I have been collecting soccer jerseys since 1994.
In 2004, I wanted to get my younger brother a unique and different birthday gift. I had already seen the club Fan Stores in Europe, and I was a big customer of Marca store and El Corte Inglés, but in Guadalajara, it was impossible for me to find a Del Piero Juventus jersey. I had been "divorced" from football for 6 years, and I didn't know where to find it. I went to my old acquaintances and suppliers, and they were worse off than me; nobody had any idea where to get the numbers to put on the jersey, let alone how to attach them to the fabric.
I found a website in Monterrey that solved the gift problem for me, but that's where the desire to have access to those products in Mexico was born. It wasn't until 2006 that I found someone with the same interest as me, my friend 🇨🇵 Ciryl. We bought some Lextra patches on eBay for a fortune! But he already knew suppliers of Thai replicas, and I ventured into bringing those products in; they were the first ones I had access to.
I was involved in retail for 2 years. In 2008, Sporting ID opened its doors to me at their US office. Their requirements and conditions were not very accessible, but I kept in touch with the employees of that office.
It was in 2010 for the World Cup in South Africa that I was able to access original numbering from this office, a distributor, and with Sipesa, which had a product that I greatly sought to have and be able to offer to customers: the player LFP.
From then on, things started to happen, even with limitations, as I did not have access to all the products I needed for my clients, with dishonest distributors who tricked me with replicas instead of originals, but along the way, I kept learning and building a good supply chain.
In this 15-year journey, now as a profitable hobby, I have had the opportunity to be a supplier to some chains and franchises of major brands in their stores. This has given me another perspective, learning about this business in the B2B sector. I clarify that it will never be my main business, always my super hobby; I owe a lot to football and to Fan Zone.
In these 15 years, I was able to work with first-division teams, not only in Mexico but also in Costa Rica, being their supplier of numbering and decorations for local and international tournaments. It's another approach, nothing to do with the fan and collector's perspective; teams and equipment managers have other needs. I also cannot overlook the work done with CONCACAF for the commercialization of its competitions.
Throughout this time, I have to acknowledge my partners, collaborators, and suppliers with whom I have started successful projects. Their help and valuable contributions have been part of this exciting project.
Football has been a part of my life, and I have always been in contact with this beautiful sport. In my adolescence, the dream of being a professional player was not absent, and somehow I managed to be in contact with that level of competition. After finishing that process, I discovered that the best things football had left me were values and a lot of discipline.
A goal hug to the people I have had the opportunity to meet in person through this project.
Give color to Your Passion