Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard 2018 Home (REYES #37) Jersey/Shirt
£39.99
This is a Kelme Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard 2018 home jersey featuring the number & name of former Arsenal and Athletico Madrid star José Antonio Reyes.
José Antonio Reyes had a prolific club career and played for a range of Europe's biggest clubs. He came up through the youth ranks of Sevilla and made his La Liga debut for their senior team in the 1999-2000 season at the age of 16. After 5 seasons at Sevilla, he was signed by Arsenal and was a member of their 2003-04 Premier League title-winning squad. He later had spells with Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Espanyol and a return to Sevilla before joining Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard in mid-2018. He played 14 matches and scored 4 goals while at Xinjiang, eventually leaving the club at the end of the 2018 China League One season to return to Spain, where he signed with Segunda División club Extremadura. Reyes also represented Spain at international level, having scored 4 goals in 21 matches for the national team and was a member of their squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Until their dissolution in February 2023, Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard were based in Ürümqi and competed in China’s League One, the second tier of football in China. They were the highest-ranked club in the region of Xinjiang, located in North-western China and had been based in Ürümqi since 2014, after the club owners decided to relocate from Hubei. They largely struggled for success, with their best season being an 8th place finish in 2015. Their finals seasons were particularly difficult for the club, with Xinjiang finishing in the relegation zone on several occasions, however due to other clubs being unable to be promoted from the lower division, Xinjiang miraculously managed to stay afloat in League One. The club avoided relegation until their eventual demise following the end of the 2022 season, largely due to a lack of funds from their owner Urumqi Juntai Real Estate. Despite a lack of on-field success, the club provided an opportunity for talented players from Xinjiang to develop in a professional setting, with many Uyghur footballers now playing in the Chinese Super League as well as the national team.