Teenage Kicks
Sweatshirt KIDSUPER sunglasses COACH
Often compared to former player and current coach, Andrea Pirlo, due to the elegant touch of his fast legs, his facial hair is more 2000s-era Alessandro Del Piero—an Italian player who rocked thick sideburns throughout his career. Busio’s style, however, has nothing to do with Italian baroque. The footballer is a sneakers and sweats type of guy, a true Gen Z hustler who uses musical icons, like Justin Bieber, as his aesthetic references, adapting them to fit his own personal vibe. Since moving to Italy, Busio has gotten a little more into fashion—he admits that seeing his teammates come to practice in a full ‘fit has inspired him to take it up a notch.
Facing a challenging season with Venezia F.C. hasn’t fazed Busio one bit—if anything it’s stimulated him to work harder and keep up with the exciting competition the league has to offer. As the club runs through the second leg of the championship, it will be thrilling to see the young soccer star thrive—both inside and outside the pitch. And hopefully, we’ll see him bring his swag to the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.
Ciao Gianluca, it’s nice to meet you. Before diving into your personal wardrobe and new Italian life, tell me about your background—from Greensboro, to Kansas City and now Venezia.
My dad obviously is Italian, so growing up everything in my household was about soccer. Serie A was constantly on our TV. I think my first toy was a soccer ball too, so truly I was just born into this. My older brother and I would always kick about in our backyard and that is all I remember doing throughout my childhood. It started becoming more serious when I joined the U.S. National team and Sporting Kansas City noticed me. That’s when I made the first jump in my career. I moved away from my family and it was a big deal! After four to five years playing well enough there, I made it to Venezia. And I am currently living out my dream.
T-shirt SUNNEI, pants LIBERAL YOUTH MINISTRY
Shirt BURBERRY, pants LIBERAL YOUTH MINISTRY
What was your ‘aha’ moment that made you go: I want to be a professional football player?
Frankly, I never really had a back up plan. But I think it was my first year at Kansas City that made me realize I actually had a chance at this.
How has your life changed since moving to Italy?
It’s changed a lot. I am used to being away from my family, but the atmosphere here is completely different. Different country, different culture, different food and language. In this league, there is so much pressure and support around it, it finally feels like soccer is a real thing. Like, you know, that this is my job! In Kansas, I was professional but it was different—your whole life is not dependent on it. I think the major adaptation I had to make was realizing that this is my full time job.
What is your favorite thing about Venezia?
The city itself is beautiful. Nowadays, I go on a lot more walks and there’s just so many active things to do, like just being about, going to different stores and seeing the architecture. There’s always something to do. It’s something you cannot replicate anywhere else.
Have you picked up any new habits or hobbies?
I am more of a coffee drinker now. I always have an espresso after lunch now, which I never saw myself doing while in the U.S. Now, that’s a normal thing for me. And walking—I walk a lot more.
How do you spend your time off the pitch?
It’s tough to find time because we are always training, but when I do get the chance to hang out, I go shopping and I like to eat out a lot. I see my teammates and we watch the game on weekends or play video games. I don’t have any extravagant hobbies—I am a pretty chill guy.
Tracksuit by GCDS, sweatshirt CARHARTT WIP, briefs OFF-WHITE, shoes NIKE
You play in the most stylish team in the league. Has playing on such a fashionable team enhanced your style in any way?
Oh yeah, this is the most stylish I have ever been and ever seen, really. That’s kind of the vibe of the whole team. Every player here cares about fashion, about how they look. Here you look nice to go to training—I wasn’t really used to that. I wouldn’t say everyday is a competition, but it’s about who comes in dressed the freshest, and on nights out, we make fun of guys who wear hoodies and sweatpants. Everybody is dedicated to looking good off the pitch too.
What is your personal relationship with fashion?
I am pretty close to fashion. I just like looking good. It makes you feel good. I like nice shoes and I am lucky enough to have a Nike contract, so I always try to wear the latest release. I think I have always tried my best—even when I didn’t have money I always tried to look clean. I like being cozy but stylish. I do wear sweatpants with everything, but I am always matching and make an effort to look nice. When it’s time to go out, I am out there a little bit. Sparkles and bright colors, just whatever makes me stand out a little more.
What about sneakers? Are you a collector?
I do love sneakers. I wouldn’t call myself a collector because I give my shoes away a lot, but I own many. My addiction started with the Nike x Off-White Black Prestos. I don’t wear them a lot anymore, but they are definitely my most prized pair. I got them back in Kansas—I was the first person to wear them to training and my teammates would always make fun of me for having the tag on my shoes! I also like Balenciaga a lot, I like Alexander McQueen. I have a very strong collection. But I am the kind of person that does wear their shoes, so some of them are a little run down.
What’s your favorite item in your wardrobe?
A couple of months back I got a baggy, blue and black checkered flannel from Vetements that has their name tagged big on the back. I wear it over hoodies and it fits with everything. I love the color and it matches with a lot of my shoes. For winter, I have a Dior puffer jacket that I throw on everyday over a sweatsuit. It makes everything look better.
Recently, a lot of footballers have become fixtures at Paris Fashion Week. Would you like to become one of those players that’s considered a style icon?
Oh yeah, that’s always been a goal of mine since I have been around the fashion and soccer scene. As a player, you are not only an athlete but a brand. Football is the priority, but you need to have something on the side, too. There’s guys like Neymar and [Karim] Benzema, you see them score crazy goals on the pitch and then the next day they are in a nice outfit at Fashion Week. It’s like, Wow these guys can do it all, and that’s where I want to be. I am not near that level yet, but I think that’s definitely something I am working on off the field.
Shirt, pants and sunglasses DOLCE & GABBANA, shoes NIKE
Tracksuit PHILIPP PLEIN
Do you have any style references?
I try so many different styles that it’s hard to name just one person. One day I’ll be wearing really baggy jeans and the next I am wearing a nice suit to go out. I think Justin Bieber is somebody I look up to, especially now that his style is more laid back. He will go run some errands in a baggy tracksuit and that’s pretty sick. For more formal style, I think David Beckham was definitely one of the first style icons soccer had.
Do you have any match day rituals?
I wouldn’t say rituals, but I do have a routine that I always try to follow. I am a little superstitious, so it starts a couple of days before games. As I am always on my iPad, I will set a schedule for myself to scroll through my screen and go to bed at a very specific time, like the last time we won the game. Also, I always have to wear the same shoes, and if we lose the game, I’ll have to switch them up. Right now, I am wearing the Travis Scott Lows and they have been a good charm so far.
What about music? What have you been listening to lately?
I am a big TikTok guy—my friends would say I am addicted to it. I take a lot of the music I listen to from there. I like good vibes music like Mac Demarco, The Neighborhood... A chill vibe. Before a game, I want to get hyped up a little bit, so that’s when I try to stick to rap. I also listen to a lot of older music my mom used to listen to.
What are your predictions for the World Cup? Do you think you’ll make it?
Personally, the first step for me is to make the call up and play so well up until then then the coach has to put me in. Obviously, I can dream of making hat tricks and scoring goals, but first and foremost I just want to make it there. I do think we have a pretty good chance at qualifying—we have one more game coming up. We are a young team, but we also have guys that have been playing in Europe for a while now, so by the time the World Cup comes, we will have a solid team made up of players that have experience playing at the highest level. We might have a chance at beating a couple of the bigger countries. I believe we could be the one underdog this year, like Croatia [in 2018]. Nobody ever predicted them making it to the final, really.
