Fashion and football feel more closely connected than they ever have, but while footballers such as France and Barcelona defender Jules Kounde continue to push the crossover into exciting new directions with his unique and unabashed sense of style, what are the managers up to?
Here at The Athletic, it has become a tournament tradition to rate every manager and their technical area attire. In the name of hard-hitting journalism This is a lighthearted scroll through the style choices of all 24 managers at the European Championship.
There’s a tartan tie you may have missed, a khaki green jumper that will live long in the memory, and a single baseball cap for you to enjoy.
Julian Nagelsmann — Germany
Julian Nagelsmann dresses like a 36-year-old… because he is one. If he wasn’t managing Germany at their home tournament, he would be skateboarding through Santa Monica and vlogging it.
The youngest manager at the tournament has been bolder than most with his sneaker choice.
For each group stage game, he has worn a different pair of Adidas shoes with the same navy trousers and wool-knit button-down shirt. The highlight was his Parley Nizzas, which he wore for the final group-stage game against Switzerland. This particular footwear selection is influenced by the skateboard movement in Southern California in the 1970s, which says to me he is longboarding on rest days.
You can bet your life that Nagelsmann has a room in his house just for trainers, one so neat professional organiser Marie Kondo would give it her blessing.
(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Steve Clarke — Scotland
What will Scotland’s short trip to Germany be remembered for? The tartan army takeover, that Grant Hanley shot, the penalty that never was and Steve Clarke’s tie.
Are you a great aunt? If not, you will never know where to find such a neck decoration. All great aunts have a place like Diagon Alley they can magic up, a place none of us will ever find until the day comes when we need to buy our great nephew a tie.
If the 60-year-old manager from Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, did not receive this tie on Christmas Day, having been perfectly wrapped in October, then the festive period has lost all meaning.
Clarke’s tartan laserbeam tie brought his plain navy suit and white shirt combo onto the dancefloor. After it being such a hit, I was as surprised as anyone to watch him abandon the tie for a long-sleeve polo that would not look out of place at a carvery on Father’s Day.
(Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Murat Yakin — Switzerland
Murat Yakin is so cinematic he looks like he would be the one called to save Liam Neeson. He looks set to land a role in a Wes Anderson film any minute.
The Swiss-born manager of Turkish descent is 50 in September and he is owning it. Look at the grey highlights beginning to sweep through his dark hair. This has to be a man who gets dressed to work from home. A silver fox in a silver watch and round-framed glasses looking like he’s just closed the door on a classic Aston Martin convertible after a Sunday morning drive through the Alps.
I never knew Helly Hansen and Puma had teamed up for a trainer collab until Yakin, who played at Euro 2004 wearing a pair of Adidas Predators, stepped onto the touchline. They are the shoes your dad buys in TK Maxx in two summers’ time because there’s a family BBQ organised for his 60th and he wants to make an effort.
Yakin’s khaki green jumper has been the highlight of the group stages.
(Joris Verwijst/BSR Agency/Getty Images)
Marco Rossi — Hungary
Marco Rossi’s rings and bracelets say he rides a Harley Davidson through the foothills of Budapest on weekends after taking the engine apart and putting it back together.
The 59-year-old’s accessories offer hope before his outfit lets us down rather matter-of-factly for a job we interviewed for five minutes ago.
Rossi, who was born on the outskirts of Turin, Italy, turned up smart when the invitation also read casual. I’m not sure how the Coppa Italia winner with Sampdoria in 1994 has managed to get his shoes that shiny. They would not look out of place waltzing around a ballroom.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Luis de la Fuente — Spain
If you are the Spain manager who effectively forced Sergio Ramos into international retirement after not calling him up to the squad, then you really have to dress like it. Luis de la Fuente does.
Starting with his John Lennon specs, his outfit clicks. It looks right out of the Spanish Football Federation’s wardrobe, which I believe it actually is from the markings inside the blazer jacket. This doesn’t seem to impinge on his individuality, though, and the Adidas trainers with the red and yellow nod to Spain’s flag round off a decent look.
