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Footballers’ haircuts have been a big deal for years now; David Beckham’s myriad styles inspired millions of copycats in the 90’s and 00’s while the likes of David Ginola and Joe Hart have both advertised shampoos, with Ginola and his flowing locks clearly having more impact.
Today, in 2018, footballers’ hairstyles continue to be a talking point – for both good reasons and bad. For every footballer who looks cool and starts a trend, there’s someone looking just as questionable as Bobby Charlton with his infamous 1960’s comb-over. Here are five of the best and worst hairstyles in football today.
#1 Best: David de Gea – the hipster man-bun
The man-bun has been popular for a few years now, with celebrities like Leonardo di Caprio and Zac Efron sporting the style at times. In football, superstars like David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gareth Bale have all tied their long locks up into a top-knot, but the hipster-style man-bun with the shaved sides – largely popularised by Conor McGregor in 2014 – has been somewhat missing from the game.
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That is until David de Gea began sporting the style recently, immediately increasing his cool factor a hundred-fold. Initially sporting an old-school, Taxi Driver-esque Mohawk, the Spanish goalkeeper kept growing out his hair until he could pull off the man-bun look, which he debuted in October 2017.
Initial reactions weren’t great – some fans slated the look on Twitter – but as time has gone by, de Gea seems to be pulling off the hipster look perfectly, especially as he also sports a pretty well-groomed beard. It’s a modern look and there’s no denying it’s cool – even if some fans believe he’s growing his hair in preparation for a return to Spain with Real Madrid!
#1 Worst: Loris Karius – the escaping man-bun
To pull off the man-bun look, you’ve either got to go for the full de Gea/McGregor and shave the sides down, or you’ve got to be willing to grow those locks pro-wrestler-style, ala Gareth Bale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Attempt the look without doing either, and you’re not likely to look too great. Such is the case of Liverpool’s German goalkeeper Loris Karius.
A few months ago, Karius was sporting a slicked-back, shaved-sided look more suitable for an episode of Peaky Blinders (more on that a little later) but somewhere down the line he clearly decided to grow his hair out. Not wanting to risk his fringe causing any visual problems, Karius made the call to go for the man-bun, a smart move for any credible shot-stopper looking to establish himself as top dog at a club like Liverpool.
Unfortunately, the Reds keeper's hair doesn't seem to have quite grown enough to pull the look off, as the bun appears to struggle to hold itself together when he moves around, particularly when he's spectacularly diving to save a shot. There's certainly no shame in a man-bun, but it's surprising that nobody has suggested to Karius that a Beckham-style hair band would work a little better until his hair has grown a little more.
#2 Best: Toby Alderweireld – the Peaky Blinder
Unless you’ve lived under a rock over the past few years, you’ve probably seen or at least have heard of the hit TV series Peaky Blinders, which follows a sharp-dressing family of 1920’s gangsters based in Birmingham, England.
Even if you haven’t seen the series, you’ve probably spotted one of the hairstyles inspired by it – shaved almost bald on the sides and back, with the top a little longer and either swept forward or slicked to the side.
The best example of this look in football? Tottenham’s Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld. Literally looking like he’s stepped straight off the set of Peaky Blinders, Alderweireld’s hairstyle gives off a vibe of both cool and tough as leather – basically complimenting his playing style down to a tee.
The sides are shaved perfectly, and the top is slicked back just enough to stop the style from becoming a self-parody.
When you can find at least five Youtube tutorial videos on how to copy a haircut, you know you’re getting something right. Alderweireld pulls off the 1920’s gangster look with more style and substance than any other player right now, and he clearly warrants a spot on this list.
#2 Worst: Jack Grealish – the Parody Peaky Blinder
While Peaky Blinders has inspired cool hairstyles like the one Toby Alderweireld sports, one character from the series that isn’t inspiring anyone’s style is Arthur Shelby, played by actor Paul Anderson.
Unfortunately, Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish appears to be using the character as his role model, as he sports a questionable hairstyle that has amused the fans since his emergence a handful of seasons ago.
Grealish sports the same shaved sides and back as Alderweireld, except rather than keeping the top of his hair short enough to style, his is so long that even when slicked back with plenty of hair product, it rises up like a sail on his head and then tends to fall wildly over the place once he goes on one of his trademark mazy runs through the midfield.
Prior to kick-off, before any running has been done, Grealish almost resembles Leonardo di Caprio’s character in Titanic as much as he does a Peaky Blinder, just like the often-comedic Arthur Shelby character. Grealish is having a great season at Aston Villa, but unfortunately, his hairstyle has a lot to be desired.
