So, the group stage matches of UEFA Euro 2016 are over and it’s been an interesting one no doubt. The expanded form of the tournament this year has made for some riveting football (read: the last gasp match between Portugal and Hungary and that unexpected win for Croatia over Spain). European football sure seems to have risen to the challenge, except maybe England where nothing seems to have changed – they’re still struggling.
The matches have been exciting and now with a two day break in between before the madness begins again; it’s time to address the proverbial elephant in the room – what is up with some of the hairstyles this tournament? If you thought it couldn’t get any worse after Samir Nasri coloured his hair blue to match his club colours, well it did.
The flurry of horror hairstyles started appearing even before the tournament started. Here’s a look at the who’s who of terrible hair this Euro in order of bad to worst:
6) Paul Pogba
Before the first whistle was blown this tournament and the countries were still playing friendlies, Paul Pogba of France was the first to show off what everyone thought was his Euro special hairstyle – the words Pogboom inscribed on the left-hand side of his head in blonde hair. Now Pogboom is a word Pogba is famously known to use on social media as a hashtag, but is that any reason to carve it out in your hair?
Pogboom wasn’t the end of course. As soon as France’s Euro campaign started, Pogba was seen sporting a cockerel on the side of his head. While it might be seen as a sign of affection for his team – the Les Bleus have a cockerel in their badge, the little red bit of hair next to it doesn’t go down quite that well.
5) David Alaba
David Alaba’s career of late at Bayern Munich has sure turned a lot of heads. Great things were expected from him during the tournament – what with his country being ranked 10th by FIFA but it wasn’t meant to be. Austria did not qualify to the next round and all Alaba will be remembered for is his blonde coloured mop of a hairstyle.
Alaba has always sported a buzz cut. His current hair is an extension of that, but with curls that are a horrible orange(?) – you’d be hard pressed to fix down the exact colour. His hair looks almost like a coconut scrubbing brush!
4) Aaron Ramsey
Aaron Ramsey is usually quite the dapper man from Wales. His hair is almost always perfect which even a ninety game can’t ruffle. However, after coming second with Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League, a fuse seems to have blown. Or maybe it was the joy of qualifying for the Euros with Wales. Whatever the reason, while Ramsey maintains his perfectly combed hair, it is now an awful platinum blonde!
Aaron Ramsey has easily been the most visible man on the pitch for Wales, not for his stylish, skillful football but because of his glow-in-the-dark hair.
3) Marek Hamsik
Before Marek Hamsik was in the spotlight for putting England in a tough spot in their second match of Group D, he had everyone’s attention with a totally whacked out hairdo. Hamsik’s claim to fame this Euro has been his hair product supported mohawk.
Stiff and greasy, that mohawk on a bed of buzz cut hair looks good enough to hurt someone in a fight. Good luck trying to fight him for the ball in the air!
2) Marouane Fellaini
For the world of football and its fans, the sight of Marouane Fellaini’s hair is no cause for bewilderment. We have become quite used to the bird’s nest that he calls his hair. But just as he shocked the world by chopping off his relentless curls before the start of the previous season, he did so once again by colouring his hair a dirty blonde.
Since Fellaini’s hair has always been naturally dark, the exact nature of his curls were unknown but now that they are visible in all their ginger-coloured glory, it is a sight that no one should have to behold. Since Belgium has moved on to the next round, maybe he’ll feel inspired to go back to his natural hair colour.
1) Radja Nainggolan
Radja Nainggolan has definitely earned the attention of the world for his football skill but you can’t ignore that his unique hair has played a small part in that. Over the years, Nainggolan has shown a preference for three specific hairstyles – the mohawk, blonde hair and thin spikes.
This Euro he must have liked Belgium’s chances for winning the tournament since he went out and got a hairstyle that combines all three! Anyone watching the Euros, this time, must have noticed that tiny skinny blonde mohawk that Nainggoaln is trying to convince everyone, is his hair. He might have helped them win with his goal against Sweden but he should go ahead and do his country another favour by changing his hair.