For Spain’s win over Albania, the 63-year-old ditched the shirt and tie for a plain navy T-shirt instead, proving the former left-back for Athletic Bilbao likes to put his stamp on things.
(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images)
Luciano Spalletti — Italy
Italy turned up late against Croatia but made it feel like they were right on time when Mattia Zaccagni pulled that last-minute golazo out of the bag to ensure qualification.
And when it comes to manager fashion power rankings, it was Italy’s manager and backroom staff many of us had been waiting for.
Luciano Spalletti and his assistant coaches could never let us down in their custom Giorgio Armani suits. Italy might not look as dependable on the pitch, but the fit check on the sidelines says the holders are here.
It was Roberto Mancini and Co back in 2021 who turned up looking like European football’s best men.
(Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Armani have found the forza and created another instant classic. The gentle blue of the cardigan blazers are calming. The word ‘Italia’ being emblazoned on the back in capital letters feels a little unnecessary, because who else has turned up in Armani loafers?
Sylvinho — Albania
Sylvinho was the first Brazilian player to play for Arsenal when he joined the north London club in 1999. In Germany this summer, he was the first manager to bring out the waistcoat.
The cherry red of his tie matches the shirts of his players and he has the Albanian crest on his blazer pocket as a nice detail.
In training, Sylvinho wears a whistle around his neck like he teaches PE, but on gameday, he is in headteacher mode.
The 50-year-old’s all-round appearance makes him seem like he knows his local dry cleaner by name and always requests an ironing board to be brought up to his hotel room.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Zlatko Dalic — Croatia
Zlatko Dalic is no stranger to a touchline tracksuit, but on the big stage with Croatia, he always makes sure to don more formal armour.
For Croatia’s gutting final group stage game when they were seconds away from advancing to the knockout stages before Italy levelled it at the last, Dalic wore a black suit with a white T-shirt underneath.
There has been a bit of a trend whereby managers who start the tournament in the restraints of a shirt and tie soon opt for a more freeing option. Dalic, who led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and 2022 World Cup semi-finals, did exactly that.
It freed him up to pace the side of the pitch as his team’s sturdy resolve collapsed.
(Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
Kasper Hjulmand — Denmark
Kasper Hjulmand’s boots were made for walking, but not too far as they might cause blisters. The navy jumper has been a mainstay for the 52-year-old Dane, who ditched his blazer long ago.
His camel trousers worn at the start of the tournament made him look like he had 18 holes of golf to play in the afternoon followed by being Denmark’s flag bearer at the Olympic opening ceremony in the evening.
The golfing version of the Air Jordan 1s make sense for managers seeking to stomp around the dugout and occasionally onto the pitch. They have Hjulmand looking like he has won the Ryder Cup with Europe and someone who refuses to wear any jacket that isn’t green.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Matjaz Kek — Slovenia
Tony Pulis, is that you? Matjaz Kek was capped once by Slovenia as a player, which is fitting as he is the only manager in the tournament to turn up wearing a baseball cap.
The 62-year-old has embraced athleisure like his kids have told him to. He led Slovenia to the knockout stages, where they will face Portugal, and what did he wear to achieve the feat? He raided a Nike outlet store where he picked up those Air Zoom trainers in a black and white colourway to match the rest of his merch.
They look like the kind of shoe you try on and walk around the shop in trying to convince yourself you can afford another pair of trainers.
(Clive Mason/Getty Images)
England — Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate came into the tournament fresh from being interviewed and photographed by British GQ in a Notting Hill hotel. If that doesn’t tell you where he now ranks in the world of manager fashion, nothing will.
He burst onto the tournament scene in that fine old M&S waistcoat at the World Cup in 2018 and has never looked back.
The style icon nobody expected told GQ he was going to be rocking a younger, more comfortable look in Germany, with the days of formality behind him. He has players as young as Kobbie Mainoo, who is 19, in his squad and wants to create “a more relaxed environment” for them. The cool teacher whose classroom nobody misbehaves in.
