Erling Haaland Cut Off His Famous Hair. His Friends Couldn't Believe It.

Erling Haaland with Manchester City in 2026. Photo by Finder2481720 / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Erling Haaland cut his hair, and grown men who play professional soccer for a living have been unable to talk about anything else.

The Manchester City striker, 26, posted the reveal on August 23 with the caption “New season, new trim.” The long blond hair and man bun that made him identifiable at a glance were gone. He documented the whole thing on his own YouTube channel, then showed the result to friends and other players and filmed their faces.

Why a Haircut Traveled This Far

Because a very large number of people were already watching. Haaland came out of the 2026 World Cup as one of the sport’s biggest social media draws, gaining more than 32 million Instagram followers across the 39-day tournament - the largest growth of any player at the competition.

Fox Sports reported the haircut going viral on the Sunday of Manchester City’s opening match. He also managed to stage the reveal twice: he arrived at the stadium wearing a cap and took it off during warmup.

The Reactions Are the Story

Zlatan Ibrahimovic had specifically told him not to do this. His earlier advice to Haaland was “never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair.”

Presented with the buzz cut, Ibrahimovic responded: “What did you do? You lost a bet or what? Block me and erase my number.” He then asked whether Haaland would be faster now. None of it was serious.

Jack Grealish also weighed in with “You look about 10 years old,” and then, unable to leave it alone, “That is hilarious. I can’t stop looking at the front.”

Pep Guardiola, Haaland’s former Manchester City manager, went somewhere else entirely: “No way. You’re lucky you have hair. I would love to have it. I love it.”

Noel Gallagher, the musician and lifelong City supporter, offered “Mate, you look about 17 years old,” before landing on “Change is good.”

What Actually Happened Next

City beat Bournemouth 2-1 at the Etihad. Haaland did not score, and missed a couple of good chances.

He has finished as the Premier League’s top scorer in three of his four seasons at the club since joining in 2022, so a quiet opener is not a verdict on anything. But it did guarantee that the only thing anyone had to discuss afterward was the haircut.

Ibrahimovic’s line about the buzz cut making him faster is a joke, and there is no evidence a haircut does anything to a footballer. That has not stopped it from being the most repeated thing about the weekend.

References: Good Morning America | Sky Sports | FOX Sports | Sports Illustrated