, Paulo Dybala, Nico Gaitan, Javier Pastore, Roberto Pereyra, Enzo Perez, Fernando Gago, Ever Banega, Lucas Biglia, Matias Kranevitter, Augusto Fernandez, Javier Mascherano, Pablo Zabaletta, Marcos Rojo, Nicolas Otamendi, Ramiro Funes Mori, Hugo Campagnaro, Gabriel Mercado, Ezequiel Garay, Martín Demichelis, Facundo Roncaglia, Federico Fernandez, Sergio Romero, Mariano Andujar