HARVEY ELLIOTT IS A NEW WAVE BALLER IN NEW BALANCE

Jordan Clarke

It’s no understatement to say that playing for Liverpool – especially Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool – is a dream millions of football fans hope to experience in their lifetime.

At just 19, Harvey Elliott is living that dream.

A childhood Red, the teenager has now made 58 appearances for his boyhood club at the time of writing, with the last coming in his impressive performance against Manchester United which saw Klopp’s side hand United their worst defeat in the club’s history with Elliott a key component in that.

Despite the demands on his shoulders for someone so young, the Chertsey-born baller isn’t phased by outside pressure. “I don’t actually think about it, to be honest,” says Elliott, who is sitting with his arms laid across both directions of the navy living room sofa in the local Airbnb we’re meeting in; further proving the point of his relaxed demeanour.

“You’re so in the moment, trying to give it your all and work as hard as you can, you don’t really have the time to think of these things, but when you reflect and you actually think and take things into consideration, it’s a crazy life at such a young age,” Elliott admits. “I’m enjoying every bit of it and loving every moment.”

Harvey Elliott wears a New Balance NB Essentials Coaches Jacket. Photography by Kieran Clarke.

Since the win over United, many in the media – including Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra – have discussed the pressure of playing at Anfield as an opposition player. The general consensus from those discussions is that any display of weakness will be punished by not just the Liverpool players, but the Anfield faithful too. This being something Elliott agrees with.

“I think you just need to be there to understand it,” he says on the atmosphere at Anfield, which has helped deliver numerous unforgettable nights during Klopp’s tenure alone.

“You have to see it for yourself. It’s one of a kind, to say the least. Everyone knows that Liverpool fans are the best in the world so the atmosphere is always going to be a madness from the get-go and that’s definitely what I’ve experienced.”

Whilst his talent with a ball at his feet is undeniable, Elliott is also part of a new wave of ballers showing a different side to themselves through their interest in fashion. Though the rise of football x fashion continues to reach new heights and gauge huge interest from young football fans online, it also comes with its doubters who still believe athletes should focus on one thing and one thing only: football.

Harvey Elliott wears New Balance 2002R Protection Pack Pink sneakers. Photography by Kieran Clarke.

“People assume we’re like robots, you know? We just play football and that’s it,” the Liverpool midfielder says on the criticism placed on himself and his peers. “Some people may not like it, some people may think it’s wrong but at the end of the day, everyone is human.”

“If someone else was doing it, no one would say a thing but when it’s a footballer, they say we’re not focused enough or we’re focusing on something else. It’s our life and we just want to express ourselves and enjoy it.”

This belief being a huge factor towards Elliott’s decision to join New Balance in 2021 as an 18-year-old. The Boston-born brand has been making waves since its entrance into the football scene in recent years, using its ever-growing roster of talents including Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Sadio Mané (Bayern Munich), Timothy Weah (Lille) and Elliott himself to hit Gen-Z audiences. Not only that, the brand has encouraged the self-expression of players both on and off the pitch at a time when others have kept their dealings with players strictly to performance-related activations.

Whilst competitor brands have found themselves getting overly comfortable in recent years, Elliott believes it has only played to the advantage of New Balance in forming a new approach to marketing football’s superstars of today. “I feel like New Balance is different to other brands right now,” he tells me whilst rocking an all-black tracksuit graced with the NB logo.

Harvey Elliott wears and holds New Balance 550 trainers. Photography by Shane Bain.

“It’s got a story behind it and there’s a philosophy with the brand. I think they’re going down a path that some of the other brands can’t compete with, hence why people are steering towards the New Balance wave. Some of the brands that were popular before are losing ideas whereas New Balance stay coming up with fresh ideas.”

On his experience since becoming a part of the New Balance family, Elliott is just as complimentary: “It’s been amazing. From the beginning, New Balance as a brand have been unbelievable to me. They’ve helped me in so many situations and allowed me to experience so many opportunities which is something I’ll be forever thankful for. It’s exciting to be a part of the family and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Like many players before him – including fellow New Balance athlete Weah – Elliott shares the belief that self-expression off the pitch only enhances performance on the pitch as an athlete, a point that many critics are happy to blindly ignore. “I go by if you feel good, you play good, which is something I always take into consideration,” he tells me.

“For me, with fashion, it’s about enjoying it. You work hard and at the end of the day, you need to treat yourself. I don’t mind putting a few outfits on here and there but sometimes, I won’t do too much. I’ll post something and then delete it a few months later but if it’s a going out day, for food or something like that, I don’t miss the opportunity [to drip].”

