Júbilo Iwata 1994 Home Shirt

JUBILO IWATA - HOME SHIRT 1994

Jubilo Iwata were born in 1970 as the works team of Yamaha Motor, and they remain rooted in the small city of Iwata in Shizuoka Prefecture, one of Japanese football's true heartlands. The name is Portuguese and Spanish for "joy" or "jubilation", which tells you plenty about the mood the club like to project. They play at the atmospheric Yamaha Stadium, a rare purpose-built football ground in a country of athletics tracks. From humble factory-side origins they would grow into one of the giants of the J.League era.

1994 was the big one, their debut season in the J.League after promotion from the old Japan Football League. In the dugout sat the Dutchman Hans Ooft, only recently the manager of the Japan national team. Playing the two-stage format of the day, Iwata finished eighth of the 12 clubs across the combined table, winning 20 and losing 24 of their 44 matches. This iconic home shirt is a relic of that very first top-flight adventure.

For a newly promoted side it was a memorable first campaign, above all because of a run to the J.League Cup final. Iwata battled through the knockout rounds to reach the Nabisco showpiece on 6 August 1994, only to run into the era's dominant force, Verdy Kawasaki, who won the final 2-0 in front of more than 37,000 fans in Kobe. Runners-up in a major final at the first attempt was no small feat.

The season's defining moment arrived in April, when Iwata pulled off a sensational coup by signing Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci from Inter Milan. The Italian, top scorer and player of the 1990 World Cup, brought stardust to Shizuoka and duly led the club's scoring with nine league goals. Alongside him a young Toshihiro Hattori began his long Iwata journey. It was the season the sleeping giant of Shizuoka truly announced itself.

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