THE VITALS:

Team: Italy

Brand: Kappa

Era: 2002-03 (Used for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and the 2002 European Championship Qualifying campaign.)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: VERY GOOD

This shirt remains in very good condition despite its years. The most glaring anomaly is the shade of blue which has taken more of an azure shade. Moreover, the crest has become slightly crumpled, while the fabric on one of the side panels has some stitching coming away.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Small

Pit to Pit Measurement: 18 inches

Shirt Length: 29 inches 

Although this shirt says XL on the label, given the dimension, likely alludes to the shirt being XL boys. With that being said, I have labelled this as a size small as the dimensions are clearly those of a size small by todays standards. Please also be mindful that the sleeves on this shirt are around a ¾ length, rather than the conventional half sleeve. As this was made in the Kappa mould of the early 2000’s, this shirt is very fitted and stretchable.

DESCRIPTION:

Following on from the glorious shirt used in Italy’s run to the 2000 European Championship final, Kappa somehow surpassed that edition to culminate with one of the greatest ever football shirts made in my opinion; the fabled 2002 Italy World Cup home shirt! Using a slightly lighter shade of blue than the previous iteration, Kappa changed the collar of this shirt, while using a thinner material for the side panel. Regrettably, Italy’s foray in the Far East ended in controversy in the round of 16 as they were eliminated by co-hosts South Korea under more than acrimonious circumstances.

The notable players to wear that season(s) were:

Vincnezo Montella, Marco Delvecchio, Christian Vieri, Filippo Inzaghi, Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti, Cristiano Doni, Luigi di Biagio, Angelo Di Livio, Damiano Tommasi, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Cristiano Zanetti, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro, Mark Iuliano, Paolo Maldini, Christian Panucci, Francesco Coco, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Toldo