VfL Bochum 2019-20 Nike Vintage Away Shirt – 9/10

VfL Bochum 2019-20 Away Shirt Nike – The MARCO print for a club on the road to recovery

In 2019-20, VfL Bochum was in the 2. Bundesliga, with their eyes set on promotion. This Nike away shirt with the MARCO print on the back is exactly that: a piece cut from the electric atmosphere of a pivotal season for one of Germany's most authentic clubs, sponsored by the Bochumer Gemeinschaft, a local institution at the heart of the club's identity.

Shirt details

Season: 2019-2020
Club: VfL Bochum
Type: Away
Manufacturer: Nike
Sponsor: BOCHUMER GEMEINSCHAFT
Print: MARCO
Condition: 9/10
State: SPONSOR: BOCHUMER GEMEINSCHAFT – authentic wear of a worn vintage jersey, almost impeccable

What this jersey represents

The 2019-20 season in the 2. Bundesliga was a season of transition and ambition for VfL Bochum. The Ruhrgebiet club, founded in 1848, had been lingering in the antechamber of the elite for too long. The objective was clear for the entire dressing room, staff, and the 27,000 supporters of the Vonovia Ruhrstadion: to return to the Bundesliga. The club's identity, rooted in the industrial Ruhr basin, permeates every match, every trip, every shirt worn.

The 2019-20 squad included players who would make recent club history. Robert Tesche, a solid midfielder and dressing room leader, perfectly embodies the fighting spirit of Bochum. Danny Blum brings his technical skill on the flanks, while Simon Zoller, an effective goalscorer at this level, is one of the men Bochum counts on to make a difference. The atmosphere in the 2. Bundesliga is brutal; every point must be earned, and this away shirt is direct proof of that.

Moments etched in this jersey

The long march to the Bundesliga
The 2019-20 season was part of a quest that would last another year: VfL Bochum would finally return to the Bundesliga in 2021 after a sixteen-year absence. Every shirt from this period carries the energy of this resurgence, the blood and tears of a club that never gave up.

Bochumer Gemeinschaft, a sponsor like no other
Having the Bochumer Gemeinschaft on the chest means displaying a local institution that embodies community support for the club. This is not an anonymous multinational sponsor: it is the city itself, proud, displayed on its team's shirt. It's rare, it's powerful, it's Bochum.

The MARCO print – a personal story engraved in the fabric
This shirt bears the MARCO print on the back, and this detail makes it unique in any collection. A first name, an identity, a season: someone lived through this era with this shirt on their back, whether in the stands of the Ruhrstadion or elsewhere. Printed shirts always tell two stories at once – that of the club and that of the person who wore it.

Authentic vs. Replica

A vintage authentic shirt is fundamentally different from a replica. The cut, the materials, the finishes – everything is designed for the field or for actual use, not just to look pretty on a hanger. Nike, at that time, produced shirts with specific technical fabrics, reinforced seams, and printing details not found on fan versions. This is what you're buying here: the real deal, not the copy.

This VfL Bochum 2019-20 away shirt in 9/10 condition is almost flawless. At this level of condition, we are talking about a shirt that has clearly been carefully preserved, far from a damp warehouse or a forgotten laundry basket. The sponsor is intact, the MARCO print is clean, and the whole thing holds up like new. It's hard to find a shirt from this period in better condition.

Vintage Sizing Guide

Vintage Nike sizes – even on pieces from 2018-2020 – are often designed with a more fitted cut than current standards. A vintage Nike XL might correspond to a modern L in some of today's sportswear collections. This isn't an absolute rule, but it's a reality that every collector of vintage football shirts eventually learns the hard way.

Before buying, take a tape measure and measure your shoulder width and chest circumference. Then compare with the actual measurements of the shirt if available. If you're between two sizes, always opt for the larger one for a vintage shirt – a shirt that's too short at the belly never looks good in the fan section. And most importantly, a collector's shirt is meant to be worn, not kept in plastic.

Why have it in your collection

VfL Bochum is one of those popular European clubs whose shirts remain undervalued on the vintage football market compared to their real worth. Supporters in the Ruhrgebiet know it, and so do connoisseurs: shirts from this period – just before the return to the Bundesliga – are pieces that mark a turning point in the club's recent history. In ten years, this 2019-20 shirt will be identified as belonging to the generation that prepared for the historic promotion in 2021. Its collector value is only increasing.

In 9/10 condition with an intact MARCO print and an impeccable Bochumer Gemeinschaft sponsor, there aren't many in this condition on the market. Away shirts from German second division clubs don't circulate en masse in flea markets or on resale platforms. When you find one in this condition, with this level of detail, you either grab it or regret it.

To go further

• VfL Bochum – Wikipedia
• Football Kit Archive – History of jerseys
• UEFA – European Football

This VfL Bochum 2019-20 Nike away shirt with the MARCO print is a piece with character, history, and a rare condition for its age – it's up to you to see if you're willing to let it go.