Man, trying to figure out the sizing for those classic, especially the 2014 World Cup kits, is a total nightmare. I mean, the Mexico jersey from that cycle? Iconic. That lightning bolt pattern? Everyone wanted one. But buying one now, secondhand, is a total gamble. I wasted so much time and money guessing, I finally just bit the bullet and decided I needed to put together a real-world, no-BS guide myself. Screw what the charts say online; they’re all useless.
The whole thing started because I bought a size Large. I always wear a Large. Always. So I find one on a seller site, looks good, price is decent. I click buy. When it shows up—holy hell. It was basically a tent. Way too long, huge armholes. I looked like a kid wearing his dad’s shirt. I was so mad. The seller swore it was a regular Large fan version, the Climacool one. Turned out, yes, it was a Climacool, but the fit on those 2014 Adidas shirts is just sloppy oversized. That’s how the practice started. I was determined to nail down the exact differences between the two versions they made.
My Practice Process: Hunting and Measuring
I realized I couldn’t trust anyone’s measurements but my own. So I opened up my wallet and got to work. I bought three different shirts, all the same design, to compare the fit:
- Shirt 1: Mexico 2014 Home, Climacool (Fan Version), Size Medium. I bought this one to replace the Large tent.
- Shirt 2: Mexico 2014 Home, Climacool (Fan Version), Size Small. Got this one cheap just to see how much smaller it went, thinking maybe I needed to size down twice.
- Shirt 3: Mexico 2014 Home, Adizero (Player Version), Size Medium. This one was the hardest to find and the most expensive. I needed to know how tight that fancy, lightweight fabric really was.
I laid all three out on my living room rug, got my little tailor’s tape measure, and just started measuring them pit-to-pit (P2P) and length (top of collar to bottom hem). I didn’t use any fancy techniques. Just raw, manual measurements. The P2P is the most important part because that’s the chest tightness.
What I immediately realized and recorded was that the Adizero Medium was damn near the same P2P as the Climacool Small! That’s how massive the size difference is. It was insane. The Adizero felt like a compression shirt for me, even though it was theoretically the same size as the Climacool I had to sell off.
I grabbed my roommate, Dave, who is a good four inches shorter and a bit skinnier than me, and made him try them all on too. We took photos, which I won’t share here, but they confirmed what the tape measure told me: If you’re buying the fan version, you have to size down AT LEAST once, maybe twice if you like a proper fit. If you’re buying the player version, buy your regular size and expect it to be skin-tight, or size up once if you want room to breathe.
Why Sizing Matters More Than You Think (The Backstory)
I know this sounds like a lot of hassle just for a nine-year-old shirt, but getting it right means more to me than just having a nice jersey. This whole sizing nightmare actually reminds me of why I even started buying jerseys online back in the day.
See, I used to work a miserable, twelve-hour-a-day job. Real corporate grind. I was pulling down what looked like good money on paper, but I was living on coffee and maybe four hours of sleep. My life was a fax machine and a meeting room. One time, I finally saved up enough vacation time to take a proper two-week break, this was back in 2012, before the 2014 World Cup buzz even started. I was supposed to fly out to see my older brother, who I hadn’t seen in maybe three years. The plane ticket was bought, the itinerary was set. I was literally waiting by the office door at 5 PM on a Friday, briefcase in hand, ready to walk out, when my boss pulls me into his office. He didn’t even look me in the eye. He just laid out a stack of printouts on his desk and mumbled something about “critical deadlines” and “unforeseen issues.”
He told me I couldn’t take the vacation. Not even a discussion. Just a firm, “You need to be here.”
I just stood there, dumbfounded. I told him the tickets were non-refundable. He just shrugged and said, “Expense it.”
I ended up calling my brother, feeling like absolute crap, and spent the entire two weeks locked in my apartment, staring at the ceiling. The only thing I really did was binge-watch old football matches and got sucked down a rabbit hole of classic kit collecting. Buying those shirts was my way of owning something that felt real and connected to joy, something that miserable job couldn’t touch. That first jersey I bought? It was also the wrong size. I hated it. It felt like a symbol of everything that was wrong—being denied my vacation, being stuck in an ill-fitting life, and then getting an ill-fitting shirt to boot.
So now, finding the perfect size is not just about fashion; it’s about getting it right. It’s about taking back control. I eventually quit that job, of course. Took a massive pay cut, but now I run my own operation, and I finally have the time to measure P2P on vintage shirts for my fellow fans.
The Final Sizing Takeaways (Your Perfect Fit)
Here’s the plain truth about the 2014 Mexico kits, based on my practice. This is what you absolutely must know before you buy:
- Climacool (Fan Version): This is the baggier, heavier one. It fits like a classic American t-shirt. You MUST size down ONE full size. If you are normally a Large, buy a Medium. The Medium (Climacool) P2P measured right around 21.5 inches for me. That’s a real-world Large.
- Adizero (Player Version): This one is the lightweight, stretchy, tight one. It’s meant for guys with zero body fat. It fits like a modern workout top. Go with your regular size, but be prepared for it to hug your body TIGHT. If you want a slightly relaxed fit, you MUST size up ONE full size. The Medium (Adizero) P2P measured only about 19.5 inches. That’s a skin-tight Medium or a small Regular fit.
Don’t be the person who gets stuck with the wrong size and has to fight with an eBay seller. Use this info. Find your perfect fit today and spend your money on something that actually works for you.