Erling Haaland unveils buzzcut ahead of new Premier League season

Erling Haaland has started the new Premier League season with a dramatic change of hairstyle, cutting off the long blonde hair that had become part of his image. The Manchester City striker revealed the buzzcut on social media with a message about beginning the campaign with a fresh trim.

The 26-year-old appeared uneasy when the hairdresser began cutting his hair, but soon became more comfortable with the result. Before the appointment, Haaland looked back at several hairstyles from his career and considered a number of possible designs for his next look.

He then showed the finished haircut during video calls with Manchester City team-mate Jack Grealish, musician Noel Gallagher and former City manager Pep Guardiola. Their responses were varied, although all three commented on how different Haaland looked without his usual longer style.

Grealish joked that the new haircut made Haaland look around 10 years old, while Gallagher placed his age closer to 17 and welcomed the change. Guardiola focused on Haaland’s remaining hair, saying he would be happy to have such a full head of hair himself.

Haaland also contacted Zlatan Ibrahimovic, recalling that the former Sweden striker had previously warned him not to cut his hair because he believed its strength was connected to it. Haaland had described the buzzcut he wanted as resembling a military-style trim, despite feeling nervous before the cut.

Ibrahimovic did not approve of the decision. He questioned whether Haaland had lost a bet and jokingly told him to block his number and delete his contact. Haaland will next look to make his mark on the pitch when his side face Bournemouth at 14:00 BST on Sunday, having yet to score in the new campaign.