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Football is popular across the globe both for sporting and financial reasons. For years now, footballers have been seen not merely as athletes but social figures of great importance. They are constantly being observed both on and off the pitch and each aspect of their personality is well-known by their followers.
The way they live their lives, the products they use, the issues they raise their voices for and the campaigns they lead or donate to, influence their fans. However, before one digs deep into the life of their favorite footballer, what one naturally tends to notice is the physical appearance of them all.
For some it's the way they look that stands out, for others it is how they groom themselves that does. One way footballers have been setting trends for generations is through their hairstyles. It is a trend that is easily transmitted from the player to the fans and only adds to the memory. So today we take a look at seven of the most iconic hairstyles that footballers have had over the years:
#7 Romania - World Cup 1998
What could be more iconic than a player going blonde, you ask? In what turned out to be Romania's final appearance at the World Cup in 1998, the whole team dyed their hair blonde! Unlike today, the Romanian team of 1990s led by Gheorge Hagi was quite an exciting and challenging opposition to face.
They qualified for the knockout stages in three consecutive World Cups from 1990 to 1998. Little did they know that a World Cup appearance in 1998 was the beginning of a drought and the team would be remembered for bowing out in comical fashion.
In that edition, Romania overcame Colombia and England with back-to-back wins to qualify for the last 16. As once revealed by their goalkeeper, Bogdan Stelea, the team had placed a bet to do something crazy if they qualified from the group. That's how the golden generation turned blonde while bowing out.
Even though the gesture was intended to enhance team spirit, it led to chaos and uncertainty in the Romanian camp. Their coach, Anghel Iordanescu, was a superstitious match and pleaded with the team to change their hair color back again, believing they had angered the Gods.
Well, anger the gods or not, they did lose their last 16 game to Croatia, albeit due to a penalty and a narrow scoreline of 1-0. The blonde brigade was surely a bizarre conclusion to Romania's brilliant decade in world football.
#6 Noodle Hair CR7
An athlete like Cristiano Ronaldo who has built his reputation through loads of hard work and consistent effort doesn't need to care whether luck is on his side or not. But if his intuition tells him that it's all in the hair, then Ronaldo might as well preserve his golden noodles.
The Portuguese star is a global sensation with the highest following of any account on Instagram and everything he does is closely observed. He is known for changing his hairstyles from time to time and the Noodle hair is special to him, he admits:
“It’s like the hair, but people say, why don’t you cut the hair? Its a disaster. And honestly it is. But this is my natural hair *strokes hair* you know? It’s giving me luck. Why cut it now if it’s giving good luck? Leave it.”
Ronaldo reserves this hair for big occasions and big games, and he does not disappoint. Back in the 2017 Champions League final, the forward struck two goals in a 4-1 victory against Juventus. The following year, 'Noodle Hair' was back again saving Real Madrid from a resurgent PSG who looked likely to make a comeback in Round of 16.
In the quarter-finals, Ronaldo redid his hair just before the Juventus game and scored "THAT" goal against Gigi Buffon. The hairstyle might not be the best we have seen in football, but CR7 has only gone and made it iconic.
#5 Paul Gascoigne
Balance, flare, charisma and technique, he had it all. Paul Gascoigne was one of the most exciting and gifted players to play for England. At the time of the Euros 96, where "It's Coming Home" chant was first born with the Three Lions song, Gascoigne only went and cemented his legendary status.
Gazza, as the England star was popularly known, had dyed his hair for the tournament and looked apart. The tournament was being organized on home soil so the Three Lions did not have to play the qualifications, instead they played multiple friendlies.
Gascoigne's hairstyle was made more iconic with his brilliant goal against Scotland and the dentist chair celebration that followed. With his left-foot, receiving the ball from the left-flank, he flicked it over his head and towards the goalkeeper, and hit the volley with his right.
The England midfielder was playing for Rangers in those days and for that goal he beat his team-mate Andy Goram in goal. As the crowd erupted and went nuts, Gascoigne lay on the pitch, while Alan Shearer and two others squirted bottles in his mouth.
