Dapper and debonaire, these stylish gaffers are dressed to kill in Qatar, rocking a winter collection straight out of the pages of an expensive magazine you flick through bored at the dentist.
So on point are their threads that technical areas are becoming catwalks in all but name and we’re here for that. After years of being subjected to Tony Pulis and his cobbled-together chav-attire, we’re definitely here for that.
10/ Hansi Flick (Germany)
The former Bayern boss squeaks into our top ten by virtue of his versatile wardrobe, by turns wearing dark suits, polo shirts, sports coats and the occasional shirt and sweater combo. There’s even a bomber jacket on his sartorial C.V, donned during his latter days in Bavaria.
9/ Gareth Southgate (England)
Having dispensed with the zeitgeist-capturing waistcoat, Southgate has taken to wearing classic-cut wool blend suits, almost always navy in hue. Granted, it’s all a little conservative but so too is the football he oversees and there is something quite satisfying about a manager harmonising his dress sense with his coaching philosophies. It conjures up images of Jurgen Klopp in a Megadeth hoodie.
The unlikeliest fashion icon of 2018 will no doubt be disappointed with ninth spot here given that he clearly aspires to be Colin Firth in Kingsman. But England have at least beaten the Germans with not a penalty in sight.
8/ Aliou Cisse (Senegal)
The former PSG and Portsmouth star is 13 years retired so it’s astounding that he appears to still have 0.3% body fat. It’s not fair but life can be cruel like that.
The 46-year-old’s svelte physique partly explains why he aces what is relatively straightforward apparel, typically a crisp white shirt and dark trousers. There is after all, seldom any need for a jacket and tie in Dakar.
Cisse has previously trialled a v-neck sweater and baseball cap match-up that sort of works even though it shouldn’t.
Senegal football is on the rise. A blow they had to lose the totem of the team before this World Cup, but even without Mane, they made the knock out.
Congratulations to the champions of Africa for being an excellent flagbearer and to Aliou Cisse for the immense work. ???? pic.twitter.com/oVvDqOOkkX
— Saddick Adams (@SaddickAdams) November 29, 2022
7/ Roberto Martinez (Belgium)
Throw as many brickbats as you wish at Martinez for wasting a ‘golden generation’ of Belgian superstars but the man knows his Hugo Boss from his George at Asda.
Rarely seen in anything other than a well-tailored dark two-piece with a classic Windsor-knotted tie it’s a look that screams under-stated elegance. It suggests that this sophisticated fella means business.
Then Romelu Lukaku spoons a chance over from five yards and Martinez gets called ‘baldy’ on Twitter. As stated above. Life can be cruel like that.
6/ Rigobert Song (Cameroon)
With his bleached-blonde cornrows and bleached blonde beard, Song cut a striking figure when playing for the Indomitable Lions. Now as their manager, he has toned down the eccentricities a little but still looks cool as, favouring a mix-and-match ensemble of dreadlocked hair, baseball cap, and a collar-less shirt under a plain jacket. With shades – sometimes spectacles – completing the look this is not the outfit of someone who waffles on about two banks of four and sticks a pair of holders in his midfield.
5/ Diego Alonso (Uruguay)
Skinny ties and bespoke suits are the order of the day for Alonso, his refined sense of style befitting a well-travelled gentlemen who has played and managed on four continents. It’s less in keeping with a coach in charge of the biggest bunch of s***houses this side of Green Street.
4/ Murat Yakin (Switzerland)
We’re not suggesting for a moment that the annoyingly suave Yakin has a young mistress, sequestered away in an expensive Zurich apartment. Similarly, we’re not suggesting that he strolls arm-in-arm through said city, with his aspiring artist paramour, both bedecked in gloves and scarves. That they sip strong black coffee and order pastries that they don’t touch, as they debate Descartes and Charlie Chaplin and the meaning of life.
It’s just that the A-Team gaffer looks exactly like every older suitor in every foreign film we’ve ever seen who does all of the above.
Mads Mikkelsen e Murat Yakin. Who is who? pic.twitter.com/EFoF3f94qJ
— DEKO (@DEKOStrife) November 28, 2022
3/ Didier Deschamps (France)
Once dismissed as a ‘water-carrier’, the World Cup-winning player and manager emits a nonchalant Gallic elegance in his match attire, all open shirts and designer jackets.
Admittedly there can be a touch of the divorced man, back on his feet and back on the pull, when he really makes an effort, but all round Deschamps is an elder statesman, from the home of haute couture, who knows how to dress for any occasion.
2/ Herve Renard (Saudi Arabia)
Renard’s white shirt, unbuttoned two from the top, has almost become a trademark and you have to scroll down Google images for a good while before you find anything as adventurous as powder blue. He must have succumbed to a brief mid-life crisis that particular day.
Topped off with a pair of Louis Vuitton trainers, the one-time Cambridge United boss knows what works for him and he wears it. Fashion is pretty simple when you look at it like that.
▪️ First coach to win two AFCON titles with two different teams
▪️ Took Morocco to first World Cup in 20 years in 2018
▪️ Beat 2022 World Cup favorites Argentina with Saudi ArabiaHervé Renard is international football heritage ???? pic.twitter.com/0bafm5whyF
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 22, 2022
1/ Hajime Moriyasu (Japan)
Unfailingly sharply-dressed on the touchline, Moriyasu’s discerning taste in matchday livery prompts as much discussion online as his team’s successes and failures.
His three-piece against Germany was a bold choice in the searing Qatar heat but as the renowned journalist Carmel Snow once said, ‘elegance is good taste, plus a dash of daring’.
???????? Germany 1-0 Japan ????????
???? Takuma Asano 57′
???? Ritsu Doan 71′
⚽ Ritsu Doan 75′
⚽ Takuma Asano???????? Germany 1-2 Japan ????????
In-game tactical masterclass from Japan boss Hajime Moriyasu for his change of formation and substitutions to win the game ???? pic.twitter.com/WAqPNp5qKb
— Fanzine Football (@Fanzine_com) November 23, 2022
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