Cerezo Osaka 2014 League Issue Shirt

CEREZO OSAKA - LEAGUE ISSUE SHIRT 2014

Cerezo Osaka are one of the great names of Kansai football, founded in 1957 as the works side of engine-maker Yanmar Diesel and based in the south of Osaka. "Cerezo" is Spanish for cherry blossom, the city's own flower, and the pink shirts have long made them one of the most recognisable sides in Japan. They play their home games at the Nagai Stadium complex, also known as Kincho Stadium.

2014 was, in truth, a season to forget. Cerezo churned through three managers, starting with Ranko Popovic, then Germany's Marco Pezzaiuoli across the World Cup break, before former youth coach Yuji Okuma took charge in September. Nothing worked. Cerezo finished 17th of 18 in J1 and were relegated, winning just 7 of their 34 matches (7 wins, 10 draws, 17 defeats) for 31 points and a goal difference of minus 12. This is the classic pink home shirt of that painful campaign, offered here in fan (replica) spec.

There was at least a taste of the big time on the continent. Cerezo had qualified for the 2014 AFC Champions League, where new signing Diego Forlan marked his arrival with a goal in a 4-0 win over Buriram United, a rare highlight in an otherwise grim year.

The headline act was undoubtedly Forlan himself. The Uruguayan, a World Cup Golden Ball winner, joined in January 2014 in a blaze of publicity and, despite limited game time late on, finished as the club's top scorer with 7 goals. That a marquee name of his stature could not stave off the drop summed up Cerezo's miserable season.

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