The hairstyle of Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand can be seen in Yangon.

MYANMAR football fans go to great lengths to show their allegiance to their favourite teams and players. David Beckham and Wes Brown’s hairstyles were popular in Myanmar three years ago and Rio Ferdinand’s pigtail can still be seen on the streets of Yangon.

“I am always excited whenever I wear my football jersey, with my favourite player’s number on the back, and my wristband with the logo of my team. I always want to see them winning, kicking goals in every competition,” said Myanmar film star Tun Tun, also the striker of the Myanmar Motion Picture Association’s football team.

Tun Tun, an ardent Manchester United supporter – “because of Rio Ferdinand” – collects Man United jerseys in various designs and colors, as they are changed and updated at the start of every football season.

He also buys wristlet, plates, caps and key chains with the MUFC logo and his bedroom is crowded with the posters of the United lineup. Being a great lover of Eric Cantona, he collects anything he can with the French wizard’s picture on it.

Myanmar actor Yazar Nay Win, also a dedicated Man U fan, is crazy about collecting football boots. He has over 20 pairs of Nike and Adidas boots, ordered from Singapore.

He said many people share his love of football and they get along well, but everyone has their own taste. The players he likes best are Christiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tévez because of their ability to win possession of the ball and score goals.

Hairstyles are another fashion trait of famous players that influence young people, said 26-year-old sailor Ko Aung Naing Tun.

“It’s not only the style of the players from Premier League like Christiano Ronaldo that can influence young people, but also the players in the [Italian] Serie A. I’ve seen some young guys imitating the style of the footballers of Roma, especially their hair style. I’ve even had [Roma player, Francesco] Totti’s hairstyle before,” he said.

His most-recent favourite team is Chelsea and he says the best footballers in their side are Didier Drogba, Joe Cole, Petr Cech and Ashley Cole. He says he buys all the wristlets he can find of Chelsea and develops his style based on them.

But does football fashion only influence the male audience? The streets of Yangon are indicative that there are many female football-lovers in Myanmar who are keen admirers of football fashion as well.

Ma Yadana, 23, said she buys Barcelona jerseys. “I don’t like the home jersey of red and blue stripes. But the jerseys with lime green and orange that they wear when they play away I like a lot. I mainly collect the accessories of [Lionel] Messi, an Argentine footballer, because I love him,” she said. “But the accessories of Messi are hard to find because he is not as well-known as other players like [Michael] Owen and Ronaldinho.

She said these jerseys aren’t suitable to wear when she goes to class or work, so she just wears them at home.

But Ko Thit Moe, 26, said it is difficult to get the real accessories of football teams in Myanmar.

“When we want to buy jersey or other accessories of football teams, we have to order from Bangkok or Singapore because it is rare to get the real one. But the real products are too expensive for Myanmar fans,” she said.

“If we collect Manchester United jerseys, they need to be updated and the latest design bought every football season. If our design is last season’s, it is very disappointing. But it is hard to afford to buy the real thing every season.”