‘Short hair, don’t care’: Erling Haaland does the unthinkable and chops off his mane

It’s official: Erling Haaland’s gloriously long, blond mane is a thing of the past.

The Norwegian footballer has left his millions of fans speechless, chopping off his famous hair in time for the new season of the English Premier League. He unveiled the results on Instagram, declaring, “Short hair, don’t care.”

Haaland, 26, has worn his hair long since 2021. It’s become a key part of his signature look, with the World Cup superstar tying it back in a ponytail or bun during games, often using colourful scrunchies.

The Manchester City striker buzzed off his long locks on the eve of the team’s first game of the EPL 2026 season, documenting the process in a six-minute YouTube video, in which he admitted nobody knew about his plan.

“This beautiful blond hair … time to let it go,” Haaland told viewers.

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“I was thinking about doing it straight after the World Cup, but I was so busy, so I didn’t do it. The season starts now so it’s time to get a fresh start.

“I can’t wait for the fans to sing, ‘Who the f---ing hell is that?’”

Haaland added that Swedish former footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic had warned against abandoning his long locks: “[He] told me never cut your hair, because your strength is in your hair.”

While the athlete’s long hair was a key part of his viking-like aesthetic, he noted the Scandinavian warriors sometimes wore their hair short too, showing viewers a photo of a viking with a shaved head.

The video shows the stages of Haaland’s haircut, beginning with his locks being separated into sections and cut off one at a time before the electric razor comes out.

To say this has caused a stir is an understatement. We’re used to female celebrities’ haircuts getting the world talking, but it’s not often a man gets this level of reaction.

Fans have shared their shock and awe in the comments of his Instagram post, with some famous faces also weighing in. British football star Jude Bellingham simply wrote, “no way”.

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Haaland also sought some real-time reactions, FaceTiming some of his well-known pals shortly after the haircut while the cameras were rolling.

“You look about 17 years old. It’s good,” Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher told him, while Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish found the makeover “hilarious”.

“You look about 10 years old ... I can’t stop looking at the front of your hair. I love it,” he quipped.

Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, was not impressed that Haaland didn’t heed his advice.

“What did you do? You lost a bet or what? Block me and erase my number,” he declared.