Certainly the athletes are aware that a commercially appealing package can reap financial benefits. "What we have seen, especially in Europe, is this sort of fashion-conscious persona many of them have created," Zucchelli said. "There is this very hairstyled player with super-contrived, huge sunglasses and a lot of jewelry. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't."
If the players were not so talented, the level of style competitiveness would threaten to eclipse the sport. Ronaldinho, the Brazilian held up as the world's most talented player, wears his hair long and wavy, pulled back to reveal gaudy earrings with his number in diamonds, and adorably pulls his cuffs down over his hands during warm-ups.
Djibril Cisse, a 24-year-old striker from France, is among the most visually imposing players, often appearing with platinum-dyed facial hair. He is also wont to remove his shirt during play (and shorts in the case of a pinup calendar) to reveal a set of angel's wings tattooed onto his back. Cisse was sidelined from the World Cup last week when he broke his leg.
There are American athletes who are known for their flamboyant style -- Dennis Rodman, the Williams sisters or Johnny Weir -- but in this country there is a puritanical tendency to play down individuality. Think of the constant nattering about hem lengths in basketball and resistance to facial hair in baseball, which is even codified by the New York Yankees' stubble ban, known informally as the Mattingly rule.
Soccer players embrace their eccentricities, a tendency that McLaren of Bumble & Bumble suggests is explained by the pride of those with humble roots who have achieved international success.
"Usually it is the normal kids who become talented," he said. "It's not like a tennis star whose parents spend millions training them to become a star. It's the more common person who has contact with the streets at a young age. They are exposed more to street-level culture. They tend to pick up on that a bit more."
It's a theory, but it does not take into account the styles born of other sports. Just Tuesday, a television report noted a rise in sales of capri pants in Spain, linking the phenomenon to the tennis victory of Rafael Nadal. He wore them at the French Open on Sunday.
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