Mason Mount really likes the baggy brown Burberry suit and chunky sneakers he wore to the Wakanda Forever film premiere in November. (An outfit that caused the internet to collectively double take.) Polarising memes and emoji reactions aside, it was the Chelsea FC and England player’s most revealing look yet: instantly marking him out as a playful risk taker and one to watch in the menswear style stakes. ‘I’d describe my style as smart casual. If I have a shoot or an event I’m going to, I always love to dress smart, look cool, and have a really nice piece on,’ he tells MATCHESFASHION as we chill in his tidy front room. As dynamic and adaptable a dresser as he is an elite attacking midfielder, he’s still got those Burberry shoes but admits he can’t wear them to training. ‘But the other side is casual when I’m going to football or just lazing around the house. I’ve gained [a different style perspective] going out on loan, living in Holland, then coming back to London.’

Portsmouth-born Mount joined the Blues aged six and has engineered an unprecedented, accolade-ridden rise through the academy with loan spells at Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County. Since making his senior debut under club legend-turned-manager and childhood inspiration Frank Lampard in August 2019, the 24-year-old’s many memorable moments revolve around decisive assists and classy goals. A first Premier League hat-trick against Norwich in October 2021 at Stamford Bridge, for example, and his more recent goals have been accompanied by his now-signature Chunkz Frankenstein celebration. An England regular and part of the squad that lost to Italy in the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 final, Mount played for the Three Lions at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and won the penalty that captain Harry Kane missed in the quarter-finals against France.

‘I always love to dress smart, look cool, and have a really nice piece on.’

The two-time Chelsea FC Player of the Year has both awards, the FIFA Club World Cup 2021 replica, and others on display in his home. But it’s the UEFA Champions League that takes pride of place – Mount calls the triumph in 2021 the highlight of his career so far. Forward Kai Havertz ran on to his pass to score the only goal in the final against Manchester City. ‘To be able to go through that experience is so special and meaningful to me,’ he says. ‘I’ve kept the boots from the game and I’ve not cleaned them.’ That major European title also kicked off the footballer’s tattoo collection. ‘My dad’s got them and as soon as we won, I was like, I need to get a tattoo of it. To have it on my body and bring back the memories of that day means a lot.’ Besides having the big ears trophy on his side – it was so sore he remembers, lifting up his shirt to show it – his arm is illustrated with cherubs inspired by his grandparents’ wedding, his nan’s favourite flower of a stargazer lily, boxing gloves for his granddad, the HMS Victory ship to represent his hometown, and the year of his birth, 1999.

‘I love the brown OUR LEGACY trousers in the second ’fit. I’ve got quite similar ones in my wardrobe.’

Greeting the team on set with hugs and Cadbury chocolate, Mount links one of his playlists to the speakers so songs by Drake, Asake, Stormzy, and Stevie Wonder soundtrack his laid-back, laughter-filled MATCHESFASHION shoot. Looking good and feeling good go hand in hand for the footballer, and the final looks feature the SS23 pieces that he rates the most. ‘I love the brown OUR LEGACY trousers in the second ’fit. I’ve got quite similar ones in my wardrobe,’ he shares, admitting that he didn’t know too much about the utilitarian-meets-preppy Swedish brand that he ended up gravitating to the most. From the logo-print jeans to the green knit and Carhartt collaboration trainers, Marni is another clear winner along with an Yvonne Léon rectangle pendant necklace, ‘very cool’ LE17SEPTEMBRE Homme jacket, and an s.s.DALEY sweater. ‘I feel like a sheep,’ jokes Mount when getting comfortable in the cream look. ‘I don’t like to only wear darker stuff. I like to be a bit out there as well.’

