The Spanish company Zero 2 Infinity were moved to celebrate Wednesday's 1-0 semi-final victory over Germany and honoured the achievement at the 14th European Balloon Festival in the Spanish town of Igualada the day after.
"It wasn't planned (to send a shirt) at first, but after the victory over Germany we had space for a bit more weight on our test flight and I thought it would be appropriate," founder and CEO of the company Jose Mariano Lopez Urdiales told Reuters by telephone on Saturday.
"I went out to buy a shirt but couldn't find one because they were all sold out. I had to buy it off a guy in the street who needed some convincing. I had to show him some photos of what we did."
A photo from Thursday's flight, with the shirt suspended above the earth, was posted on the company's website.
"We want to elevate people literally and emotionally," Lopez Urdiales said.
"After watching the Spain match and seeing how it lifted people in these troubled times, we thought there was a spiritual dimension which fitted with our objectives."
