From football star to fashion star: Zinedine Zidane is the new face of Mango Man

The French World Cup and Balon d’Or winner follows the steps of Gerard Pique by fronting the Spanish brand's spring/summer 2015 campaign

Zidane for Mango Man

Football legend Zinedine Zidane joins the line-up of sportsmen that have posed for Mango Man, by fronting its spring/summer 2015 campaign.

The French World Cup and Balon d’Or winner has been revealed as the new face of the Spanish brand’s latest collection, which has been released with a photoshoot and video, featuring geometric and floral prints, patchwork fabrics, knitwear, bomber and biker jackets, cropped trousers – all in black, white, grey and khaki.

Zidane replaces Dutch male model Marck Vanderloo, who featured on the current autumn/winter 2014 campaign, and follows the steps of Spanish footballer Gerard Pique in fronting the brand’s collections.

This, however, is not his modelling debut. He has previously starred in campaigns for numerous fashion brands such as Y-3, adidas and Yohji Yamamoto’s joint line, and Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2011 campaign alongside fellow football legends Pele and Diego Maradona. But in 2011 he told Vogue he didn’t want to become a fashion figure, but that he was enjoying it.

"It's not that I'm doing something different - it's a continuation, I was a sportsman, now I'm a different kind of man," he told Vogue. "I've gone from the sports world to the fashion world. What I like is that it's very different to what I was doing before, different to playing. It's new and interesting."

Also his sense of style makes him a good fit for fashion campaigns. He said: “My priority when wearing clothes is for them to look good and be elegant: I like feeling good in my clothes."

Talking about accepting Mango’s offer, he said: “I have lived in Spain for a long time, so I know Mango well. When they asked me to be the face of the collection I accepted because I love the idea of people being able to wear quality fashion at very competitive prices.”

Mango has had a good year with profits of 120.5 million euros, 90 new stores opened worldwide, and plans for a further 100 new stores in 2015. Having Zidane fronting its menswear collection might also be part of its winning formula.

It seems that football and fashion were always meant to be, or so says the array of sportsmen featuring in fashion campaigns and magazines. Cristiano Ronaldo is another example of this, as he’s been the cover star of glossies such as Vogue Spain, has deals with high-end brands like Emporio Armani, and has his own underwear label, CR7. Also, David Beckham has continuously been present in the fashion industry by fronting many campaigns, launching an underwear brand too, in collaboration with H&M, and with a wife designer, he recently announced the launch of his upcoming menswear label too.