Footballers love their Birkins How the Hermès bag built its fame in football too

When today we try to associate a celebrity with a bag, one of the first connections that comes to mind is that between Jacob Elordi and his endless collection of Hermès Birkins: the most famous weekender bag in the world, often carried on the shoulder by the Australian actor, especially in his classic airport fits. Speaking of airport fits or, more generally, travel outfits, in the past 48 hours the players of the world’s top national teams have arrived at their training centers to prepare for the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Among them is Argentina, led by Lionel Messi, who will be playing in the last World Cup of his career.

Footballers and their Birkins

And guess what? Two of Argentina’s veterans showed up at training camp carrying an Hermès Birkin: Lionel Messi and Leandro Paredes. Paredes sported a black Birkin with a Labubu attached, confirming footballers’ passion for these keychains (by the way, Rodrigo De Paul is also known to be a big fan, as we’ve already covered in another article). Messi, on the other hand, chose a 35 cm Birkin Cargo in canvas, paired with a truly elegant outfit, especially considering his past style choices. Footballers have always shown a certain fascination for Birkin bags: after all, if they can’t afford to spend five-figure sums, who can?

But Birkins have always been a staple for footballers: among the most recent are Declan Rice, David Alaba, and Cristiano Ronaldo. We like to imagine that the latter borrows them from his wife Georgina Rodríguez, given that her collection has always been showcased on her social media. A different story for David Beckham: we know very well how much his style in the 2000s (especially) and then in the 2010s influenced the perception of the footballer’s image. Before him, no player had ever dared to wear parachute pants, full leather suits, or a durag (especially to meet Prince Charles). Wearing a bag like the Birkin, conventionally associated with women’s wardrobes, was therefore a stylistic choice that not even David Beckham had made. At least not until last year, during March’s Paris Fashion Week, when the former footballer was also spotted with a Birkin.

Shinsuke Sakimoto: the former footballer who owns the most expensive Birkin ever

But the most incredible story about footballers and Birkins doesn’t involve names as famous as CR7, Lionel Messi, or David Beckham. The protagonist is Shinsuke Sakimoto, a former midfielder in the Japanese J1 League: he played for Gamba Osaka before retiring at just 22. And why is he so famous in this context? Because he is the buyer of the very first and original Birkin Bag once owned by Jane Birkin, and the most expensive ever. In 2007 he launched Nanboya, a store specializing in repurchasing luxury goods. Four years later he founded Valuence Japan, which went public in 2018, making Sakimoto the first former Japanese professional athlete to lead a listed company.