Search icon

Football

26th Jan 2022

The reason why Serge Gnabry wears black nail polish

Callum Boyle

There is an important message behind the reason

Many people have caught on to Bayern Munich star Serge Gnabry playing football with just a single nail painted black – but many do not know the reason why. However, there is an important message behind the painted nail.

As reported by BILD, the forward has painted one individual nail on his fingers in reference to a campaign known as the “Polished Man” campaign, which was founded by an organisation known as “YGAP.”

The international organisation was created in order to raise awareness of the issue of child abuse, with the nail painted representing the fact that one in five children under the age of 18 around the world are victims of sexual and physical violence.

Inspiration for the painting of the nail came after the CEO of YGAP, Elliot Costello, had his fingernails painted by a girl who had been rescued after being sexually & physically abused in an orphanage.

On their website, YGAP explain why they look to use men to raise awareness of their organisation. They say: “Polished Man is not about pointing the finger when it comes to violence, it’s about empowering everyone to become part of the solution.

“Men both perpetrate and experience high levels of violence, and are often unlikely to step forward and ask for help. A world with less violence against children is a world where men are taking an active role in preventing acts of violence, and have space for their own recovery from experiencing violence.

“We believe that men can, and should, be an important part of the conversation and the effort towards ending violence against children. Polished Man is about celebrating men as carers, leaders, and protectors – and importantly, it’s about asking everyone to stand together in protecting society’s most vulnerable: children.”

Alongside Gnabry, several other celebrity stars including actors Chris Hemsworth and Tyler Blackburn have also worked alongside the organisation to raise awareness.

Related links: