Back in the 1990's, it would have been virtually unheard of for luxury brands to even consider partnering with football. That's because the sport had acquired a rather undesirable reputation, partially due to the behaviors of some fans known as hooligans, and overall had a rather gritty image attached to the sport.
However, the rise of players like David Beckham soon changed that attitude, and now these days, it's not unheard of to see luxury companies now looking to link up with players and teams. Examples of this include Dior's recent partnership with PSG star Kylian Mbappe, or Armani working with Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as the same Armani being behind the designs for both Napoli's kits and suits for the Italian national team.
And now, it looks like Gucci has decided to join others in its genre by linking up with football. Recently, reports indicated that the Italian fashion house had signed a huge deal with Manchester City's Jack Grealish. Grealish, who began his professional career with Aston Villa, made history last year after City splashed about $131 million (approximately £100 million) to bring him to the Etihad, making him the most expensive English player in history.
Clearly this is something that Gucci had in mind when deciding to partner with the player, who also has brand ambassador deals with gaming giants Electronic Arts (EA) as well as Nike. It's an interesting move for Gucci, who, unlike some of their other counterparts such as Prada, Burberry, and the aforementioned duo of Dior and Armani, have historically steered clear of working with sports personalities, instead preferring to link up with actors and musicians.
Grealish is reportedly set to earn somewhere in the ballpark of "seven figures" for his deal with Gucci.