Modern footballers’ style seems like less of a minefield now thanks to a renewed emphasis on self-expression. Flashy hypebeasts are applauded as much as stealth wealth minimalists and relatable boys-next-door by different generations and publications, while fashion brands tap-up the most influential as ambassadors. Mount is finding his feet in this space, with Tatler and Eight by Eight magazine cover shoots, a statement Martine Rose editorial in The Face, and a GRMW British GQ article (when he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and attended the ceremony in 2021) under his belt. Unlike his contemporaries, he posts very few ’fit pics for his 5.5m Instagram followers to pore over, so what his bold Burberry suit and these MATCHESFASHION looks lay bare is an acute awareness of proportion as a result of his physique. ‘I’m not the biggest and when I was younger, I was even smaller. I always wore tight tracksuits or jeans but growing up and learning more about style, I definitely dress more loosely now,’ he explains. ‘When you start wearing baggy stuff, it takes time for you to get into it and it’s grown on me over the years.’

Playing football from such a young age limited Mount’s earliest looks to football kits. ‘I do remember going away on holiday and having this luminous shirt,’ he recalls. ‘There’s a picture of it and I look back at that now like, what was I doing?’ Now the footballer says he takes cues from the streetstyle he observes walking around London and outside of fashion shows, and the way certain musicians dress. ‘Harry Styles has worn Bode and that’s where I saw the brand first,’ he says, before describing a colourful long-sleeved shirt he has from the American label that he considers perfect for summer. ‘I’m not someone who would wear loads of jewellery but people like Lil Baby have very unique style and I can use elements with my own style in a different way.’ Most spontaneous with his hair – currently short on the sides and he’s growing a beard – close friend Trevoh Chalobah is the Chelsea FC teammate that Mount pays attention to sartorially. ‘I’m a big fan of his style. If I like something that Trev is wearing, I’m not scared to ask and say that looks cool.’

‘When you start wearing baggy stuff, it takes time for you to get into it and it’s grown on me over the years.’

Clothing clear-outs to family keep the footballer’s selective wardrobe ever tighter because he enjoys discovering and learning about fashion brands. Name-checking Casablanca and Homme Plissé Issey Miyake among his go-tos, he mentions vintage shopping in Shoreditch and an inventive Parisian brand that he happily unearthed in Dubai. ‘I feel so connected with start-ups [having] worked my way up through the academy.’ What Mount is really sentimental about is sneakers and the dedicated, colour coordinated room in his house confirms his low-key sneakerhead status. A friend recently surprised him with a custom pair covered in his tattoos by his tattooist, Miles Langford. ‘I haven’t counted but I would say there’s probably 100 pairs in there and they all have to be meaningful to me,’ he muses. ‘I have got some rare ones and when I went to New York quite a few years back, I bought two from a sneaker store. I haven’t really worn them but I just keep them for the memories.’

How Mount spends his time off the pitch also speaks to his character. Children in Need and Red Nose Day are among his charitable causes and he became a patron for Together For Short Lives, which supports children and their families living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, on his 22nd birthday. ‘I’m very lucky to have a platform and being able to use that positively to bring awareness and help kids really means something to me,’ he says. ‘I try to do that, give back, and have an impact in any way I can. We did a pop-up shop to raise funds and it was so good to meet and speak to people as well.’ Frequently captured larking around and raising spirits in hilarious Instagram Reels and TikToks, Mount doesn’t take himself too seriously. If he isn’t napping after training or playing Call of Duty (he’s a bit of a gamer), he can whip up avocado on toast with bacon or his original pasta sauce recipe.

What’s crystal clear is that Mount’s growing fashion profile isn’t a distraction from the games ahead and the high standards he’s set on the pitch. It’s been a rollercoaster calendar year at Chelsea FC, due to ownership and managerial changes, but the attacking midfielder believes the team can finish the season strongly. ‘It’s been tough and I think you learn a lot from a season like this and you can grow a lot. Maybe I’m not going to achieve the goals I set at the beginning of this year,’ he shares pragmatically. ‘You look at it like: Why did that happen? How can I affect that for next year? How can I do better? We’ve still got some more to go and hopefully another competition to try and win.’