Is Segundo Castillo – manager of the other Barcelona – football's most fashionable coach?

New York Times

04-05-2025

It was a look more associated with the Met Gala or the Oscars red carpet than the dugout of a professional football game. But when managing his Ecuadorian top-flight club Barcelona SC, Segundo Castillo dresses to impress.
The 42-year-old went viral in March after wearing striking tuxedos on the touchline for two of his team's high-profile games in the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of Europe's UEFA Champions League.
Advertisement
Castillo, a former midfielder for Ecuador who also had club spells on loan at Premier League sides Everton and Wolves, chose white for the 3-0 win over Brazilian team Corinthians last month, then bright pink for a 0-0 draw with Argentinian side River Plate on April 9.
Earlier this season, he wore a tight-fitted waistcoat and flat cap, and another ensemble that matched shiny silver shoes with his tie.
Although Castillo's fashion sense has made global headlines, it has not proven a distraction for his players. The club, named after Spain's Barcelona, have made a fine start to the new season and are level on points with Independiente del Valle at the top of the league, having won seven of their nine games so far.
'Ecuador is still a conservative environment,' says Esteban Avila, a journalist for La Radio Redonda and Marca90, who is based in the capital, Quito. 'But Castillo has imposed his personality. His tendency to wear such striking clothing has revolutionised Ecuadorian football.'
Castillo has said his sartorial choices are chiefly to make his players smile and relieve tension ahead of big games in the club's centennial season.
But his refined ensembles have won approval far beyond the Barcelona players and fans.
'A look so elegant and out of the ordinary — no coach had ever shown off such a suit in the history of football,' wrote Giacomo Arico in Vogue Italia last month. 'It captured the eyes not only of the spectators at the stadium but of the entire world, with the shots of his suit that are currently doing the rounds on the web.
'A style choice that coincides perfectly with the 'Black Dandy' theme of the next Met Gala 2025.'
Whether or not Castillo intended to match the Met's forthcoming theme or not, his psychological motivation could be effective.
Sarah Collins, a senior lecturer in fashion design at Manchester Metropolitan University, believes seeing the manager so dazzlingly turned out could have the intended impact on his team.
Advertisement
'The clothes we select and wear form part of our overall identity along with things like hairstyle, accessories and tattoos,' she says. 'It is a curatorial process about that outward projection of identity, which he speaks to when referencing dressing for his team: to make them smile.
'Of course, you can make people smile with clothing in different ways; he could have dressed as a clown. The fact that he has chosen a tux, which is normally considered formal-occasion wear, is interesting too.
'It's not exactly the working-class roots of football, but it carries an air of authority. He says the players know they are being looked after when they see him in these suits, and maybe he means they see that he is taking everything seriously — right up to dressing so formally as opposed to turning up in a tracksuit.
'If he appears as someone who takes his clothing seriously and with pride, by extension, he takes his job seriously. He is clearly confident and comfortable enough to do that. He has made himself stand apart from other managers.'
Castillo's love of fashion was also influenced by his time as a player in Europe, where he first played for Serbia's Crvena Zvezda before loan moves in England.
In an interview with Forbes Ecuador, Castillo recalled team-mates with Louis Vuitton luggage and how players could be 'extravagant' with 'the financial means to buy them'.
Day to day, Castillo prefers shorts or casual wear most of the time; the weather in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city where Barcelona are based, can reach highs of 32C (89.6F) in April and is warm and humid throughout the year. But on the big stage, Castillo brings out the big looks.
'I try to look good at LigaPro games,' Castillo told Forbes. 'When I played in England, at Everton and Wolverhampton, we had a lot of activities with the team owners and we always had to be well-dressed or wear the suits the club made us for special events or matches. It's a culture I developed.
'Here, for us, the Libertadores is our Champions League. So, I think you have to live up to the tournament you're playing in, and also to the club and my players. I have to give them that presence and make them feel like their coach is OK.
Advertisement
'That's important to relieve them of some of the tension, of what a player always wants to conquer, which is to win every game.
'I didn't do it with the intention of it becoming so popular.'
Collins is not surprised that the manager's style has been popular with his players.
'I don't know whether there's an element of in-joking within the club, but the team clearly respects him,' she says. 'It's not like they're thinking: 'What on earth is the manager wearing?'
'When he wears the pink tux, it's showing he will express himself freely and doesn't feel he needs to conform to the norm. Maybe that's also the message he wants to give his players on the pitch.'
Football is Ecuador's most popular sport, and its top clubs command huge followings. As in many other places, the game can be a welcome distraction from daily life. The rise of criminal gangs has made the country one of the most violent in South America. In January, 781 people were murdered.
Earlier this month, its president Daniel Noboa won the run-off round of the nation's election on a ticket to continue his tough military crackdown on the gangs. It was a divisive election, with Noboa's rival Luisa Gonzalez subsequently refusing to recognise his victory.
Castillo's star turn has made positive headlines, especially with the manager already a national hero from his playing days.
'As a central midfielder (Castillo's nickname was 'El Mortero', or the mortar, for his power), Segundo was one of the best in Ecuadorian football history,' says Avila. 'He embodies the identity of Ecuadorian football with his physical strength, endurance and clear vision.
'It's too early to evaluate him as a manager. But his team are practical with a strong emphasis on the physical conditioning of players, which is typical in Ecuadorian football.
Advertisement
'He faces a challenging path because Barcelona is his first coaching role, and Ecuadorian professionals often have limited opportunities. There has been a preference for foreign coaches.'
Barcelona might be glad they bucked the trend. The club are selling T-shirts based on the manager's suits, designed to incorporate the silhouette of a tuxedo with the tagline 'Calle Pero Elegante', meaning 'street but elegant'.
Vístete como 𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞 😎🔥
📍Estadio Banco Pichincha #BSCStore #BarcelonaSomosTodos pic.twitter.com/zpRoa5CyGN
— BSCstore (@BSCSTOREoficial) March 31, 2025
Castillo has another nickname, 'Sir Second Castle', based on the translation of his surname, and Avila says his willingness to embrace the attention has only 'amplified' the attention Barcelona receives as Ecuador's biggest club.
It is also a boost for the retailers of Guayaquil. Castillo told Forbes his white tuxedo was made by a tailor from the city's Sauces 8 neighbourhood and cost US$400 (£151).
While his closet features designer names such as Gucci, Armani and Hugo Boss, he is not wedded to big-money labels. 'I don't have a specific brand,' he said. 'If I like Zara or Calvin Klein, I'll buy it.'
The man Avila describes as 'cordial' and 'respectful' and who, unable to afford boots, played barefoot during his childhood in the port town of San Lorenzo, is happiest that his clothes give Barcelona's players joy.
Barcelona are next in Copa Libertadores action on Thursday night against River Plate. Third in group B, they remain hopeful of progressing to the knockout phase.
Should they go even further, Castillo's wardrobe will continue to match the occasion.