On 23 August, Erling Haaland’s buzz cut made its public debut at Etihad Stadium, as the Manchester City striker arrived for the opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth wearing a cap, which came off for the warmup, according to Fox Sports. The close-cropped look replaced the long golden locks that had become as recognisable as the goals themselves.
Erling Haaland’s Buzz Cut and a New Era at City
The 26-year-old Norwegian explained the decision in a YouTube video posted to his account. ‘It was time for a fresh start,’ he said, adding that he had wanted to shear his head ‘as if he had been in the military.’ The timing carries weight beyond aesthetics. Yahoo Sports reports that Pep Guardiola left Manchester City after the 2025-26 season, and the club’s new head coach is Enzo Maresca. A fresh scalp, a new manager, a new campaign: Haaland is apparently keen to mark the reset from head to boot.
Haaland had worn his hair long for at least the last six years. In the video he walks through the evolution: a mohawk phase, a side-part, a swept-back look, before the locks settled into the distinctive bun (tied in the shape of a question mark) that became part of his image. Letting all of that go was not, it turns out, an uncomplicated decision.
He recalled a specific piece of advice from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the retired Swedish footballer who also keeps long hair. Ibrahimovic told him, ‘Your hair is your strength,’ invoking the biblical story of Samson, whose supernatural powers were bound up in his hair. Haaland went ahead with the clippers anyway.
Stunned Reactions from the Inner Circle
The video captured the aftermath: reactions from the people around Haaland as they took in the new look. His girlfriend, Isabel Haugseng Johansen, was among those caught off guard. So was Noel Gallagher, a major Man City fan. And Ibrahimovic himself, confronted with the results of his ignored counsel, asked whether Haaland had somehow lost a bet.
It is the kind of off-pitch content that has built Haaland a fanbase well beyond the usual football crowd. For a man who stands six foot five, the gap between his physical presence and his personality (carrying an Hermès bag, bringing home a taxidermy raccoon) is a large part of the appeal. His time playing for Norway during the 2026 FIFA World Cup extended that reach further, as his more whimsical behaviour drew attention alongside his performances on the pitch.
Back at the Etihad, the cap came off, the buzz cut was out in the open, and Manchester City got on with the business of a new season. City won the match against Bournemouth, though Haaland missed a couple of chances along the way. Whether the aerodynamic new crop delivers dividends in front of goal remains a question for the weeks ahead, but the hair, at least, is no longer a variable Ibrahimovic can argue about.
