Fashionable footballer chats with Askmen about style

The recent ambassador for Boss Bottled outlined his men’s style commandments, from how to rock sportswear without looking like you’re a school teacher, to the importance of upping your “steaming game”. Check out excerpts from the interview:

About being judged unfairly on style picks:

“I think so. Things have evolved and footballers pay a lot more attention to how they dress and how they groom themselves, because of social media. So they’ll be on Instagram or Twitter, and I think it’s one of those things – you’re in the public eye more, probably, than playing football on television, and your lifestyle at home is broadcast. People do get to see how you are as a person, as well as on the football pitch.”

About his idea of a particularly snappy dresser:

“I would say Aston Villa defender, Micah Richards. He dresses well. Micah puts himself together well. He wears a lot of blazers, and has a similar dress sense to me, to be honest.”

About the worst dressed player he’s shared a dressing room with:

“I don’t want to disrespect any past players, but I’ll have to go for Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.”

About the secret to wearing it well:

“It’s moved towards more tapered tracksuit bottoms, so you can look cool if you wear them. The problems start when you start wearing baggy bottoms – they’re not as nice – and also shorts that are too short. Unless you’re on holiday in the Caribbean, or about to run the marathon, don’t wear short shorts; that’s just fact.”

About his haircut:

“Most definitely. I do believe a haircut makes you play better – I’ve experienced that before. I think it’s confidence, it’s routine and it can also be superstition. Just like if you do your hair, it’s not quite done right and you have a bad day, you’re not going to do that again the next day. That’s pretty much what it’s like in football, it’s about repetition and doing what you know works best.”

About what you can find in his gym bag:

“Grooming in football is quite big. I’m somebody that brings my Boss Bottled Unlimited to training or in my washbag, and I’ve put a few of my teammates onto that. A lot of people take pride in their hair, and there are skin products out there which [is important] when you’re playing football you sweat a lot. It’s important to use face washes and exfoliators.”

About style and grooming as a child:

“I’ve always tried; when I was growing up there were trainers like the Air Max. I couldn’t really afford them but whenever I did get money I used to save it up to get a pair of those. My first fragrance was Boss Bottled, and that was another thing where my first experience was [important]. Growing up I used to look at my dad and my brothers and they used to wear Versace silk shirts or the Moschino patterned stuff. I’ve probably been interested in fashion from a young age just because of seeing everything that was going on around me.”

About the best fashion advice he’s ever received:

“Ooh, that’s a good one. I’d say: wear things that make you feel confident, and don’t wear things that are too baggy.”

About one thing should every man have in their wardrobe:

“A very good suit. It’s gotta be Hugo Boss though, and I’m not even saying that because I’m involved – I do own three or four Hugo Boss suits [see above]. And the most important thing is the tailoring, you have to have it tailored. If you don’t, then it doesn’t fit right. Have it tailored, taken in, tapered, all those things, then you feel complete and completely confident in yourself, as you know you look good.”

For the full interview, check it out at Askmen.