THE VITALS:

Team: Real Madrid

Brand: Adidas

Era: 2004-05 (Used for the 2004-05 La Liga season)

Name/Number: Beckham #23

CONDITION: EXCELLENT

This article comes to you in nothing short of excellent condition! There is very little, if any, sign of wear or bobbling, meanwhile, all of the applications (name and numbering, sponsorship decal, Adidas embroidery and club crest) are in steadfast condition.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: 32-34

Pit to Pit Measurement: 18 inches

Shirt Length: 26.5 inches 

Made by Adidas in 2004 as part of their ‘ClimaCool’ range; as a rule of thumb, I’d say this shirt would be perfect for someone who wears an extra small garment, or still uses XL boys. Therefore, please bare this in mind if you are a size small.       

DESCRIPTION:

After moving away from a classic fold collar in 2003-04; Adidas continued Real Madrid’s home shirt evolution by adorning ‘Los Blancos’ with their now legendary template which was introduced in 2004. The base and sleeves were presented in a glistening, luminous and shining brand of white, while the side panels and underarms where a plainer mesh; altogether creating a majestic expression of Real Madrid’s famous white shirt! Further caveats were the default contemporary v-neck collar that all of the Adidas templates used that season, and of course, the adaption to the 3-stripes coming down the sleeves, which in this instance was black. While this shirt was synonymous with a tumultuous season for the club, it was no doubt a campaign you could not keep your eyes off of! Moreover, this would be the last shirt worn by the original ‘Galactico’ – Luis Figo, as well as it being the sole season in Real Madrid colours for both: Walter Samuel and Michael Owen.

THE SEASON:

A spectacular collapse in the final quarter of the season saw Real Madrid relinquish their La Liga title to Valencia, and with the addition of an embarrassing UEFA Champions League exit against Monaco and a stunning Copa del Rey Final to Real Zaragoza saw Carlos Queiroz relieved of his duties after just one season in charge.

Jose Antonio Camacho returned for a second spell to manage the club ahead of the 2004-05 season, and he would be given the signings of: Michael Owen, Jonathan Woodgate and Walter Samuel as additions in his new foray.

His reign would begin with 4 straight victories; navigating past Wisla Krakow 5-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Champions League 3^rd Qualifying Round, before putting together back to back 1-0 successes over Mallorca and Numancia respectively to kick off the new La Liga season.

It would be downhill from there for the former Spanish national team head coach as he resigned from the post on 20/09/04 following back to back defeats to Espanyol and then Bayer Leverkusen. Mariano Garcia Remon came in to replace him however, his stint only lasted 2 months as he was dismissed following the 1-0 defeat to Sevilla on 22/12/04! With the club 10 points off the paces; Brazilian coach – Vanderlei Luxemburgo was drafted in from Santos to guide the club from 2005.

He would get the team back on track as they won their first 7 games in the league under his stewardship, and only an early spring blip slighted his record, as he finished the season on an unbeaten 9 match run, including a fine 4-2 win over Barcelona on 10/04/05. His Real Madrid side would eventually finish in 2^nd place and just 4 points behind Barcelona.

The cup competitions would end in bitter disappointment as Real Madrid crashed out of both the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 against both: Real Vallodolid and Juventus respectively. This would also be a notable season as it was the final season for the original ‘Galactico’ – Luis Figo, meanwhile, while the trio of: Santi Solari, Michael Owen and Walter Samuel also left the club ahead of the 2005-06 season.

The notable players that season were:

Ronaldo, Raul, Fernando Morientes, Michael Owen, Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Thomas Gravesen, Guti, Albert Celades, David Beckham, Javi Garcia, Ruben de la Red, Roberto Carlos, Ivan Helguera, Jonathan Woodgate, Alvaro Arbeloa, Michel Salgado, Walter Samuel, Juanfran, Raul Bravo, Pavon, Iker Casillas, Cesar Sanchez, Diego Lopez