Image may contain Clothing Coat Person Walking People Blazer Jacket Formal Wear Suit Adult Footwear and Shoe
Is it considered Stockholm Syndrome if everytime I see a football manager not dressed in skinny jeans and a puffer, I feel the impossible light of hope again? After months of watching the guys in the Premier League do the least with their style, watching some European teams is quite genuinely changing my brain chemistry for the better. The air felt fresher today. My coffee was sweeter. I smiled at a stranger on the tube and then was promptly tackled by TFL security for anti-social behaviour.
During last night’s semi-final first leg between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich (the match that “killed boring football”), the managers – Vincent Kompany and Luis Enrique, respectively – played their best, too. It wasn’t the winter jacket, stretch trouser, quarter zip, tight button-up thing I’ve been conditioned into accepting. These dudes were dressing.
Kompany, manager of Bayern Munich, went for the streetwear approach. Munich is sponsored by Adidas, so, sure: duh! But any old guy can throw on some three stripes and call it good. Kompany, on the other hand, was near head-to-toe in Y-3. For those who aren’t across, Y-3 is the collab between Adidas and Japanese legend Yohji Yamamoto. It’s still sportswear, but it’s the type of sportswear you wear when you can pronounce Comme des Garçons and, like, know how to M-whisk ceremonial-grade matcha.
Image may contain Vincent Kompany Person Walking Pedestrian Adult Clothing Coat Footwear Shoe People and Head
For the match, Kompany went for the brand’s sold-out Uni 3S nylon jacket with welt-front pockets and side snaps. Matching track pants and a Y-3 cap finished off the low-key but high-vibe fit. Down below, he was wearing a pair of Superstar STs, a more IYKYK version of the classic that, according to our resident sneaker guy Adam Cheung, is “very popular with skater boys because they have a wide-ass tongue and a grippy gum sole.”
In the other box, watching his PSG beat Munich 5-4 (five fucking four! In a semi-final!), Luis Enrique went the opposite direction. Perish the thought of poly-blend trousers, Enrique kind of looked like the well-dressed French architect you open the door for at the café and think about for 20 minutes after. The fit consisted of a non-branded navy Harrington jacket over a T-shirt, straight-leg indigo denim with a slight crop, and Nike x PSG Air Force 1s. (“Oh these are very good,” texted Adam, “Paris Saint Germain and Jordan Brand collab every year. This is one of the Air Jordan 1 Lows from 2024. Method dressing!”)
Image may contain Luis Enrique People Person and Adult
Soccrates Images/Getty Images
Listen. Neither of these outfits are groundbreaking. Save me your posturing. I get it. I guess it says a lot about how low my expectations of football managers have dipped. Kompany and Enrique both look good. The fits fit. They reflect their style. They’re not puffer jackets. Am I making a big deal out of nothing? Yeah. Am I going to take this before I slink back to the Prem? Yes.