Barcelona striker Ferran Torres was in the spotlight in their 1-1 draw against Napoli in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 32 in the midweek. The Spanish star proved to be a hero and a villain simultaneously for his side. Namely, he equalized the score by successfully converting a penalty kick in the second half.
However, he consequently missed several goalscoring opportunities that could have given Xavi Hernandez's side the lead, and most probably, a great advantage in the return leg. The 21-year-old eventually had to be comforted by his teammates after the final whistle, as he was left in tears due to his poor performance.
What was clearly visible was the fact that Torres wore a jersey that didn't have the Barcelona crest or the Nike emblem throughout the whole second half of the match. The Blaugrana fans were confused when they noticed the missing details on his jersey, and to make things even more confusing, the player played the first half in completely normal equipment.
Why Ferran Torres' kit was crest and manufacturer logo free
There was a lot of speculation about what exactly happened and what the problems were with Torres' kit, but now a logical explanation has emerged. Spanish publication Diario AS has suggested that the unusual jersey was a result of a simple printing mistake and not some kind of protest against the club or its jersey manufacturer.
The omission allegedly went unnoticed by the Barcelona staff, as the Spanish player changed his previous sweat-drenched jersey during the half-time break. Everyone found out about the issue in the post-game photos. In addition, Nike have begun an internal inquiry into how the club was able to get such a garment, Catalan newspaper Mundo Deportivo revealed.
For each match, Barcelona provides three sets of uniforms to its players: one for the first half, another for the second, and a third in case the jersey gets stained. While the scenario is puzzling, it didn't violate UEFA rules, the report adds. They stipulate that the player's name and number must be on the jersey and be correct, but they make no mention of the club's crest or the kit manufacturer's emblem.