Southgate, 53, has stayed loyal to England’s brand partner M&S. The short-sleeve Milano knitted cotton shirt, which you can pick up for £45, is a thing of beauty — if not a little Love Island-y.
On his left wrist sits the latest in the Hublot Big Bang watch series. It is the tournament’s official watch and provides constant game updates.
Southgate will be hoping his England team can start making his goal notification count go up after a fairly drab group stage showing.
(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Dragan Stojkovic — Serbia
Serbia scored a single goal in their three group-stage games, the least of any team in the tournament.
Their performances almost feel summed up by the loose drawstring on manager Dragan Stojkovic’s trousers. It was hanging lifelessly during the final group stage match, a goalless draw with Denmark, begging to be tied up or hidden out of sight.
The 59-year-old Serb opted for a long-sleeved shirt, which he then folded up to his elbows. The white trainers rounded off an overall confused fit for the coach whose team finished bottom of their group.
(Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Ronald Koeman — Netherlands
I never thought I’d ask myself this, but is Ronald Koeman wearing Skechers? I don’t think he is, but his pitchside runners have all the hallmarks of the comfort-first footwear brand.
Beyond those remarkable brown suede loafers, the rest of his outfit sees him team a navy polo with matching trousers, proving basic does work.
Koeman, 61, is dressed like your uncle’s mate who you see in the pub every now and then. You can’t remember his name and he can’t remember yours, but the small talk is decent before you both go back to pretending you don’t know each other.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Ralf Rangnick — Austria
Hello Wreck-It Ralf, I wasn’t really familiar with your game.
This grey suit and pale green T-shirt worked wonders for the 65-year-old on matchday two against Poland. We know it has been a hugely restorative time for Rangnick’s reputation given how well he has his side ticking.
There are a few creases to iron out in his clothing, but he can be forgiven, given how much of a revelation his team have been.
(John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images)
Didier Deschamps — France
Nevermind Les Miserables, it has all gone a bit Phantom of the Opera for France.
Kylian Mbappe is a masked figure and give Didier Deschamps a bow tie and he could pass as the Paris Opera House conductor.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Deschamps is an impeccably dressed Frenchman. He rarely wears a tie but is always suited and booted. He had a run-in with a sweat-soaked white shirt in Dortmund he will want to forget about, but even then he somehow still looked the part, just like his team tend to.
(Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
Michal Probierz — Poland
In life, there are the risk-averse and the risk-takers. Michal Probierz is the latter.
Put a top hat on him and he looks ready for a day at Royal Ascot. His Poland side might have finished bottom of their group (with Austria, France and the Netherlands all finishing above them), but for the confidence of self-expression alone, he will not be last in the fashion stakes.
Probierz, 51, tried to distract the Dutch with a full-on golden beige number teamed with a Prince of Wales check waistcoat as its centrepiece.
Seeing a pair of brown brogues sliding around the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg like it was a Six Nations match at Twickenham was an unexpected development.
(Gabriel Bouys/AFP via Getty Images)
Domenico Tedesco — Belgium
Even for all of the quality and all of the talk, Belgium seem to be on their way to falling short at another tournament.
It has not been pretty as they scraped their way out of the group after an embarrassing opening-game defeat to Slovakia.
Domenico Tedesco is the man tasked with ensuring Belgium do not fail again when they face France in the round of 16.
And it might not give Belgium fans the hope they crave, but woah, Tedesco, 38, is one of the best-dressed managers in international football. Their tournament has been uninspiring, but Tedesco, born in Italy and raised in Germany, is looking at home in his stretch material suit and black T-shirt.
Now he just needs to prevent Belgium from going home.
(Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
Francesco Calzona — Slovakia
Francesco Calzona put his end-of-season slump with Napoli, where he took over as interim manager to see out a below-par season where the 2022-23 Serie A champions finished 10th, behind him by getting Slovakia into the knockouts.
He took a hit saying yes to the sinking ship that was Napoli’s title defence. They had burnt through two managers before him, but the experience has only emboldened him.
