10 Footballers obsessed with sneakers

It is clear how the relationship between football and streetwear is reaching its peak in recent years. Perhaps because basically most of the players are children never grown up with a dizzying bank account; and sneakers, especially for those born in the '80s onwards, are a cult object since childhood among school desks. In short, especially for those who did not have the economic opportunity before, now seems the perfect time to unleash between the shelves and satisfy all the cravings that go back to childhood, or adolescence.

It is impossible not to understand them.

In anticipation of Sneakerness, the largest European fair dedicated to the sneakers culture, which for the first time this year arrives in Milan, we thought to gather ten sneakerhead players so intense about the matter that they would not leave anything to you if they’d showed up in that of Milan between 6 and 7 October.

#1 Neymar Jr.

We can not but start with him, Neymar da Silva Santos Jùnior.
Just take a ride on his instagram to understand why it is the first name on our list; there is no sneaker that escapes the Brazilian footballer, from the latest and most exclusive to the great classics of the genre. The relationship with Nike is so profitable that, in addition to showing a new shoe in every game and becoming immediately trendy, the company of the swoosh has made a pair of Air Jordan 5 Low: an iconic model, moreover with a symbolic value very important and that makes Neymar part of a very close circle of athletes who can boast of having approached their name to that of the most famous and successful sportsman of all time.

Last but not least, Neymar holds the record for the highest spending in Complex's "Sneaker Shopping" format: $ 18,000 in shoes at the Los Angeles Flight Club. Not bad.

#2 Mesut Ozil

To look at it at first glance the impersonator of Enzo Ferrari could perhaps mislead, but in reality the number ten of Arsenal is among the most avid collectors and enthusiasts of sneaker, as well shown by the trip made in his closet by HYPEBEAST.

Sponsored by adidas, the good Mesut proves to have also a passion for high fashion sneakers, catching sight of Louis Vuitton and Balmain scattered here and there as if nothing had happened. Ozil seems to have found its size in London, surrounded by luxury in all its forms, primarily that of the sneakers he wears.

#3 Jerome Boateng

The world champion column of the German national team and Bayern Munich owns about seven hundred (you read right) pairs of sneakers. The love for shoes for Boaeng is linked to the Hip-Hop one, and in fact it seems that his favorite model is a classic of the genre, the Jordan Airforce One. Furthermore, Boateng has entrusted his management to Uncle Jay-Z's Roc Nation, as did Romelo Lukaku. Even here, a ride on his instagram feed is worth a thousand words about the obsession of Boateng for sneaker crops.

#4 Kylian Mbappè

Only two teams can boast more than one player in this special list: Arsenal and, of course, the PSG. We say that at this moment the "small" Mbappè is in the top five world? We say it; and let's also say that it is perhaps the most hype player of the last few years; that perfectly rhymes with sneaker crops.

Like his mentor and team-mate Neymar, he is a face of Nike too, which among other things, inspired by his passion for sneakers, dedicated a special pack to him after the World Cup won. As a good 20-year-old Kylian is very aware, and seems to have a fixation for the collaborations Nike x "Off White": perhaps for this he Wass the first to wear on the field the spectacular mercurial boots curated by Virgil Abloh.

#5 Paul Pogba

Could Pogba be missing? We’re talking about one who has cleared the dab as a celebration after a goal, and who was the protagonist in the video of the Designer hit "Outlet". As well as being perhaps the best known face of adidas, as regards the world of football. The octopus Paul wears everything from the Yeezy to one of the many capsule collections dedicated to him.

#6 Federico Bernardeschi

Federico Bernardeschi, already at the time of Fiorentina, revealed an ill-concealed love for sportwear and sneakers, which became evident with his move to Juventus.
An eye to style but above all comfort for him, which lends itself willingly to its sponsor, Nike, for the relaunch of an icon like the Air Max Silver Bullet or the experience at Nike Tech Pack Atelier.

#7 Hector Bellerin

And here's another Gunners. The good Hector has been repeatedly pinched by the English tabloids to spend incredible numbers with trusted resellers (like this seventeen-year-old boy who supplies all the Premier apparently) and to attend various fashion shows like when he enjoyed the London fashion week in the front row next to Travis Scott: from the triple S Balenciaga to the latest Puma releases, nothing escapes him. And nothing is forgiven by tabloids and English fans.

#8 Kellyn Acosta

One of the brightest hope for football with stars and stripes (or soccer, as unfortunately is called there). Class '95, under the Colorado Rapids and an unbridled passion for sneakers that has its roots directly in his childhood, as he explains himself in this short video in which he lets us enter his closet and admits to owning between one hundred and two hundred pairs.

#9 Federico Chiesa

Another Italian, another son of the 90s, to be precise '97. The young Federico is aimed at Nike just like his former team-mate Bernardeschi, and for now he seems to approach the world of sneakers with the enthusiasm and ingenuity of the twenty years old. We expect great things from him in the future.

#10 Kyle Walker

We understand, the Premier League players win at this game hand down. Here then is the former Totthenam and now Manchester United and the British national Kyle Walker, who expresses his love for Nike and especially the Air Max, as is easily perceived from the video below where he shows off an incredible collection.

Bonus: Christian Pulisic

Another American, even more launched than Acosta, even younger and has already made the leap in Europe, Borussia Dortmund shore. Pulisic is a regular at the NBA games and like all Americans the sneaker culture it’s in his blood; so we pass from the Vand Old School to the most iconic nikey models up to the MercurialxVirgil Abloh, which together with Mbappè was among the very first to bring on the field.

Great things are expected in the future for the '98 class, in the field as in sneaker stores.