When Michael Owen won the Ballon D’Or in 2001, the then 22-year-old received the news via a phone call. 25 years on and it couldn’t look more different for Harry Kane, the England captain and Bayern Munich striker, who took home football’s most-coveted individual trophy last night (housed in a custom Louis Vuitton trophy trunk, painted with a giant V: from ‘Vuitton’ and ‘Victory) in a glittering awards ceremony at the London Palladium. In attendance? A who’s-who of the football world inside – and thousands of fans desperate to get a glimpse of their idols outside (bad weather and barriers be damned).
The flashy fanfare is not the only thing that has changed in years between English Ballon D’Or winners. If once upon a time logo-emblazoned players were the something of a style punchline (David Beckham was the outlier, the exception who proved the rule – and even he generated a dispropotionate amount of tabloid mockery. Sarong, anyone?), the 2026 Ballon D’Or ceremony showed just how close fashion and football have become. The ‘beautiful game’ hasn’t just become accepted by fashion, it’s actively being courted by it.
You could see the synergy between the two worlds writ large at the Ballon D’Or ceremony. There was Kylian Mbappé looking like a matinee idol in velvet shawl-collar Dior tux. His French national teammate, and last year’s winner, Ousman Dembélé was sharp in tonal burgundy Zegna; ditto the brilliantly coiffed Marc Cucurella in all-black Vuitton and Spain-captain Rodri in Dolce & Gabbana. Special shoutout to the young talent Yan Diomande, a natural at the whole dapper thing, also in Dolce.
Footballer style hasn’t just evolved from bland and/or bad to good, however. One of the most interesting changes over the past few years has been star players’ enthusiasm for embracing more experimental looks (do yourself a favour and Google the French national team’s arrival outfits at their Clairefontaine training ground. Les Bleus know how to rock a look, the Barcelona defender Jules Kounde in particular).
You could see touches of this expressionism – hints of romance, theatre, even femininity - at the Palladium. Consider golden boy Lamine Yamal and his custom Chanel look, complete with an explosive pink floral brooch. Or look at the oh-so-nonchalant Michael Olise, a man of few words who lets his skills (on the pitch, on the red carpet) do that talking for him. He opted to wear a slightly cropped, asymmetric blazer with epaulettes and slouchy trousers. It was an avant garde, cool kid take on black tie, reportedly by the emerging British brand, Yaku. Bukayo Saka, a pure class act in every way, was awarded the Socrates Trophy for his humanitarian work. He wore a suit by Wales Bonner – an bona fide fashion boy choice – complete with a bejewelled brooch on the lapel. Saka is a brilliant representative of a the new guard of role model athletes, who carry themselves with a generosity and humility, and whose commitment to being the ‘best’ is matched by their dedication.
And while it’s easy to scoff at what footballers wear there is something important about it too. When the manosphere poses a very narrow definition of gender roles, it is inspiring to see these icons of alpha-masculinity embrace nuance. There’s something tender about those brooches.
The V on those Vuitton trunks? It could also stand for ‘Very good job, lads’.
Main Image Credit: Louis Vuiton