The 55-year-old from Vibo Valentia, Italy, wore a neatly tailored suit with a white shirt and fresh-out-of-the-box trainers for Slovakia’s shock 1-0 win over Belgium in the Group E opener.
It will go down as one of the upsets of the tournament. How did Calzona react when the whistle blew? He coolly stopped his watch as the chaos around him ensued.
(Alex Grimm/Getty Images)
Edward Iordanescu — Romania
If Edward Iordanescu was wearing socks with his white leather trainers by Armani, then you couldn’t see ’em. Fitting really, given his Romania side went as under the radar as a pair of invisible socks as they ran through Group E and into the last 16 as group winners.
The 46-year-old from Bucharest pulled off one of the tournament surprises by topping a group with Belgium in it.
He did so wearing a deep blue suit. The only tie he’s thinking about is the one on Tuesday with the Netherlands.
(Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Serhiy Rebrov — Ukraine
Serhiy Rebrov was the manager most fond of wearing his tournament lanyard. There’s a great irony in that given Ukraine finished bottom of their group but on the same number of points (four) as the three teams above them. They became the first side in history to be knocked out after earning four points.
Regrettably for the 50-year-old Ukrainian, who spent four years at Tottenham Hotspur and a season at West Ham United during his playing career, he will no longer get to wrap the accreditation around him. But what he did bring during Ukraine’s short stay was some quarter-zip realness, which has surprisingly been lacking.
He teamed the lightweight jumper over a black shirt and matching trousers and the now-classic manager shoes.
Another item we would have all liked to see more of was his Ukraine-embellished baseball jacket. He wore it during Ukraine’s 2-1 win over Slovakia, but like his team, it sadly disappeared from view.
(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Vincenzo Montella — Turkey
Vincenzo Montella looked like he had just won the lottery.
The former Roma striker was the happiest man in Germany after Cenk Tosun’s stoppage-time winner against the Czech Republic meant Turkey finished as Group F runners-up behind Portugal.
His navy blazer was thrown into the dugout mid-game as he skipped about anxiously in a patterned shirt that gave off a not-very-fun optical illusion when shown on screen.
I can’t work out whether his trainers are grey, beige or both. Having to ask that question tells you they lowered the overall impact of the Italian’s look. His smile remains large.
(Stuart Franklin – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Willy Sagnol — Georgia
In a suit that looks navy and black, Willy Sagnol achieved the impossible.
The former Bayern Munich and France defender went with a trademark style from the manager look-book as his team beat 2016 champions Portugal 2-0 in a gutsy and organised display.
I am not the ironing police, but the creases in that white T-shirt towards the end of the Portugal game are the only thing to offend me about Georgia’s emergence from Group F in their first European Championship.
It is not just Khvicha Kvaratskhelia who can do magician-like things.
(Jens Büttner/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Roberto Martinez — Portugal
Why does Roberto Martinez look like he is on the election trail? His suit is giving off serious attending-a-state-funeral energy.
I could be kinder and say he has the bodyguard vibe locked down, but judging from Portugal’s flip-flop performance against Georgia, that doesn’t feel appropriate.
There must have been a fashion stylist out there who told him this is what you must wear when managing an ego as big as Cristiano Ronaldo’s.
(Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)
Ivan Hasek — Czech Republic
Ivan Hasek in his chunky Puma trainers and warm beige suit could not halt the Czech Republic’s exit.
Hasek, who has managed 16 different teams during his career, showed variety when donning a navy suit to see out the tournament.
The summer feels which Hasek and his coaching staff tried to achieve with their matching sandy-coloured suits has unfortunately for them manifested into an early trip to the beach.
(Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Apart from the fact Stojkovic’s loose drawstring is still stressing me out and I never want to see another pair of leather manager shoes again, there is so much that glistens here.
Yakin’s green jumper is its own happy place. Italy and Armani are a match made in Milan. And with thanks to skater boy Nagelsmann and a close-to-flawless debut from Tedesco, we are seeing a new generation of managers emerge. It is they who will take pitchside fashion to a bold, new world.
(Top photos: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)