Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland is used to being the centre of attention on the football pitch, but he might find cameras focused on him for a different reason in the team’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth.
Aside from his goalscoring prowess, the Norway international is extremely recognisable for his trademark long hair, tied up in a ponytail during games, a style he has had since 2021. On the eve of City’s first league game of the season however, Haaland has decided to chop off his iconic golden locks.
It comes after successful summer off the field for the striker as he continues to cultivate a mainstream and online following as a ‘Gen Z’ celebrity.
Haaland detailed the process in a vlog on his YouTube channel, explaining that he had been considering the move after Norway’s participation at this summer’s World Cup, where he scored seven goals as the nation reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by England, and earned him a significant following in North America.
“This beautiful blonde hair…time to let it go,” Haaland said. “I was thinking about doing it straight after the World Cup, but I was so busy so I didn’t do it. The season starts now so it’s time to get a fresh start.
“The only thing is, Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) told me never cut your hair, because your strength is in your hair.”
Haaland said that he had not told anyone about the plans and while “nervous” to say goodbye to his hair, he was happy to take inspiration from his Scandinavian roots.
“You know what, the vikings, they go short as well,” he said before finding a picture of a viking with a shaved head and a beard – the latter may be on the ambitious side for Haaland.
In the video, his hairdresser called it “the most expensive haircut of all time,” adding “I’m a little bit stressed, it’s not a usual job.”
“I look like Kevin from Home Alone with this haircut,” Haaland said midway through the haircut, before adding once the buzz cut was complete: “I can’t wait for the fans to sing ‘who the f—ing hell is that’?”
Short hair don’t care 😅✂️ pic.twitter.com/tPzQVFoUIL
— Erling Haaland (@Erling) August 23, 2026
The 26-year-old then went about getting reactions from some familiar faces via video calls: Oasis singer and City superfan Noel Gallagher, former City manager Pep Guardiola, club team-mate Jack Grealish and the aforementioned Ibrahimovic.
“You look about 17 years old,” Gallagher said.
Grealish concurred: “You look about f—ing 10 yeas old!”
Ibrahimovic, another prolific striker famous for playing with a ponytail, was less than impressed.
“What the f–k did you do?” said the former Sweden striker. “You lost a bet or what? Block me and erase my number!”
Haaland also called Guardiola, who left City this summer after 10 years as the club’s manager, coaching Haaland in four of those seasons. Envy seemed to be the overriding emotion in that conversation.
“You are lucky you have hair! I would love to have it!” Guardiola joked.
Haaland experienced a surge in popularity after his debut World Cup campaign exposed him to a new, primarily north American, audience. He gained 22 million Instagram followers during the tournament as his brand boomed, becoming one of the sport’s most recognisable global figures.
What does this say about Haaland’s brand?
Analysis form Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee
The fact that this is news shows how big the Haaland brand has become, particularly during the World Cup — the YouTube video showing this transformation attracted 10,000 views in the first five minutes.
Haaland has a reputation as a no nonsense player and there is good reason for that; he has an old school attitude towards playing the game and his role does look fairly simple, even if that it due to how clever he is with his movements inside the box. Despite all that he does enjoy the trappings that come with the more flashy footballer, like cars and watches, and he has been signed up by some of the top brands in the world to advertise their stuff, including Breitling and Qatar airways.
His hair has been a major part of his image and basically any kid with a top knot gets called Erling Haaland, so it will be interesting to see how many parents have to take their long-haired children to the salon after this one.