2005-06 Julio Baptista hand signed Real and similar items

Featured here is one of Baptista's 2005-06 match-worn and autographed jersey from his first season with Real Madrid. The white, collared Adidas shirt (manufactured in 2005 as indicated by the internal shirttail flag tag) displays obvious evidence of game use with pilling on the lower back and some scattered soiling throughout. Club sponsor ?SIEMENS? appears on the front with Baptista's black marker autograph below. The right sleeve also shows heavy contact abrasions on the ?LFP? (La Liga) patch. The Adidas Formotion jersey (size XL) has the iconic Real Madrid team crest embroidered patch sewn on the left chest across from the Adidas logo patch. ?j. bAPTiSTA? appears straight across the upper back with his No. "8" below, both done in black-on-silver pressed-on letters and numbers. Baptista?s autograph has been pre-certified by PSA/DNA. Jersey also comes with an LOA from the former technical coordinator with the Brazilian National Team who also served in a similar role with Real Madrid. Any player-worn jersey from arguably the most popular professional sports team in the world is a special find in the hobby. If you follow the Brazil National Team and top flight European club soccer, you are certainly familiar with Jùlio Cesar Baptista. Nicknamed "The Beast" due to his size and physical presence, Baptista appeared in 47 games for Selecao from 2001-05 but he made a bigger impact at the Spanish club level in La Liga. The attacking midfielder and striker tallied 38 goals in 63 La Liga matches (2003-05) for Sevilla FC (50 goals in 81 all games) before transferring to Real Madrid CF before the start of the 2005-06 season. There, Baptista played alongside French star Zidane and fellow Brazilians Ronaldo, Robinho, Marcelo, Emerson and Roberto Carlos, helping the famed club win La Liga twice in three seasons. Baptista?s career was filled with several transfers and loans throughout Europe, not uncommon for a coveted goal scorer. He saw action in Serie A in Italy, La Liga in Spain and the Premier League in England.