NETHERLANDS 1974 SHIRT
Replica of the famous two-striped Adidas jersey that Johan Cruyff wore with the Dutch team in the 1974 World Cup.
In soccer, as in art, the value of the pieces is determined by several factors. From the importance of the player who used them to the relevance of the match in which they were used. However, there is a factor that makes some pieces even more special: the historical context that surrounds them. These pieces not only narrate realities and stories from the past, but also have physical evidence that validates those stories. An example of this is the famous two-striped Adidas shirt that Johan Cruyff wore with the Dutch team in the 1974 World Cup.
The Dutch team entered the tournament after 36 years without participating in a World Cup and had Johan Cruyff as captain and a great world figure. The illusion in Holland was maximum. Despite the fact that Cruyff was sponsored by the German brand Puma, the Dutch team wore Adidas garments, which caused a conflict for the player.
Cruyff considered that this conflict was so important that he was willing to give up playing for his team. In an interview with El País, he explained: "We played in the 1974 World Cup and soccer had been professional for exactly two years. Companies came, there were promotions... And the Federation, at that time, negotiated with Adidas. They wanted us to bring his shirt, and I asked for my part. They denied me saying that the shirt was his, and I told them that the head was mine."
The Dutch Federation did not give in and Johan Cruyff made a peculiar decision: he went out to play with a shirt with two black stripes instead of the three characteristic Adidas. Meanwhile, his teammates did wear the three-stripes jersey.
Despite this curious fact, the Dutch team managed to reach the 1974 World Cup final, but lost 2-1 to Germany, led by Franz Beckenbauer.
