Hoffenheim Away Shirt 2017-18 Lotto SAP Vintage Collector

Hoffenheim 2017-18: The Lotto Away Kit from the Club's First Champions League Season

The 2017-18 season was when Hoffenheim graced the Champions League for the first time in its history. This Lotto away kit, sponsored by SAP, was worn in a historic context for this club that seemingly came from nowhere. It's not an ordinary jersey: it's a piece that embodies the incredible ascent of a town of 3,000 residents to the European elite.

Jersey Details

Season: 2017-2018
Club: Hoffenheim (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
Type: Away
Kit Manufacturer: Lotto
Sponsor: SAP
Condition: 8/10
State: TINY HOLE - authentic wear of a worn vintage jersey

What This Jersey Represents

In 2017-18, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim experienced something unprecedented in its history. Promoted to the Bundesliga in 2007, the club, backed by billionaire Dietmar Hopp, had already made a significant impact, but this was a new level: the UEFA Champions League for the very first time. A village club – literally, Hoffenheim has fewer than 3,500 inhabitants – playing against European giants. Football can sometimes write truly incredible stories.

On the bench, Julian Nagelsmann, at just 30 years old, confirmed all the praise he had received and imposed an offensive, intense, and instantly recognizable style of football. On the field, players like Mark Uth, Andrej Kramarić, and Sandro Wagner carried the project with ambition. The jersey sponsor SAP, a global software giant also based in the Baden-Württemberg region, perfectly embodied this marriage of technological innovation and modern football that characterized this atypical club.

Moments Etched into This Jersey

The First Champions League Campaign
Hoffenheim entered the group stage of the 2017-18 Champions League alongside Lyon, Manchester City, and Shakhtar Donetsk – a tough group for a debut. The club fought hard, gained experience, and showed that its presence was well-deserved.

Nagelsmann, the Prodigy on the Bench
Julian Nagelsmann was then considered one of Europe's most exciting coaches, and this season confirmed his status. It was his last full season on the Hoffenheim bench before joining Leipzig, and it will be remembered as the pinnacle of his work at the club.

A High-Level Bundesliga Performance
In the league, Hoffenheim continued to perform in the upper-mid table, with a well-constructed squad and a recognizable playing style. Andrej Kramarić established himself as one of the most consistent strikers in the Bundesliga, scoring season after season.

Authentic vs. Replica

A vintage authentic jersey is not a cheap printout. It's the real version, designed to be worn by players or sold in official stores at the time – with the finishes, fabrics, and details that matched the kit manufacturer's standards then. Here, it's genuine Lotto, with all the care the Italian brand put into its football products during that era.

This one is rated 8/10, with an honestly mentioned tiny hole. This minuscule flaw affects neither the structure nor the readability of the jersey – it simply shows that this piece has lived, that it hasn't slept in cellophane in a box. For a collector's jersey, it's almost an additional mark of authenticity.

Vintage Sizing Guide

Vintage jerseys generally run smaller than modern cuts. A vintage M often corresponds to what is now called an S or a small M, depending on body type. The cuts from 2017-18 are still relatively fitted, halfway between the slim cuts of the 2010s and today's looser fits – but keep this in mind before ordering.

To avoid any unpleasant surprises, take a measuring tape and measure your chest circumference (under the arms, around the torso) as well as your torso length. Then compare with the actual measurements of the jersey available in the product description. Two minutes of measuring, zero disappointment upon receiving the package.

Why Have It in Your Collection

The Hoffenheim 2017-18 Lotto away jersey is a piece that represents a unique moment in German football history. Jerseys from a team's first participation in the Champions League hold strong symbolic value – and they don't get easier to find over time. Lotto is no longer the club's kit manufacturer, which makes this series even more finite and defined in time.

Moreover, a copy in 8/10 condition for this type of jersey is far from common. There aren't many in this condition on the market – most have deteriorated over the years, languishing in drawers. Here, you have a jersey that still looks great, with just enough wear to prove it's 100% authentic.

To Learn More

• Hoffenheim - Wikipedia
• Football Kit Archive - History of Jerseys
• UEFA - European Football

This jersey is a page of German football history folded four times – that of a village club that dared to dream big. If that resonates with you, you know what you need to do.