THE VITALS:

Team: Portugal

Brand: Nike

Era: 2014-15 (Used for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and for the 2016 UEFA European Championships Qualifying Campaign)

Name/Number: #7

CONDITION: EXCELLENT

These shorts come in excellent, and seemingly never worn condition!

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Extra Large

Waist Measurement: 10.5 inches

Shorts Length: 21 inches

Please bare in mind the waist measurement of these shorts which are significantly shorter than the sizing would suggest.

DESCRIPTION:

In honour of the Portugal Football Federation’s 100^th year anniversary; Nike equipped the ‘Selecao’ with a dazzling horizontal striped outfit ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Portugal! 2 shades of red and crimson are implemented, with the latter beginning at the base of the shirt before ghosting into the paler shade of red as the shirt progresses to the collar! The crimson home shorts continue the render of the home shirt from the lighter shade of red into crimson at the hem of the shirt; when worn with the shorts, complete the full transition!  

DESCRIPTION:

After their epic conquering of Sweden to reach the Finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup; The ‘Selecao’ had four games to prepare for their ‘Group of Death’ in Brazil coming their way in June. That road began with a sensational 5-1 win over Cameroon on 05/03/14. They’d continue their preparations, just under 3 weeks out from their World Cup opener against Germany, by drawing 0-0 with Greece in a rematch of the Euro 2004 Final. After Mexico were beaten 1-0 on June 6^th, Portugal would conclude preparations with yet another 5-1 victory; this time over the Republic of Ireland.

Portugal took to the field against Germany on June 16^th against the sweltering heat of Salvador, Brazil, and would be beaten by Germany for the 4^th competition of the last 5; this time falling 4-0 to the eventual champions. Silvestre Varela’s 95^th minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw with USMNT on June 22^nd, before their Group Stage exit was confirmed, despite defeating Ghana 2-1 in their final Group Stage outing on June 26^th.

Paulo Bento was given the grant of reprieve following the disappointment in Brazil, however, after a defeat to Albania to kick off qualification for Euro 2016; he would be replaced by Fernando Santos. Santos’ debut would begin with a 2-1 defeat to France on 11/10/14, but would enjoy a fine end to the year by winning the remaining 3 games in 2014 including a 1-0 win over Argentina on 18/11/14!

2015 would begin with a 2-1 win over Serbia on March 29th, however, they’d slip to an incredible 2-0 defeat to Cape Verde 2 days later. A Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick would see off Armenia 3-2 to continue their trajectory towards Euro 2016, and Santos would add another high profile scalp to his tenure when Portugal overcame Italy 1-0 in their June 16^th friendly in Switzerland.

He’d once again come unstuck against France in a September 4^th friendly in Lisbon, but that defeat would be little more than an aberration as they coasted to 3 more wins in qualification to seal their passage to Euro 2016 having won 7 of their 8 qualifying bouts! 2015 would end with an upset loss to Russia, before overcoming Luxembourg 2-0 on November 17^th.

The notable players that season(s) were:

Helder Postiga, Eder, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hugo Almeida, Nani, Vierinha, Silvestre Varela, Rafa Silva, Ruben Amorim, Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho, William Carvalho, Miguel Veloso, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, Ricardo Costa, Luis Neto, Andre Almeida, Joao Perreira, Beto, Rui Patricio, Eduardo