It is a far cry from the humble kit bags that England’s World Cup winners carried with them ahead of their famous 1966 victory.
But Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin proved that football and high fashion often go hand-in-hand as he arrived for international duty on Tuesday toting a Hermès Birkin.
The 29-year-old, who famously posed in culottes for trendy fashion magazine Arena Homme+ back in 2021, joined his fellow Three Lions at St George’s Park ahead of England’s friendly against Uruguay on Friday evening.
Wearing a casual white shirt over a cotton T-shirt paired with a pair of baggy jeans and chocolate-hued Adidas trainers, the Sheffield-born footballer was happy to let his designer handbag steal the show, proudly holding out in front of him as he smiled for photographers.
The sizeable ’40’ Haut à courroies bag was the French designer’s first ever creation in 1892, and its original function was to carry horse riders’ saddles and boots.
Known as the ‘original Birkin’, the precursor to the style inspired by the late British actress Jane Birkin, it’s also a perfect match for big-spending footballers with an eye for couture.
The HAC can retail for as much as £65,000, depending on the type of leather. Sothebys recently sold one for £35,000, while prices start at a more modest £15,296 from the ‘pre-loved’ collection at John Lewis.
Fashion expert Joanne Hegarty, who writes the Chic List column in You magazine, said: ‘More and more male celebrities are openly carrying traditionally feminine luxury bags. And I’ve got serious bag envy over this one.
‘His Birkin 40 in toga brown leather with palladium hardware is dreamy. It’s classic, chic – and styled perfectly with an oversized white shirt and blue denims.
‘This slightly undone approach is exactly what keeps this big Birkin from feeling too try-hard. Bravo!’
Calvert-Lewin, a father-of-one who married model Sandra Jerze last year, is clearly enjoying his moment in the England spotlight, having received a surprise call-up from manager Thomas Tuchel, his first since 2021.
He joined England team-mates at the official camp in Staffordshire ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off in June in the US, Canada and Mexico.
However, the Leeds forward eclipsed his Premier League rivals in the couture stakes with Arsenal’s Ben White, Brentford’s Jordan Henderson and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer all arriving for duty wearing much less eye-catching attire, including hoodies or official training kit.
It’s not the first time a top flight footballer has shown a penchant for designer bags at training; Lionel Messi was spotted arriving at Paris Saint-Germain training with the Cargo HAC Birkin 40 – a limited edition costing more than £51,000.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice is the proud owner of his own HAC 40 with silver hardware in blue, while Ibrahima Konaté of France was pictured this week with the Hermès HAC 50, currently selling for around £65,000.
Quite what England’s footballers of yesteryear would have made of Calvert-Lewin’s extravagant training bag is anyone’s guess though.
Photos from decades past show stars, including World Cup winner Jack Charlton, carrying their possessions in much more down-to-earth sports holdalls, usually fashioned from plastic.