Phil Foden paid tribute to Gazza at Euro 2020 when the UEFA tournament was again being organized on home soil. He got his hair dyed blonde in a similar fashion and earned the nickname "Stockport Gazza".
#4 Carlos Valderrama
There are many reasons to love Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama. Style, intelligence, moustache, no frills, no worries. He is Colombia's most capped player with 111 caps and has captained them at three consecutive World Cups. The midfielder was a high-spirited and lovable character on the pitch, made only more memorable by his 'Big Curly Blonde Afro' hairstyle.
His audatious looks earned him the status of a cult hero around the world. Without a doubt, his whacky hairstyle is the stuff of footballing folklore and often a go-to for fancy dress parties. To add to his look, he also had a lot of chunky jewelry around his neck that complimented his personality quite well.
During his playing spell, Valderrama won South American Footballer of the year, twice. Even the twillight of his career, "El Pibe" was as dangerous as ever. He still holds the record for most assists in a single season (26) in the United States.
Special Mention: Rene Higuita also sported a long black afro that became a part of his dramatic persona and unconventional goalkeeping style.
#3 Freddie Ljungberg
The super Swede immortalized his legacy at Arsenal with his knack for turning up on big occasions and, of course, his iconic red hair! The 'Spiky Reds' saw him compared to Johnny Rotten and his photoshoot for Calvin Klein only added to his growing popularity.
One look at Freddie Ljungberg in his early Arsenal days, you'd feel he should have been playing the bass for Green Day rather than running up and down the flanks. The press and fanbase in the Premier League deemed him the sexiest footballer in England.
The Gunner ensured that after leaving Arsenal he was remembered for more than just his style and fashion sense. On his debut, he scored within minutes after coming on from the bench against Manchester United and became an immediate hit.
He was declared Premier League player of the year for the 2001-02 season and won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups at Arsenal. Ljungberg was a great player, full of energy, blessed with technique, but apart from all that, his fluffy scarlet mane had a definite cultural impact on the Premier League.
#2 Roberto Baggio
Countless footballers have sported a man bun or a ponytail around the world in different eras but none more iconic than the "Divine Ponytail" himself. The 1993 Ballon d'Or winner, Roberto Baggio, was a huge success for club and country and proved a saving grace on many occasions.
He is still the only Italian to score in three World Cup tournaments. He was a man who accepted and endeared his sentiments and due to this he was often on the receiving end of fans' fickle nature. After becoming a hotshot at Fiorentina, he left for a record transfer to Juventus which left the fans in Florence bitter.
In an infamous incident, playing against his old club, Baggio refused to step up for a penalty and Juventus lost 1-0. That did not go down well with the Juventus fans. But eventually, the Divine Ponytail was too good to be hated. His balletic brilliance was at its epitome in his first four seasons in Turin, scoring more than 20 goals in each.
In the 1994 World Cup, Baggio single-handedly carried Italy into the finals, scoring in each of the knockout rounds. Despite all those talismanic performances, he is still remembered for the horrendous penalty in the shootout against Brazil in the final that ended Italy's dream.
#1 Ronaldo Nazario
As much as the Brazilian hitman is known for his immaculate striking, he is still famously remembered for his weird hairdo from 2002. Ronaldo Nazario's career was thwarted by regular injuries and the press had always stitched the narrative around his tendency to get injured. This was getting on the Brazilians nerves.
So in an attempt to get rid of all that attention towards him and how injured he stayed, he gave them a distraction they wouldn't dare avoid. He shaved his head except for that little area on the forehead side. In an interview he revealed that the inspiration for the same came from a Brazilian cartoon, Turma Da Monica.
Ronaldo proved to be a force of nature, coming back stronger after each of his injuries. He was more determined than ever to win the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan for his nation. The weirdo-haired Brazilian striker became a menace for the opposition in the tournament as he ended it with eight goals.
The former Inter Milan forward admitted that it wasn't his intention to influence supporters in Brazil, especially kids, to take up the hairstyle. Well, with great power comes great responsibility and Ronaldo got a taste of it, albeit driven by individual success.
