In Paris, Héctor Bellerín Swaps The Football Pitch For The Louis Vuitton Catwalk

The lines between fashion and football have blurred once again today at Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton show. In amongst a slew of models was long-time fashion fan and "and (currently injured) Arsenal and Spain defender Héctor Bellerín.

"I'd been asked before but I didn't think it was the right time then and when I got the news that Virgil wanted me to walk for his Louis Vuitton show it was a no brainer," the 24-year-old told Vogue post-show. "I was on holidays but I needed to go regardless. I'm very happy [to have walked] - it felt really good."

Think of the process of lining up for a show, waiting for the moment you're ready to step out - parallels could quickly be drawn between modelling and the moments leading up to a football match. "To be fair, the feeling when I was lined up behind everyone that was walking was a bit of a feeling like when I'm in the tunnel," Bellerín explained. "I haven't felt that in so long, since my injury in January. It was quite nice to have something to look up to. It is kind of like the start of the game and when the music started it felt very similar, but then everyone made it really easy for me."

While the experience was clearly something Bellerín was honoured to participate in, the call of modelling isn't quite so strong as his desire to get back on the pitch. "For me, playing a game is the best thing ever and you cannot compare the two things but [walking in the show] was something that I really, really enjoyed and I was very happy to be able to do it."

This experience wasn't the first time that the Spanish native has been asked to walk in a show, but it was the first time that he actually wanted to do it. "I don't know if I would walk again. This opportunity came at the right moment, with the right designer at the right house. It was almost as if the planets aligned so I couldn't say no. I'm very happy and grateful for the opportunity Virgil gave me. Although, I could never say never."