Description
Match worn or issued Juventus long-sleeved away shirt by number #25 Marcelo Zalayeta for a Coppa Italia (cup) match in the season 2002-2003. This was highly likely the away match against Reggina in the Round of 16, on 5 December 2002.
Marcelo Zalayeta is a former football player from Uruguay who played as a center forward. Zalayeta was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital city, and it was only logical that joined local football club Danubio in the youth teams. He made his senior debut for the club in 1996 and he moved to Peñarol, also based in Montevideo, a year later. Here he won the Uruguayan Primera División and the Uruguayan Liguilla Cup. Marcelo Zalayeta was then bought by Juventus, where he was under contract in the period 1997-2007. In this period he was loaned out to some other Italian teams, went to Napoli (2007-2010), Kayserispor (2010-2011) and ended his career at Peñarol (2011-2016).
In the Serie A, the Fastweb sponsor was present on Juventus’ kits. In the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia, Tamoil sponsored their kits and the Serie A league patch was present on the right sleeve.
This season was decent for Juve. They (1) finished 1st in the Serie A, (2) won the Supercoppa Italiana, (3) lost to AC Milan in the UEFA Champions League Final after penalties, and (4) stranded in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. Zalayeta played 22 out of 34 matches Serie A matches, the last 20 minutes of the Supercoppa Italiana, 9 Champions League matches (including the final) and all four Coppa Italia matches (see matches below). During both Coppa matches against Perugia, Juventus used their home kits. This was also the case when Juve played at home against Reggina. Juve’s away kit with the specification sold here, including Serie A patch and Tamoil sponsor, was only used in the away match against Reggina on 5 December 2002.
The shirt has all the characteristics of a match shirt: correct player size number/name set (plastic material); the missing “Lotto official garment” patch in the bottom left of the front of the shirt (which is present on official replica store shirts); there are two neck labels (these are absent on commercially available shirts – here the size is screen printed on the neck).
Juventus played the following matches in the Coppa Italia 2002-03 season:
1. Reggina 0 – 2 Juventus in the Round of 16 (on 5 December 2002)
2. Juventus 0 – 1 Reggina in the Round of 16 (on 18 December 2002)
3. Juventus 1 – 2 Perugia in the quarter-finals (on 15 January 2003)
4. Perugia 2 – 0 Juventus in the quarter-finals (on 23 January 2003)
Year: 2002-2003
Size: Large
Condition: Good, faded name/number set on the back
Brand: Lotto
Sponsor: Tamoil
