Proper Investor: The 20 soccer jerseys you must have

One of the constant questions we receive from our collector friends (via facebook & instagram @proper.soccer and email: info@proper.soccer ) is:

How can I tell if my shirt collection is gaining or losing value over time?

Every collector, regardless of what they collect, should be clear about how much their collection is worth in the international market, especially if they had to resort to selling some piece(s) to meet some financial need.

And it is that precisely during the pandemic, we have seen many collectors surprised when, when trying to sell their pieces, they discover that:

• after months of advertising them, they never receive an offer to buy
• if they do receive an offer, it is much less than what they paid (mainly for jerseys and fan version or replica items and those jerseys that have unofficial patches or numbers)
• the t-shirt they sell is a reissue version or even fake

Throughout our experience collecting t-shirts, we have found that there are liquid t-shirts in the world market, that is, pieces with high ease of sale or monetary conversion regardless of time or location and, most importantly, the conversion does not affect the market value of the piece.

Whether at some point in life you decide to sell your collection, or even a family member does it for you, it will be much easier to turn a t-shirt into the most economical amount if it is liquid pieces . Now, you will realize that these types of pieces are very besieged and therefore, the sale price is relatively high (greater than 300 USD or 6,000 mxn), however, you have the guarantee that you will minimally recover the purchase price when you sell them. .

At Proper Soccer we want our collector friends to protect the value of their jersey investment and so we took on the task of identifying 20 liquid jerseys ranked by function. We add the reference price in the international market: it can certainly vary depending on the condition of the piece or even the method of payment.

20. France 1984-1986 Adidas

 Estimated price 180 USD (3,900 MXN).

Commonly associated with their Euro '84 winning campaign, France's Adidas-designed home jersey was so popular it was reimagined for 1998 and worn by the likes of Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane in the year they lifted the Cup. of the world.

19. Germany 1988-1990

Estimated price 200 USD (4,000 MXN).

In 1990, West Germany won the World Cup for the third time, beating Diego Armando Maradona's Argentina.

The team consisted of German legends like Jurgen Kohler and Guido Buchwald.

18. Argentina 1994 Adidas

Estimated price 350 USD (7,000 MXN).

This is one of the most famous jerseys in football history, thanks to Diego Maradona's iconic celebration of his goal against Greece during the 1994 World Cup. Screaming at the cameras, he scored his last for the national team.

17. England 1982 Admiral

Estimated price 350 USD (7,000 MXN).

This classic and iconic England shirt features the national colors and was worn by football icons like Kenny Samson.

16. Borussia Dortmund 1996-1997 Nike

Estimated price 350 USD (7,000 MXN).

This design for Dortmund was worn when the team won their first and only UEFA Champions League title, beating Juventus 3-1.

In the jersey world they call it the Hockey jersey.

15. Juventus Pink 1997-98 Kappa

Estimated price 350 USD (7,000 MXN).

This pink shirt designed by Kappa was worn by the likes of Zinedine Zidane during the club's centenary season.

Marcello Lippi's team won Serie A, but was defeated in its third consecutive Champions League final by Real Madrid.

14. Inter Milan 1997-1998 Nike

 Estimated price 400 USD (8,000 MXN).

Famous for being the shirt worn by the Brazilian star Ronaldo Nazario de Lima, who came to Inter from Barcelona. The third shirt was worn when Inter won the Uefa Cup (now Europa League) by beating Lazio 3-0.

In that tournament Ronaldo showed an explosiveness never seen before and scored six memorable goals.

13. Chelsea 1986 1987 Chelsea

 Estimated price 400 USD (8,000 MXN).

This design came about as a result of an annual cost-savings effort led by President Ken Bates.

The shirt was worn for a single season when Chelsea finished 14th in the First Division and were eliminated in the fourth round of the FA Cup, losing 1–0 to Watford.

12.Liverpool 1989-91

Estimated price 400 USD (8,000 MXN).

Any Liverpool FC fan will recognize this shirt. Football legends such as John Barnes, Ian Rush and Peter Beardsley wore the classic LFC Candy home shirt, even as the team won the league title in the 1989-90 season.

