Why people are talking about Pep Guardiola's coat

Last night Manchester City won 2-0 at Budepest against Borussia Monchengladbach, a Champions League match played on a neutral pitch due to the coronavirus rules in Germany. Beyond the sporting result, several English tabloids focused on Pep Guardiola's outfit, who showed up at the Puskas Arena in a knee-length black coat, paired with black trousers and shoes and a blue sweater. In the back of the coat, covering Pep's entire back was Manchester City's giant logo. This garment has been in the usual style of the former Barcelona coach who, personally, has always stood out in terms of taste in clothing.  

His coat was part of a line proposed by the club and the rest of the staff and team players also arrived at the Puskas Arena in that jacket. Still, it's hard to think that Guardiola personally chose to wear such a coat. Not so much because of the fact of the coat - which Pep has always worn, even this type of long model - but for the giant logo on the back. Surely, Citizens chose to use the prestige of a Champions League challenge to show the public the new boss, but also as we read on Twitter from the comments, the fans did not appreciate it. This would be a marketing choice that Guardiola had to respect, and given his background with outfit choices, it is more logical to assume that the Catalan coach would have worn quite a lot more coats. In fact, as early as last Sunday in the Premier League match against Arsenal he showed up with one of his workhorses: the Open Arms sweatshirt. Guardiola, in fact, is an open supporter of the Spanish NGO, committed to the rescue of migrants in the Mediterranean Sea. 

Among the garments that have made Guardiola's style an icon of the aesthetics of coaches on the bench are Stone Island sweaters and jackets, the laced scarf, the basque, even the same long coats; indeed, Guardiola appeared to be a big fan of Rick Owens shoes as well. His closet will surely be a well of important brands and elegant garments, and it is a confirmation that what the world saw last night in Hungary was just another marketing operation of a football club.