A new wave baller in New Balance. Photography by Shane Bain.

From hairstyles dating back to his Fulham days to big fits as a Premier League regular, Elliott’s preference to stand out from those around him has always been clear. Whilst many admit their fashion inspiration comes from external sources, Elliott’s self-confidence allows him to find inspiration from within in his mission to be unique on the fashion front.

“I think my inspiration comes from myself, to be honest,” the 19-year-old reveals. “It’s the same with the way I play, I want to be different to other people, I want to express myself by doing different things and wearing different things.”

“I feel like more and more people are getting into expressing themselves differently and putting on other things. If you look at the NBA for example, there are so many crazy ideas and outfits out there, so I think the NBA is a big influence on the world in terms of fashion because they’re on the world stage.”

“It’s different in football, we wear the club tracksuits and we’re not allowed to wear our own clothes yet but it’s just about being different and expressing myself.”

Harvey Elliott in Liverpool. Photography by Shane Bain.

Whilst the NBA still reigns supreme on the topic of stylish athletes, football is slowly but surely beginning to make a case for itself as a sport in the best-dressed department. From Moise Kean to Jules Koundé, the game now holds unique personalities off the pitch that resemble the characters seen in U.S. culture dating back to the days of Allen Iverson, whose persistence on being himself led to the NBA introducing a dress code in 2005.

“There’s a few ballers who really think about it and fair play to them because some of them look good,” Elliott says on the rise of fashion interest amongst players. “I think Joe Willock is a really good influence. One key one was Héctor Bellerín and I feel that still now,” Elliott says on the Sporting defender, who is widely regarded as a pioneer of the football x fashion niche.

“He’s still smashing it too. I think it all depends on what you like. Someone might wear something and one group may not like it but another do, so it just depends on what you like. There’s definitely a few ballers that stand out.”

Like their love for fashion, music is also becoming a growing interest amongst ballers with the likes of Memphis Depay, Rafael Leão and Alphonso Davies now dropping their own tracks showcasing their lyrical ability to fans. For Elliott, he’s happy to stick to just listening to music for now. “I can jump on the aux yeah, absolutely! The microphone? Not so much,” he laughs.

Harvey Elliott wears a New Balance NB AT Spinnex Vest. Photography by Shane Bain.

I respond by asking him for one fellow baller he wouldn’t let on the aux. Elliott grins as the answer enters his mind. “This is a tough question because I don’t want to ruin any friendships, to be honest,” he laughs. “I feel like I just need to say this though because I feel like a few people are thinking it,” he says grinning once more.

“On the way to games, Adrián has the speaker on the bus and he has these mad remixes which ruin the actual song,” Elliott says on the Liverpool shot-stopper. “Fair play to him because he keeps giving it a go each and every game. No matter what anyone says, he always plays it so you have to give him credit but he’s definitely the easiest one to say.”

Whilst Adrián’s remixes aren’t likely to find themselves at the top of Elliott’s Spotify wrapped this year, like many ballers and people his age, Travis Scott and Lil Baby are. “My music taste is weird, I can go from liking certain artists to then not liking them and it goes on. I can name one artist this month and in a few months time, I’ll say another,” Elliott admits.

“I think my favourite right now is Travis Scott. He’s someone that I’ve listened to from early and I can never get enough of him, so I’d say Travis. I’ve liked Playboi Carti for a good couple of years now and he’s another I’ll definitely keep listening to.”

The youngest are in charge. Photography by Shane Bain.

“My most played album? My Turn by Lil Baby. I think when that first came out, I was in my Lil Baby era, so I was just constantly playing his songs and you know when it comes up with your stats on Spotify, My Turn was my most listened by far.”

Though Elliott is regularly reminded of his status for someone so young, including numerous times in our conversation, he strays far from the characteristics a 19-year-old playing for one of the biggest clubs in world football could and possibly should.

He speaks beyond his years in each response with a maturity that many older than him are still yet to find and upon his entrance, his intent on greeting everyone individually with a handshake and smile followed with a ‘how are you?’ is a small but meaningful touch from one of the biggest rising stars in the game.

Whilst some say there’s a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance, Elliott seems to disprove such a theory. His confidence within and faith in his journey so far has enabled him to be himself around people, without any need to portray something bigger and better. That self-confidence is something he puts his success down to.

“For me personally, self-confidence and self-belief are key,” Elliott says on what advice he’d give to others.

“If you don’t have belief in yourself then you won’t be able to feel like you can achieve anything. That’s something I take a long way. Sometimes it’s hard with different situations in life and when you’re not always feeling 100%, but maintaining that self-belief can take you a long way and help you keep striving towards your goals.”