When Mario Balotelli appeared at the Paris Fashion Week, making his runway debut for KidSuper, it wasn’t just a celebrity appearance; it was a sign of something deeper. A continuation of a shift that’s been happening quietly but surely for years: football and fashion blending into one.

For today’s players, fashion show appearances feel just as natural as walking into a stadium. And it didn’t start now.

It started, believe it or not, with a sarong.

Back in the late ‘90s, David Beckham stepped out in London wearing a wraparound skirt beside Victoria. The press had a field day. But beneath the headlines, it was a powerful moment. In a world where footballers were expected to look tough and gritty, Beckham chose grace and style. He didn’t just wear clothes; he crafted an image. He made room for softness in sport, elegance in masculinity, and opened up a space where fashion and football could meet.

If Beckham was smooth, Djibril Cissé was loud: Neon hair, piercings, chaos and colour. The Frenchman didn’t follow trends; he broke them. Where Beckham eased fashion into football, Cissé kicked the door wide open.

Others followed in their own way. Freddie Ljungberg posed for Calvin Klein. Japan’s Hidetoshi Nakata brought clean, calm energy. Zlatan Ibrahimovic stayed on-brand with bold, unbothered choices. Each one played a role in showing that footballers could shape culture far beyond the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo took that idea and built an empire with the CR7 brand. Every piece of his look is calculated, from his watch to his walk. For him, fashion is precision.

And then there are players who treat fashion like art.

Mario Balotelli never played it safe. His outfits were wild, unpredictable and loud. But they were never fake. He dressed as he felt. Paul Pogba turned it up even more. His outfits speak in different languages: hip-hop, heritage, rebellion. Pogba doesn’t just wear fashion; he tells stories with it.

Then there’s Héctor Bellerín, low-key, thoughtful, intentional. He champions sustainable fashion. He dresses with meaning. For him, clothes aren’t just about how you look, they’re about what you stand for.

Today, players like Koundé, Rafael Leao and Kobbie Mainoo carry this legacy forward in their own way. Koundé’s style mixes minimalism and memory. Sharp and futuristic. Rafael Leão leans into Afro-Euro street style, and Mainoo embodies quiet luxury: calm tones, clean cuts, and confidence, without shouting.

Footballers are now global style icons by design. The cameras come out in full force as players arrive to play for their countries during the international break. Outfits tell stories of identity, of background, of pride. And especially for African players and diaspora stars, fashion has become a way to remix the past and reshape the future. It’s a heritage you can wear.

From Beckham’s sarong to Pogba’s style, from Cissé’s chaos to Mainoo’s calm, football and fashion are no longer separate lanes. They’re running side by side.

And the revolution? Still going. Still stylish.