Last week’s Met Gala was a glorious celebration of all things ‘Camp’. The theme was largely interpreted as anything with a) feathers, b) a hat and c) shoulder pads.
But, I think, they missed a trick. When Hollywood stylists were scouring the Internet for camp inspiration, they needn’t have looked any further than Cristiano Ronaldo’s Instagram account.
Football, the beautiful game, known for its athletic prowess, machismo culture, hooliganism, chanting, but also, more crucially, some very, very flamboyant fashion choices.
Let me ask you this, in one word sum up last year’s world cup? 'Gareth Southgate’s waistcoat' is the right answer. Yes, that’s three words, but you know what I mean.
As someone who spends a lot of time avoiding football - from briskly changing channels whenever it’s on, to blanket banning any pub that insists on streaming any and every match so loudly you may as well have gone for a drink at Wembley Stadium - football fashion is thoroughly underappreciated.
From mod fashion to street wear to David Beckham’s sarong, footballers have rarely been afraid to experiment with some risqué styles. Cast your mind back to Brazilian football legend Pele’s assortment of fur coats, pointed booties and multi-coloured shirts made of a material so flammable-looking that even vague proximity to a radiator would set them alight. Or Lionel Messi's penchant for lurid tailoring, Cristiano Ronaldo's entire wardrobe of acid wash denim and, of course, Mario Balotelli's - well, everything.
In celebration of the good, the bad and the down right heinous footballing fashions over the years, we’ve put together a gallery for your reviewing pleasure. Click through it at the top of this page.
