MEXICO

Home 1996/98

Manufacturer: ABA Sport

Source: Depop

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THE COUNTRY

¡Arriba, Arriba! ¡Ándale, Ándale!

(Speedy Gonzales, *1955)

These might have been the first words that introduced me to Mexican culture – or at least a cartoonish stereotype of sombreros, El Mariachi, tequila, la cucaracha and cacti. My second encounter with Mexico might have been Jorge Campos’ flamboyant jerseys during the 1994 World Cup and, four years later, this iconic piece of polyester.

As an eleven-time (and therefore record-)COCACAF Gold Cup winner, the Mexican national team basically had a subscription for the FIFA World Cup and yielded great players like Hugo Sánchez, Rafael Márquez, Luis Hernández, Javier Hernández “Chicharito” and many more.

In 2019 I finally had my third encounter with Mexican culture, when I was able to experience this beautiful country first-hand. And while some of the stereotypes turned out to be true, I wasn’t able to find a mouse with a sombrero and ADHD, however, there was una cucaracha in one of our AirBnBs….

THE SHIRT

What’s there to say, that hasn’t been said about this spectacular shirt? Top 3 stuff right there! (2nd place in BBC’s “Top football shirts to wear before you die list”)

The iconic Aztec calendar inspired design by Mexican manufacturer ABA Sport was allegedly designed within twenty minutes and has since then become an absolute cult kit that fetches ridiculous prices on eBay and such. Luckily, I didn’t have to give one of my kidneys to finally get this jersey but instead was able to find it on small ads for a more than reasonable price.

What’s special about my shirt is the “Hewlett-Packard”-advertising and the “Tu mejor negocio…” (meaning “Your best business…” for all you gringos!) print on the collar. Although, I wasn’t able to find any information about it, I assume that this shirt was gifted to employees or advertising partners for promotional purposes. Aside from these small ad prints, the shirt is identical to the 1996 kit and came in great condition. There have actually been numerous alterations of the kit e.g., for the 1998 World Cup and even a horrible green and red version that looks like a Photoshop filter gone wrong, has been produced.

And now excuse me, I’m going to get myself some Corona (joke is only funny in 2020), put on the shirt and watch a comic mouse brutally torture a cat.

Ramón Ramírez: Mexico's favorite alliteration (and known for killing a family of five in a car crash)