And so, the paths of these two super talents diverged. While Life After Football has always been ahead of the curve, the generation of Jude and Jamal perfectly symbolizes the ever-growing connection between football and fashion. In an interview with VERSUS, Musiala talks about his love for the fashion, one of his favourite brands, and the importance of outlets outside football.
Bottega
Musiala: ”Over the years I’ve gotten more into fashion and so I’ve just been trying different brands out. I really liked Bottega’s vibe so I started to wear more and more of their pieces, and that’s how it started. I feel like Bottega fits my style best compared to most other brands out there right now”, after which the creative dribbler explained his own style. ”I like to think I’m quite a chilled and relaxed person, so I prefer to keep my looks quite clean and minimalist. Bottega are quite understated with their designs but also elevated at the same time. I really like that about them: that they can be so simple yet still turn heads, for the right reasons. All of the fits I’ve even worn, and the accessories from Bottega, have been super clean. That’s why I think we’re quite aligned. ”
”You never want the same thing as everyone else!”
”Bottega were kind enough to send me a really sick duffel bag, toiletry bag and headset cover for my Apple Air Maxs.” Where most clubs work with uniform clothing around matches, there the players differentiate themselves with their accessories. So did the German national team during the Euros. ”Everyone typically brings their own bags when on national team duties but it was nice to be the only person in camp carrying Bottega. You never want the same thing as everyone else! I know my agent got quite a few phone calls when people saw me with the duffel bag, that was quite cool. People were asking, “what’s the bag Jamal is carrying? Where did he get it from?”. I think it’s important to show your own sense of style where and when you can.”
Outlets outside the game
Although Musiala is still only 21, he already has significant experience at the highest level, allowing him to grow and learn from: ”My entire focus was football, football and football. And it still is! But now I realise how important it is to have outlets outside of the game. In a weird way, when everything is about football and it’s all you think about, you run the risk of not being happy. It affects how comfortable and free you feel on the pitch – your performance can ironically be affected negatively if your only outlet is football. I’m fortunate in that I have a few things I really enjoy outside of my job, and one of them is now fashion.”