Erling Haaland has parted with his most famous trademark, right when his blond mane was more popular than ever.
When Zlatan Ibrahimović tells you not to cut your hair, you don't cut your hair. That's how Erling Haaland handled it for years: “Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair,” went the Swede's advice, which Haaland quoted during the World Cup on “After Hours with James Corden”. The bun became a trademark, the blond mane perhaps the most famous head of hair in world football.
The turnaround had been coming, though: back in June, when a fan asked him on Snapchat whether he'd ever cut his hair, Haaland replied with a short “Yes”. Now he's kept his word.
New Season, New Trim: Haaland Documents the Transformation on YouTube
Just hours before Manchester City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth, Haaland unveiled his new look: buzzed short, back to the style of his early days. “New season, new trim,” he wrote on social media, with the full transformation available in a roughly seven-minute video on his YouTube channel. It's time to let the beautiful hair go, Haaland says in it, before the clippers come out.
Right after the cut, he grabbed his phone and FaceTimed Zlatan and his former manager Pep Guardiola, among others. Zlatan's reaction: asking whether Haaland had lost a bet. Guardiola took it in good humour, running a hand over his own bald head and noting that Haaland should count himself lucky to have hair at all.
Erling Haaland After the 2026 World Cup: 32 Million New Followers and a Viral Summer
The timing of the cut is remarkable, because the long mane had never been more popular. At the World Cup, Haaland led Norway to the quarter-finals with seven goals, where only England could stop them after extra time, and became the tournament's biggest social media phenomenon along the way: fans wore Haaland wigs, the “Viking Row” celebration went viral, and Miami even hosted a lookalike contest.
Over the 39 days of the tournament, his Instagram account grew by more than 32 million followers, the biggest increase of any World Cup player. The hype even spilled into music: Kygo's remix of Haaland's own teenage rap song “Kygo jo” climbed to number one on Norway's Spotify charts. The blond hair was part of the show throughout, which makes it all the more surprising that it's now gone.
Season Start Without Guardiola: A New Era Begins at Manchester City
On the pitch, Haaland and City are entering a season of upheaval, their first without Pep Guardiola, who stepped down after a decade on the touchline. Under new head coach Enzo Maresca, the Community Shield was already lost 3-0 to Arsenal, so the pressure is on as the league campaign begins.
Which leaves the question every generation has asked since Samson: is the strength really in the hair? Haaland starts answering it on the pitch now, beginning against Bournemouth.
