THE VITALS:

Team: Spain

Brand: Adidas

Era: 2004-05 (Used for the 2004 UEFA European Championships and the 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: VERY GOOD

This shirt comes to you, still in very good condition, albeit with a hole in the back netting, some small pulls, wear and sign of discolour that you would expect given that this shirt is now 17 years old at the time of writing. The vinyl 3-stripes, Adidas embroidery and crest however, are in nothing short of fine standing.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Small

Pit to Pit Measurement: 18 inches

Shirt Length: 30 inches 

I would suggest that this shirt has a very relaxed fit, unlike many of the shirts that Adidas produced in their ‘ClimaCool’ series during this era; many of which were extremely baggy. The width is ideal for a small, even if the length is more akin a medium by today’s standards.

DESCRIPTION:

Much like the home strip; Adidas’ new away attire for Spain for the 2004-05 cycle was a pure successor to its predecessor. Like the home shirt; the away shirt would adopt Adidas’ new v-neck collar to replace the old hoop neck, while the mesh netting that now took up even more space of the shirt, was now fully white; neglecting the red fascia from the last effort. Amber would also be integrated in small parts with the 3-stripes running down the arms now resembling the flag of Spain, with an flag itself embroidered on the left sleeve. This shirt would hold the footnote in history of having been worn in Spain’s 1-1 draw with Italy on 28/04/2004; Roberto Baggio’s final game for Italy!

THE SEASON(S):

After sealing their place at the Euro 2004 Final’s at the end of 2003, ‘La Roja’ and their talent bustling squad had 4 games to prepare for their Euro 2004 opener against Russia on 12/06/04. Having finished 2003 on a 5-match winning tilt; Spain continued their fine form by seeing off Peru 2-1 on 18/02/04, before a 2-0 win over fellow Euro 2004 contestants – Denmark on 31/03/04 made in 7 in a row!

A month later, Spain would travel to Genoa to meet Italy in Roberto Baggio’s final international match. Spain would see their winning run end as the two of the favourites for Euro 2004 battled to a 1-1 draw. A week before their showdown in Faro against Russia; Spain saw off Andorra 4-0 on June 5^th with: Fernando Morientes, Ruben Baraja, Juan Carlos Valeron and Cesar Martin all scoring in Getafe!

With Portugal being stunned by Greece in the Euro 2004 opener; Spain would take advantage as they saw off Russia 1-0 thanks to Valeron’s winner, and after Fernando Morientes put ‘La Roja’ ahead against Greece 4 days later; qualification to the quarter final was seeming a certainty! That certainly soon became doubt however, as Greece battled to a 1-1 draw; making Spain’s clash with Portugal a winner take all showdown in Lisbon on June 20^th. The resurgent host nation of the tournament would prevail over their neighbours in this Iberian Derby, and thus, Spain would suffer the ignominy of a Group Stage exit from Euro 2004!

Inaki Saez would be replaced by the legendary Luis Aragones in the dugout with qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup the next goal for the RFEF. His first game in-charge was the 3-2 win over Venezuela on August 18^th in Las Palmas. A 1-1 draw with Scotland in torrential conditions in Valencia, was followed up by another 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica in their opening World Cup qualifier. Their first win of qualification came over Belgium on October 9^th, however, they would be held by Lithuania 0-0 in their next outing. The year of 2004 would end on a high-note as Spain defeated England 1-0 in their final fixture of the year.

Spain began 2005 with a bang as they beat San Marino 5-0 at home in World Cup qualifying, before easing past China 3-0 in a friendly on 26/03/05. Qualification for Germany in 2006 continued to frustrate as ‘La Roja’ sandwiched a win over Lithuania between draws with Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Away from World Cup qualifying; Spain would welcome friendly contests against: Uruguay and Canada, with Spain securing a pair of wins; however, 4 days after beating Canada, they could only draw at home with Serbia and Montenegro, leaving automatic qualification out of their hands. Despite wins over Belgium and San Marino in their final two qualifiers; their worst fear was realised as they could only finish 2^nd, and thus, would have to entertain a 2-legged play-off with Slovakia to determine if they would partake at the World Cup in 2006!

The notable players that season(s) were:

Raul, Fernando Torres, Alberto Luque, David Villa, Joseba Exteberria, Fernando Morientes, Raul Tamudo, Vicente, Joaquin, Juan Carlos Valeron, Guti, Xavi, Ruben Baraja, David Albelda, Pablo Garcia, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Gabri, Raul Bravo, Carlos Marchena, Carles Puyol, Miguel Salgado, Ivan Helguera, Cesar Martin, Antonio Lopez, Juanito, Joan Capedevilla, Asier del Horno, Iker Casillas, Santiago Canizares