Fez — Erling Haaland has officially killed off one of football’s most recognizable hairstyles.
The Manchester City striker revealed a dramatically shorter haircut on Sunday morning, August 23, only hours before City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland, 26, had worn his long blond hair tied back for years, helping build the Viking-like appearance that became almost as recognizable as his goals.
Haaland documented the haircut in a YouTube video and explained that he had been considering the change since the World Cup.
“This beautiful long hair, time to let it go,” Haaland said.
He added that the beginning of the new season felt like the right opportunity for a fresh start.
The new look resembles the shorter hairstyle Haaland wore earlier in his career at Borussia Dortmund. He also posted images showing different stages of the haircut before settling on the close-cropped style.
Haaland ignored Zlatan’s hair advice
There is one person who might not approve.
Haaland revealed earlier this summer that Zlatan Ibrahimovic had previously advised him never to cut his hair.
“Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair,” Haaland recalled Ibrahimovic telling him.
The Norwegian apparently decided to test that theory anyway.
His haircut video included reactions from girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen, former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, teammate Jack Grealish, Oasis singer and City supporter Noel Gallagher, and Ibrahimovic himself.
The timing also gives the haircut more significance than the average footballer trip to the barber.
Haaland became one of the biggest personalities of the 2026 World Cup while helping Norway reach the quarter-finals. He scored seven goals during the tournament and gained more than 32 million Instagram followers over its 39 days, Sky Sports reported.
His long hair became an especially visible part of that image, appearing loose during celebrations and tied back during matches.
The buzz cut therefore arrives just as Haaland returns from his biggest summer yet and Manchester City itself begins a new chapter.
City will start its first Premier League campaign under Enzo Maresca following Guardiola’s departure. The club enters Sunday’s Bournemouth match after losing 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Haaland will now find out whether Ibrahimovic was right about where his strength comes from.
The hair is gone. The goals, Manchester City will hope, are not.
