THE VITALS:

Team: England

Brand: Nike

Era: 2016-17 (Used for the 2016 UEFA European Championships and for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Campaign)

Name/Number: -

CONDITION: EXCELLENT

Bar a few small pulls and some light staining; this shirt comes in nothing short of excellent condition! The overall condition of the material, crest and Nike swoosh are nothing short of immaculate.

DIMENSIONS:

Size: Small

Pit to Pit Measurement: 19.5 inches

Shirt Length: 27.5 inches 

Made in the Nike ‘Dri-Fit’ mould that was introduced ahead of the 2016-17 seaosn; this shirt makes near perfect dimensions for a size small football shirt!

DESCRIPTION:

England’s 3^rd home shirt made by Nike was the embodiment of Nike’s daring two-tone experiment they unearthed in 2016! The classic white England shirt was for the first time supplemented with blueish-grey sleeves as they looked to win Euro 2016 in France! Following on from the scheme used for the previous shirt; the home shirt was exclusively white with blue accents, with Nike still yet to use red as a colour in any of their England home shirts. The sleeves are no doubt the standout feature of this shirt, giving an almost crystal-like appearance! The other caveat of this entire ensemble was the use of red socks for the home strip; yet another first for an England home strip!

THE SEASON(S):

England entered 2016 with a series of elite level competition to prepare them for their foray in France for Euro 2016. They began against the World Champions Germany in a super-friendly in Berlin on March 26^th. A thrilling fixture saw Roy Hodgson’s side come from 2-0 down to come away from the German capital with a 3-2 win after a stirring second half comeback! 3 days later on home soil, England would lose for the first time since 2014 as they fell 2-1 against the Netherlands.

With the domestic calendar’s concluded, England would resume preparation as they beat Turkey 2-1 on May 22^nd and then on May 27^th; Marcus Rashford justified his inclusion in England’s final squad of 23 as he continued a fairy-tale start to life as a professional by netting in his England debut in the 2-1 win over Australia. Their final friendly before they started their bid to become European champions would come on June 2^nd when they defeated Portugal 1-0 thanks to Chris Smalling’s late winner.

Ahead of disturbing scenes of crowd trouble between Russian and English fans; England and Russia would battle to a 1-1 draw at the Velodrome in Marseille with Eric Dier’s late free-kick being cancelled out by Vasiliy Berezutski’s stoppage time equaliser. The must watch game of Group B was no doubt England’s meeting with Wales on June 16^th. A Wales victory would have guaranteed ‘The Dragons’ progression to the Last 16, and England were 1-0 down until Jamie Vardy’s equaliser, and then Daniel Sturridge would score a late winner to guide England to a 2-1 win. Their final group stage outing ended with a 0-0 draw with Slovakia in Saint-Etienne on June 20^th. Their return of 5 points was enough to qualify in 2^nd place where a clash with Iceland awaited in the Last 16.

The June 27^th showdown in Nice began with England taking the lead with a 4^th minute Wayne Rooney penalty, however, England would fall 2-1 down with 20 minutes and consequently, be eliminated at the hands of the Scandinavian tournament debutants. This would spell the end of Roy Hodgson’s 4 year tenure in charge of England, as the veteran coach of many Premier League clubs: Sam Allardyce was given the reins ahead of qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Off field events would reduce Allardyce to being England’s shortest serving head coach at just 67 days, however, he would secure a win in his and only match in charge; a 1-0 win against Slovakia on September 4^th.

Under 21 head coach: Gareth Southgate was given temporary charge and he guided England to a 2-0 win over Malta on October 8^th, before battling to a 0-0 draw away against Slovenia in their 3^rd World Cup qualifier. England would claim their 3^rd win in qualification with a fine 3-0 win over Scotland on November 11^th, and ‘The 3 Lions’ would conclude 2016 by surrendering a 2-0 against Spain to fall to a late 2-2 draw at Wembley.

Southgate’s performances in charge saw him given the job on a full time basis, however, his debut in the dug-out as permanent head-coach would end in defeat in Germany got their revenge for their 3-2 defeat 12 months earlier, as Lukas Podolski scored the only goal in a 1-0 win for the World Champions on March 22^nd 2017, in what was also the striker’s last game for Germany. Back on the qualification front, England picked up where they left off with a 2-0 win over Lithuania on March 26^th.

A thrilling 2-2 draw with Scotland in Glasgow unfolded on June 10^th and then 3 days later, they would be beaten 3-2 in another thrilling game, this time against France. When the national team re-united on September 1^st, they would defeat Malta 4-0, before sealing their place in Russia with a 2-1 win over Slovakia on September 4^th. An undefeated qualifying campaign would end with a pair of back-to-back 1-0 wins over Slovenia and Lithuainia saw England finish top with an 8 point cushion. Harry Kane would also end as the top goal-scorer in qualification with 5 goals.

The year of 2017 would end with a pair of glamour friendlies against Germany and Brazil at Wembley, and both games would end goalless to conclude a superb second half of the year for Gareth Southgate and his side! 

The notable players that season(s) were:

Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy, Wayne Rooney, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Raheem Sterling, Jesse Lingard, Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ryan Bertrand, Chris Smalling Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Nathaniel Clyne, Joe Hart, Fraser Forster