Erling Haaland has said goodbye to the flowing blond hair that turned into one of world football's most recognisable trademarks, revealing a cropped, closely shaven look just hours before Manchester City's Premier League season opener against Bournemouth.
The Norwegian striker announced the change himself, posting "New season, new trim" on X alongside a promise of a "full episode" on his YouTube channel documenting the transformation.
In the video, Haaland said he had actually considered cutting his hair straight after this summer's World Cup but never found the moment, before deciding matchday one of a new City season was the right time for "a fresh start." He admitted he was "a bit nervous" before going through with it.
Part of the appeal of the video was Haaland's reaction-gathering: he video-called a string of friends and former colleagues to show off the new look, including Jack Grealish, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and his old manager Pep Guardiola, who left City for Enzo Maresca to take over the dugout this summer.
The reactions were not exactly glowing. Grealish, his City teammate, joked that Haaland now looked "about 10 years old," while Ibrahimovic asked, half-serious, whether he had "lost a bet."
There was a pointed callback in that exchange. Haaland has previously said he kept his hair long for years partly on Ibrahimovic's own advice, after the Swede once told him: "Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair."
The long hair had become more than a personal style choice. It was central to Haaland's rise as a genuine global icon during Norway's run at this year's World Cup, where supporters turned up in blond wigs and lookalike contests sprang up around his image as he scored seven goals in the tournament.
That level of fame has followed him back into club football, where his hairstyle had already been widely copied, reportedly including by Kevin De Bruyne's own children.
For now, the haircut serves as the headline moment of Haaland's build-up to Manchester City's Bournemouth game at the Etihad, the first fixture of the club's season under Maresca and a chance for the striker to put a difficult end to last season, including a quiet outing in City's 3-0 loss to Arsenal, behind him.
