So, let's be honest! Did you ever think about how many football associations are actually part of FIFA? 211! An huge number, after Gibraltar and Kosovo were added. Easy to name Italy, Brazil, England, but who would remember Aruba, Djibouti or Guam??

My name is Simone, I am 35 and I write from Livorno, Italy. Now let's suppose I decided, in 2012, to start collecting a shirt per every national teams around. Only official shirts, I mean, i.e. coming from players, federations, or purchased trough viable sources. You would say I was a dreamer (but I was not the only one). Than it happened, 5 years later, that my dream became real. I was the 1st to complete this odd crazy kind of collection, pairing with FIFA museum in Zurich and their "Rainbow Room". Oh well to be honest I got an invitation there, they were impressed to know about my goal as a private football lover, and the way I manage to get hold of shirts from every possible source, even embassies, journalists, and so on. I hope to realize some work with them, included in their cultural program. 

But that's not the best part. My dream was also to realize an exhibition, to show, in addition of the love for the game itself, also how through football all barriers can be overcome, despite differences in language, religion and culture between people. It happened during this month, and it will end tomorrow 31th July. 

If you kept reading till this point, I guess you are eager to know some more about my shirts, to see photos of the rarest ones, and to listen to some nice stories related to my quest. I would like to do this in episodes, telling some stories in each one and making you live step by step what I lived! I know there are a lot of football shirts fanatics out there, as well as people who love stories from unknown countries, which will never take the biggest stages. This is the place for you!