“I still have an aggressive mentality when I want to achieve something, but I’m better at balancing it with staying calm and working harder. In the past, I was an ‘act and react’ kind of guy. I’ve evolved over the years.”
Something else that’s developed is his involvement in another creative outlet: fashion. “I’ve always been inspired by the latest trends,” he says. “But when you get older, you’re influenced by fashion weeks or artists who wear certain styles, as well as by fashion brands. Over time you build up a kind of collection, so that you always have things you can combine. When I look in the wardrobe, what I wear sort of decides itself – and sometimes something very unique comes out.”
Those hours spent on the treatment table allowed the former PSV and Manchester United player to take his enthusiasm for fashion a step further, with the launch of Memphis Depay Clothing. The designs are as flamboyant as their creator and include – as you might expect – an orange T-shirt bearing a logo modelled on that goal celebration.
“When I was injured last year, I did a lot of thinking,” says Depay, who has graced the cover of Vogue Man Netherlands. “That’s when I thought, ‘Why not set something up? Lots of people will be inspired by what I wear and they enjoy it.’ But this is only the beginning. It’s something new that I will have to find my way in. Lots of great things are in the pipeline which feature all the creativity I’ve had in my head.”
“YOU NEED TO SHOW YOUR SKILLS ON THE PITCH, BUT YOU ALSO NEED TO LIVE YOUR LIFE OFF THE PITCH. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO FIND THAT BALANCE”
An attraction to artistry has been with him since the beginning. “As a child I already loved colours; I wear any colour, I don’t mind which one. I’m part-Dutch: my mother is Dutch and my father is Ghanaian. There tend to be a lot of colours in African culture. Wanting to dress nicely is also very important. I try to stay as true to myself as possible with the things I release onto the market. But with the first collection we tried to take it slow, because not everyone will perhaps wear these types of provocative colours.”
You get the sense that whether his creations sink or swim, Depay will continue unabashed. “It’s my passion, the same as with music. When I had the weekend off and I was in the Netherlands, I went to the studio to record. That’s how I spend my spare time. But also, when I was on a plane with the Dutch team, I wrote a lot of songs then.”
Some may raise an eyebrow at the image of Depay scribbling lyrics en route to playing for his nation, suggesting that his focus should be on creating harmony with his team-mates, not in the recording studio. But criticism runs like water off the heavily tattooed back of a footballer who has always played and lived the game his way.
“I watch football but I need to do other things to get in the right frame of mind,” he explains. “It makes me happy, and a player needs to be happy to be able to play well. That’s what I’ve learned. A couple of years ago, people looked at that differently; now you see that young players do what they want. In the end you need to show your skills on the pitch, but you also need to live your life off the pitch. For me, it’s very important to find that balance.”
Giving full vent to his passions will have to wait until he has shut out the crowd’s celebrations with his fingers for the very last time. Until then, as he continues to try to push his team towards next season’s Champions League, Depay still needs all his creative juices flowing when he gets onto the pitch. Not least because, as he points out in 5 Milli, “Back in Lyon goin’ savage/They be waiting for hat-tricks.”
