Braga 2018-19 Lacatoni Dyego Sousa Home Vintage XL Jersey

Braga 2018-19 Lacatoni — Dyego Sousa long-sleeve home shirt XL

The 2018-19 season was a pivotal era in the recent history of SC Braga, a club striving to establish itself as the third force in Portuguese football, behind the Big Three. This Lacatoni long-sleeve home shirt, featuring Dyego Sousa's name, is a piece directly from the competitive daily life of a club that never stopped battling to exist in the shadow of Porto, Benfica, and Sporting.

Shirt details

Season: 2018-2019
Club: SC Braga (Sporting Clube de Braga)
Type: Home
Cut: Long-sleeve
Size: XL
Manufacturer: Lacatoni
Printing: Dyego Sousa
Condition: 8/10
State: LITTLE DIRTY — slight authentic wear of a worn vintage jersey, trace of time passing

What this jersey represents

SC Braga in 2018-19 was a club consistently ranked in the Portuguese top 4. Under the guidance of Abel Ferreira — yes, the same who would later become a global coaching star with Palmeiras in Brazil — the Guerreiros do Minho played ambitious, intense football, hard to beat at the Estádio Municipal de Braga. This Lacatoni home shirt perfectly embodies this period when Braga refused to merely play a supporting role in the Portuguese league.

Dyego Sousa, the player on the back, is a Brazilian striker naturalized Portuguese who made a strong impression at Braga. Powerful, effective in duels, and clinical in the box — an old-school goalscorer profile that the Minho supporters quickly adopted. Alongside him were players like Ricardo Horta, a true darling of the Estádio Municipal, and Fransérgio in midfield, a tireless box-to-box player. This squad had character, and this shirt is a direct testament to that.

Moments etched in this jersey

Braga and its permanent European quest
The 2018-19 season is part of the club's long series of European adventures. Braga has developed a true European culture since the 2010s, and every home shirt from that era bears the mark of Europa League evenings at the Estádio Municipal, one of Europe's most impressive arenas with its unique stand carved into the rock.

Abel Ferreira at the helm
The Portuguese coach led Braga during this period, laying the foundations for an organized and conquering style of play that would later bring him international renown. Under his leadership, the Guerreiros do Minho played with an intensity and tactical discipline rarely seen in Portuguese football, outside of the Big Three.

Dyego Sousa, a number 9 built for Minho
The naturalized Portuguese-Brazilian striker epitomized this period with efficiency and commitment. His goals in the Primeira Liga and his poacher's profile made him a popular player far beyond the borders of northern Portugal — and today, his name flocked on an authentic match-worn or player issue is a rarity that few collectors can claim.

Authentic vs Replica

A vintage authentic shirt is a different category from a replica sold in an official store. This is the fabric worn or distributed within the club, with all the technical finishes specific to professional use — heat-pressed or embroidered flocking according to the standards of the time, a cut designed for the player or for semi-professional use. When you hold this kind of piece in your hands, you immediately feel the difference.

This one is in 8/10 condition with a "Little Dirty" state — meaning it has lived, it didn't come out of a cellophane box, but it remains in a state of preservation far above average for a shirt from this era. The slight visible wear is proof that this shirt existed in the real world of football, not in a display case. For a serious collector, that's exactly what you're looking for.

Vintage sizing guide

Vintage football shirt sizes do not correspond to modern sizes. An XL from 2018-19 according to Lacatoni standards or an independent Portuguese manufacturer may fit smaller than a contemporary Nike or Adidas XL. The cut is often more fitted, less generous in the shoulders and chest — this is a reality that every collector must understand before buying.

Before falling for this piece, take a tape measure and measure your chest circumference, shoulder width, and torso length. Then compare with the actual shirt measurements if available, or anticipate a slightly more fitted cut than what you usually wear in modern XL. It's better to check than to regret after receiving it.

Why you should have it in your collection

A Braga Lacatoni shirt is already a rarity in itself. Lacatoni is a niche equipment manufacturer, almost invisible in the international vintage football shirt market, which makes every piece produced under this brand even more valuable for collectors looking to step off the beaten path of Nike-Adidas-Puma. Add to that the Dyego Sousa printing — a player who marked the club's recent history — and you have a combination you won't easily find elsewhere.

There really aren't many in this condition on the market. An 8/10 with just a slight dirtiness on a shirt from this era and club is honestly a great card to play. Shirts from Portuguese clubs outside the Big Three are still undervalued compared to their actual historical worth — and savvy collectors already know this very well. This kind of window closes quickly.

To go further

• SC Braga — Wikipedia
• Football Kit Archive — Kit history
• UEFA — European Football

If you're building a serious collection around Portuguese football or niche kit manufacturers, this Braga 2018-19 Lacatoni Dyego Sousa long-sleeve shirt is exactly the kind of piece that is still missing from too many display cases — it's up to you to decide if you'll let it pass.