Kyrgyzstan 2019 Home (BERNHARDT #9) Jersey/Shirt

This is a Joma Kyrgyzstan national team 2019 home jersey featuring the name and number of star midfielder Edgar Bernhardt.

Until recently Kyrgyzstan were one of the minnows of Asian football, however over the past few years their performances have improved dramatically, culminating in their qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Prior to this, the team has never achieved much international success and reached an all-time low FIFA ranking of 201 in March 2013. By April 2018 their ranking had climbed to an incredible 75 and a second-place finish in their group in the third round of qualifiers saw Kyrgyzstan qualify for their first ever Asian Cup. At the tournament, they performed admirably and surprised many by reaching the Round of 16. They opened with narrow losses to China and South Korea before defeating Philippines 3-1. Kyrgyzstan then faced hosts UAE in the next round and gave them a huge scare by forcing the match into extra time, however they eventually lost 3-2 after conceding a controversial penalty in the 103rd minute. Kyrgyzstan continued their recent development by once again qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup in 2023, securing a place in the tournament after finishing runners-up in the third round of qualifiers following victories against Singapore and Myanmar.

Edgar Bernhardt is the most experienced member of the Kyrgyz national team and has had a long career playing in leagues throughout the world. Bernhardt was born in Kyrgyzstan but moved to Germany at a young age and began his career in Germany’s lower-tiers. He debuted professionally in the Dutch Eerste Divisie for FC Emmen in 2007 and since then he has played in leagues in Finland, Poland, Thailand, Oman, Malaysia & Bangladesh. In August 2020, it was announced he would finally play in the Kyrgyz Premier League when Bernhardt signed for local giants FC Dordoi Bishkek. In 2014, Bernhardt was first called up for Kyrgyzstan and he has played a key part in the development of the national team in recent years. He has now played a total of 40 international matches for Kyrgyzstan and scored 4 goals.