Latest news with #SegundoCastillo
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Meet the forgotten Premier League star who has become the world's most fashionable manager
A former Everton and Wolves midfielder is grabbing the headlines as one of the most fashionable managers in world football right now. The ex-Premier League midfielder endured a miserable two seasons in England, playing only 17 times in two years. Segundo Castillo, manager of Ecuadorian side Barcelona Sporting Club de Guayaquil, has captivated audiences with his stylish attire on matchdays. The former Ecuadorian international with 88 caps stole the show in a dynamic black and white patterned floral dinner jacket during the Copa Libertadores group stage. His outfit featured a striking red bow tie with a matching red rose and pocket square on his left-hand side. Castillo's fashion sense couldn't prevent his side losing 1-0 to Peruvian club Universitario. The Ecuadorian's elegance did not match with his playing days, known for being a fiery defensive midfielder who's played across four continents. Castillo briefly graced the Premier League but failed to make an impression during his two loans at Everton and Wolves in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. His forgettable two seasons under David Moyes and Mick McCarthy yielded little game time whilst on loan from Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, scoring once for Everton in the UEFA Cup. The culmination of his loan spells led to the then 27-year-old leave England for his home country before stints in Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The midfielder's enjoyed a solid international career, playing every minute for Ecuador in the 2006 World Cup campaign, reaching the second round for the first time in their history. Castillo has had a solid start to his managerial career with the 42-year-old's strong 50 per cent win rate for Barcelona SC. Yet, his looks have garnered more attention than his results on the pitch with the manager being coined as 'Sir Second Castle' for his classy looks, the direct Spanish translation of his name. Barcelona SC grabbed the headlines by knocking out ex-Manchester United flop Memphis Depay's Corinthians 3-2 in the third round of Copa Libertadores qualification. Progressing to the group stages, Castillo donned a distinguishable 19th century black and white dinner jacket with black trousers. 'Sir Second Castle' continued his chic looks in his side's 1-0 win in the group opener against fellow Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle. Castillo opted for a more traditional all black dinner jacket with a white shirt as Bryan Carabali's early goal secured the three points for Barcelona SC. The following group game Barcelona SC took on Argentina giants River Plate, known for harbouring immense talent such as ex-Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez and Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez. A boring 0-0 draw was countered by Castillo's extravagant pastel pink dinner jacket, a two-piece accompanied with a pink bow tie. 'His unique style has made him an icon within South American football', said Telefe when analysing the 'Mortero's' looks. 🤵🏆 ¿Lujo? El de Segundo Castillo, entrenador de @BarcelonaSC: así se ve un partido de CONMEBOL #Libertadores. #GloriaEterna — CONMEBOL Libertadores (@Libertadores) March 6, 2025 😎 Not even the rain will stop Sir Second Castle from showing up in style! 👏 🏆 CONMEBOL #Libertadores — CONMEBOL Libertadores (@TheLibertadores) April 2, 2025 In one of his first games as an initial interim manager against Cerro Porteno, Castillo wore a flat cap reminiscent of the Peaky Blinders. His dark grey cap matched his smart waistcoat, complimented with a black shirt and black trousers. His exuberant fashion sense stretches to both on and off the field, as seen when the former defensive midfielder rocked up to vote in unusual attire. Voting at the April 2025 Ecuadorian general election, Castillo arrived in a traditional Saudi Arabian shawb, an ode to his playing days at Al-Hilal. Castillo placed his vote into the ballot box, giving a thumbs up the camera in his Saudi Arabian outfit. In an interview with Diario Extra, Castillo revealed that his wife is the key decision-maker behind his stylish looks as his 'technical assistant' for his fashion. 'My wife is the one who helps me regarding the outfits. If she thinks I'm handsome, that's more than enough.' He added that his on-field looks match the stature of his job: 'You must be on the same level as the place where you are. 'So, I try to put out a good image to my players and to the audience.' Segundo Castillo sobre su vestimenta: 'Mi esposa me ayuda a elegir los trajes' – link to interview article (translated the quotes from Spanish for you) Looking into the future, Castillo touched on his dream to manage the Ecuadorian national team in the future. The current Ecuadorian national side exudes talent with the likes of Chelsea's Moises Caicedo and Brighton's Pervis Estupinan. Argentinian Sebastian Beccacece is La Tricolor's current boss with the national side's last Ecuadorian appointment back in 2015.
New York Times
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Is Segundo Castillo – manager of the other Barcelona – football's most fashionable coach?
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 — 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.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
📸 Oscar-Worthy Coaching! Head Coach's Outfit Turns Heads
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here. Did he make a mistake at the event? At least that's the question one might ask when looking at Trainer Segundo Castillo's outfit. Because instead of heading to the Oscars, he was on the sidelines in a stylish suit. 📸 Franklin Jacome - 2025 Getty Images But it wasn't just the coach who delivered a cinematic performance in the Libertadores match against Corinthians, his team did as well. You can watch the highlights in the video here. If Castillo coaches on the sidelines like this, how would he walk down the red carpet? Either way, his outfit was the talk of the evening around the game. 📸 Franklin Jacome - 2025 Getty Images
