Soccer is a sport that ignites passions. Beyond what happens on the field, there are people who have a devotion to collecting jerseys
.
Many see it as a hobby, some as a source of work and others as a source of memories that brings them closer to an emotional moment.
Logically,
there are different approaches within collectors
.
There are those who are passionate about the club they are fans of, lovers of the Argentina National Team shirts, those who gather local soccer clubs in general and also those who are dedicated to specific players.
The market is wide, diverse and pigeonholes the different tastes
.
The magical world of soccer jersey collectors, a market that is growing in Argentina.
Clarín
was in charge of going in search of different stories from collectors.
Trying to understand what their motivation is, what jackets they specifically collect and what their tricks are to figure out if the shirts are original or not.
“
Being a collector is, sometimes, prioritizing buying a shirt beyond if, for example, you have to change something to the water heater in your house
”, explained Hernán Braunsteni.
Many times entering this world implies having started with one or two shirts, but over the years and weaving networks of contacts, numbers that are difficult to imagine can be reached.
“
I collect Argentine soccer jerseys.
Currently, I must have 3,000 shirts
, ”continues Braunsteni.
Diego's shirts, the most expensive on the market.
"You start to investigate what your club is. You start with the history, you start with the years, you start with what was used and you get lost. You enter a world
that is fabulous and being lucky enough to get pieces that are unique is a gratification
", now Rolando Frías and Gastón Ramírez join in about how they approached the world of collectors and how it fills their souls.
But within that world
there are traps and scams
.
There are millions of shirts, of all kinds and quality, but few have real value.
At the tip of the pyramid are those that were used in a match situation by a player.
On a second step, there are those that are original, but were not used by footballers.
Afterwards, there is a place for replicas, although these lack both symbolic and economic value.
Buying and selling t-shirts, a business full of passion
“We do not sell the shirts worn by players. We keep them and take care of them, because for us they are our treasure”
, commented Ricardo Taty, a t-shirt appraiser.
Trading, buying and selling are the methods used for those who have businesses that display these relics.
The method is easy, a client offers a t-shirt to sell, the collector verifies that the product is genuine, offers a certain amount and, if an agreement is reached, they close the deal.
“Whoever wants to sell me a shirt comes here, like a lot of former players, representatives, referees, people who have relics at home.
He comes here, they tell me 'I want so much', I verify that it is original and, if I can, I give him the money in cash”
, explained Taty.
When it comes to talking about costs,
everything that has to do with Diego Armando Maradona raises its value
.
Considered one of the best players of all time, for many the best, he has countless jerseys that he used and that went down in history.
To name a few: the shirt with which he scored the goal with his hand against the English, the Boca 1982 version, the Napoli starter, among many others.
Augusto "Cacho" Severi, the t-shirt hunter.
“
Maradona is priceless.
5 thousand dollars, 10 thousand dollars, 20 thousand dollars, 25 thousand dollars.
Impossible to sell it in Argentina”
, evidenced Augusto "Cacho" Severi, who defines himself as a T-shirt hunter, when explaining the extremely high prices.
In this way, evidence can be given that football transcends the strictly sporting.
Memories, passion, obsession and love are just some of the feelings it touches.
Every sports lover dreams of having his idol's shirts, but some went one step further and base their lives on it.
Being a collector is a style and a stimulus of life.
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