{"product_id":"2002-03-manchester-city-benarbia-shirt","title":"Manchester City Away Shirt 2002-03 Benarbia Le Coq Sportif","description":"\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.8em;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:16px;\"\u003eManchester City Away Shirt 2002-03 — Ali Benarbia, Le Coq Sportif, an era of rebirth at Maine Road\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:1.1em;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003eIn 2002-03, \u003cstrong\u003eManchester City\u003c\/strong\u003e had just returned to the \u003cstrong\u003ePremier League\u003c\/strong\u003e, and Ali Benarbia was dazzling Maine Road with his genius Algerian football. This \u003cstrong\u003eLe Coq Sportif away shirt\u003c\/strong\u003e, flocked with his name, is a living document of a pivotal period in the Citizens' history — before petrodollars, before the empire, when raw passion was enough to thrill the stands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eShirt details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:2;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSeason:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2002-2003\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eClub:\u003c\/strong\u003e Manchester City\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eType:\u003c\/strong\u003e Away\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKit manufacturer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Le Coq Sportif\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSponsor:\u003c\/strong\u003e FIRST ADVICE\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8\/10\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eState:\u003c\/strong\u003e LITTLE DIRTY, SLIGHTLY USED PRINTINGS — authentic wear of a worn vintage shirt, the kind of patina that no new item can imitate\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eWhat this shirt represents\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:14px;\"\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003e2002-03 season\u003c\/strong\u003e saw Manchester City in full reconstruction after years of wandering between the Premier League and the First Division. Under the guidance of \u003cstrong\u003eKevin Keegan\u003c\/strong\u003e on the bench, the club sought to establish itself permanently in the English elite and regain a strong identity. It was a time without a financial safety net, where every point snatched away from home had immense value. The \u003cstrong\u003eFirst Advice\u003c\/strong\u003e sponsor on the shirt's chest recalls this pre-Sheikh period, when the Citizens still lived in the real world of English football.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003eAt the heart of this sporting project was an outstanding player: \u003cstrong\u003eAli Benarbia\u003c\/strong\u003e, the French-Algerian, recruited almost anecdotally in 2001 after leaving PSG, who proved to be one of the best midfielders of his generation in the Premier League. Alongside him, players like \u003cstrong\u003eEyal Berkovic\u003c\/strong\u003e, a blossoming \u003cstrong\u003eShaun Wright-Phillips\u003c\/strong\u003e, and the solid \u003cstrong\u003eNicolas Anelka\u003c\/strong\u003e, who arrived during the season, formed an endearing squad, far from star-studded armadas but very much alive. This Le Coq Sportif away shirt is also the story of those Citizens — imperfect, human, but terribly sincere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eMoments etched into this shirt\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBenarbia, the brain of Maine Road\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAli Benarbia finished the 2001-02 season as one of the best playmakers in the Premier League, delivering pinpoint passes at a rate few players in England could match. In 2002-03, even if his influence was more intermittent due to injuries, his name flocked on an away shirt remains a symbol of this period when the Citizens were finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe last season at Maine Road\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n2002-03 is a historic season for \u003cstrong\u003eManchester City\u003c\/strong\u003e for two reasons: it was the very last played at \u003cstrong\u003eMaine Road\u003c\/strong\u003e, the club's legendary stadium since 1923, before the move to the City of Manchester Stadium. Every away match that season had symbolic value, as the Citizens knew their historic ground would close its doors at the end of the season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLe Coq Sportif and the Citizens — a discreet but solid partnership\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThe collaboration between \u003cstrong\u003eLe Coq Sportif\u003c\/strong\u003e and Manchester City at that time produced simple but elegant jerseys, far from the showiness of major American brands. This partnership marked a precise and short period in the club's apparel history, which makes these shirts all the more sought after by \u003cstrong\u003evintage shirt collectors\u003c\/strong\u003e today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eAuthentic vs. Replica\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:14px;\"\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003evintage authentic shirt\u003c\/strong\u003e is the player version — designed to be worn on the field, with finishes, materials, and printing techniques that clearly differ from replicas intended for fans. The stitching is different, the drape is not the same, and the markings — flocking, crest, equipment supplier logo — have a specific texture that immediately reveals authenticity to those who know how to look. This is exactly the kind of piece you have in your hands here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003eThis item shows an \u003cstrong\u003e8\/10 condition\u003c\/strong\u003e with some slight traces of use on the prints and a bit of dirt — what is known in the industry as \"patina of time.\" This is not a defect; it is proof of life. A shirt that existed, that may have been worn, that has passed through twenty years without being locked in a sanitized display case. This is precisely what makes it authentic in the strongest sense of the word.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eVintage Size Guide\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:14px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage shirts from the 2000s\u003c\/strong\u003e are cut to the standards of the time, much more fitted than what you find today. A vintage M often corresponds to an S or XS in modern oversized cuts. If you are used to current shirts with their loose fit, you should anticipate and take a size larger than your usual — or better yet, measure the shirt flat directly before ordering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003eThe right reflex: measure your shoulder-to-shoulder width and compare it with the width of the shirt laid flat (from armpit to armpit). For length, the same applies — from the collar to the bottom of the shirt. These are the two key measurements that avoid unpleasant surprises. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want us to take precise measurements of this piece before validating your order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eWhy have it in your collection\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:14px;\"\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003eManchester City 2002-03 Le Coq Sportif away shirt\u003c\/strong\u003e flocked with Benarbia's name is not something you come across every day. This season is already anecdotal enough for collectors — the last year at Maine Road, a short-lived Le Coq Sportif partnership, and the First Advice sponsor that only existed for a few seasons — but with Benarbia's name on it, it moves into another category. It's the kind of piece that crystallizes an entire period in a single object.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:20px;\"\u003eThere aren't many in this condition still floating around on the market. An 8\/10 for a shirt over twenty years old is both honest and rare — well-preserved enough to be proudly displayed, worn enough to be true. If you're building a serious collection around \u003cstrong\u003eEnglish football of the 2000s\u003c\/strong\u003e or \u003cstrong\u003evintage Le Coq Sportif shirts\u003c\/strong\u003e, this shirt checks all the boxes effortlessly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 style=\"font-size:1.4em;font-weight:bold;margin-top:28px;margin-bottom:12px;\"\u003eTo go further\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul style=\"line-height:2.2;margin-bottom:16px;\"\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manchester_City_F.C.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eManchester City - Wikipedia\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.footballkitarchive.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eFootball Kit Archive - Shirt History\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.premierleague.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003ePremier League - Official Site\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.uefa.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"\u003eUEFA - European Football\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp style=\"font-style:italic;line-height:1.8;\"\u003eBenarbia at Manchester City is a story that true fans haven't forgotten — and this shirt is the most tangible way to keep it with you. It's up to you to decide if you'll let it slip away.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Manchester City","offers":[{"title":"M","offer_id":53941079376147,"sku":"356646","price":119.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0949\/4839\/3235\/files\/eng_pm_2002-03-MANCHESTER-CITY-BENARBIA-SHIRT-M-356646_6.jpg?v=1774761487","url":"https:\/\/supporterid.com\/en\/products\/2002-03-manchester-city-benarbia-shirt","provider":"SUPPORTER ID®","version":"1.0","type":"link"}