11. AC Milan 1999-2000 Adidas

Estimated price 420 USD (8,400 MXN).

One of AC Milan's most sought after shirts, it was released as part of the club's centenary celebrations. It features a narrower stripe than other jerseys, and a special commemorative crest.

10. Arsenal 1991-1993 Adidas

 Estimated price 440 USD (8,800 MXN).

Internationally identified by its famous "bruised banana" design, this away kit was worn from 1991 to 1993. The Adidas-designed shirt was worn by iconic players such as Ian Wright during some of Arsenal's most notable matches.

On the whole, despite the poor results that year (eliminated from the FA Cup, the English Cup and fourth place in the League) his legacy lives on by inspiring other teams to adopt daring designs.

9. Manchester United 1986-1988 Adidas Blue

 Estimated price 450 USD (9,000 MXN).

This jersey worn by Bryan Robson was released during Sir Alex Ferguson's first season in charge of Manchester United.

A classic Adidas design makes this one of the team's most valuable jerseys.

8. Romania 1994 Adidas

Estimated price 450 USD (9,000 MXN)

This Adidas-designed creation was showcased during the 1994 World Cup when the Romanian team, led by midfielder Gheorghe Hagi, enjoyed a great run to the quarter-finals, before going out on penalties to Sweden. This is the biggest team effort in the World Cup.

7. Brazil 1978 Adidas

Estimated price 450 USD (9,000 MXN).

Worn during the 1978 World Cup, this shirt saw Brazil maintain their record of being the only team to enter every World Cup final without actually winning.

In Brazil's shirts you have to be very careful because in each competition there is a different variant. In the World Cup they played without the Adidas logo but the ones that are most marketed do include it. The same with the number, in the World Cup it had lines without internal color, while in the Qualifiers and Post World Cup they used solid numbers.

6. Denmark 1986-1988 Hummel

Estimated price 450 USD (9,000 MXN).

Made by Hummel, this was the shirt he wore when the Danes scored a 1-0 win over Scotland during the 1986 World Cup. At the time, Alex Ferguson was temporarily managing Scotland after Jock Stein's death.

5. USA 1994 Adidas

 Estimated price 500 USD (10,000 MXN)

This design was originally said to be the away jersey for the 1994 World Cup but the hosts, the United States, wore it to every match.

The rare Adidas-designed stars and stripes jersey became iconic when, despite the odds, the USA played it menacingly against eventual champions Brazil.

Without a doubt, one of the best designs that the USA has worn and one of the few that preserves the fashion and style of the 90s.

4. Holland 1988 Adidas

Estimated price 550 usd (11,000 mxn)

An internationally recognizable shirt for its geometric design, the classic orange shirt worn by the Netherlands in the 1988 Euro Cup when the team, which included Milan guard Marco van Basten, Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit beat the Soviet Union 2-0 in the end. This jersey was made exclusively for the European Championship and was never worn again.

3. Soviet Union 1990 Adidas

Estimated price 550 USD (11,000 MXN).

Designed to be worn in 1990, this shirt was the last worn by the USSR in a World Cup before being dissolved as a country.

Note: Something similar happens with the latest model of Yugoslavia, it acquires value not only for its design, but also because it represents the disappearance as a Nation.

2. Napoli Light Blue NR 1990-1991

 Estimated price 580 usd (11,500 mxn)

Napoli's home shirt, from the NR (Nicola Raccuglia) brand, Scudetto patch and Mars sponsorship on the chest, is one of the most famous in the world.

This shirt became known around the world when the club signed Diego Maradona in 1984, and it was worn in the first Italian championship won by Napoli.

Its estimated price is 580 usd (11,500 mxn) which can go up 15% if the shirt is long-sleeved.

1. Barcelona Meybar 1991-1992 Orange

 Estimated price 690 usd (13,500 mxn).

This exotic jersey was worn in the European Cup triumph of FC Barcelona against Mancini and Vialli's mighty Sampdoria. Barcelona had historic stars like Michael Laudrup, Stoichkov and Guardiola.

An energizing game at Wembley that went into extra time and was decided by a dying goal from Ronald Koeman

Barcelona used Meybar shirts in different colours, they are all highly commercial but orange is the most sought after.