#3 Best: Jack Wilshere – smartly shaved
One of the unwritten rules of men’s hairstyles is that once the hair starts to thin out, it’s probably best to just get rid of the lot.
The completely bald look doesn’t work for everyone – few footballers would be able to pull off the Stone Cold Steve Austin look – but shaved all over, usually with a stubbly beard to compliment the look, can be cool. Just ask David Beckham, who popularised the look in the early 2000’s.
Despite being one of the most naturally talented players produced by England in recent memory, one thing Jack Wilshere, unfortunately, isn’t blessed with is a great hairline.
Even in his youth, his hair appeared to be somewhat receding, and last season at the grand old age of 25, he appeared to be turning into Alan Shearer before our eyes, in hairstyle at least.
So returning to Arsenal this season, Wilshere has done the smart thing and simply shaved the lot off. Not only does he look 100% cooler, but he also looks tougher, more experienced, and certainly ready to lead England into battle in the World Cup this summer.
It’s a massive upgrade from the thinned-out look he was sporting last season and like Beckham before him, he could bring the shaved look back into vogue.
#3 Worst: Christian Eriksen – old before his time
Danish playmaker, Christian Eriksen is widely recognised as one of the Premier League’s most skilled midfielders, pulling the strings for Tottenham and creating myriad chances for the likes of Dele Alli and Harry Kane. Unfortunately, he’s also recognisable for one of the worst haircuts in football right now.
Despite his years of experience, Eriksen is just 26 years old –but to look at the Danish star, you’d never guess that.
It’s not that his face is weathered or that he sports a wild beard, more than his hair appears to have completely thinned out to the point where it’s almost impossible to even recall the shock of blonde spikes he once sported when he first arrived at White Hart Lane.
With his wispy hairstyle, the Dane seems unafraid to show that he's lost some of his hair - a brave move in line with his attacking prowess, but perhaps a change is due.
Admittedly, a former Tottenham star - and one of football's all-time coolest players - in Dimitar Berbatov once carried off the same style and made it look good, but personally, I'd advise Eriksen to take a leaf out of Jack Wilshere's book and shave it off.
#4 Best: Neymar Jr – even with dreadlocks
Some players just give off a cool vibe without even trying, and can pull off even the wildest haircuts and make them look awesome.
Back in 2003, David Beckham became one of the only white men on the planet to successfully pull off the “cornrow” look, for instance, but in 2018, Beckham has slowly faded from the list of trendsetters in football. Right now, the trendsetter is definitely the Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr.
Neymar has always sported some cool hairstyles, from his days in Brazil that saw him sport a two-tone Mohawk through to his bleach-blonde look while he was playing for Barcelona.
Most recently he debuted another new look – sporting some rasta-style dreadlocks while recovering from injury at home in Brazil. The PSG striker has since shown off the style from another angle, revealing it to be a form of man-bun, ala David de Gea.
The reaction to his new style appears to be mixed thus far, but remember, this is a man so stylish that he managed to pull off a bizarre style a few years ago with a few braids hanging off the back of his Mohawk – Neymar is a trendsetter, simply put.
Will the new look inspire millions to grow dreadlocks? Who knows – but there’s no denying he looks cool.
#4 Worst: Marouane Fellaini – the disco look
Not many players would keep the same hairstyle after hearing it being compared to a comedy wig, but Marouane Fellaini clearly has more character than that. Despite fans of opposing teams making fun of the Manchester United midfielder for his disco-inspired afro hairstyle for years, he's stuck with it for a decade.
The Belgian bruiser has been sporting his famous afro look ever since he arrived in the Premier League with Everton way back in 2008, and ten years later it appears that he’ll never switch it up, despite some fans comparing him to the likes of Michael Jackson during the Jackson 5 era, the comedic Disco Stu character from The Simpsons or 80’s TV artist Bob Ross.
Sure, he’s sported the odd twist to the look over the years – blonde streaks at one point and even a Mickey Mouse-esque style for a recent GQ photo shoot – but outside of that, it has all been the same for the Belgian.
And while it’s contributed to him becoming somewhat of a cult hero with his own fans, it still means he's an easy target for opposing fans looking for some "banter".
#5 Best: Raheem Sterling – keeping it simple
Manchester City star Raheem Sterling has sported some odd hairstyles in his time – from a pineapple-esque dreadlocked look to a truly bizarre curled style that resembled 80’s pop star Prince – but right now he’s looking at his absolute coolest simply because he’s decided to keep things absolutely simple.
Starring in Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City side, Sterling is currently sporting a simple ‘fade’ look – a short crop on the top going shorter, all the way down to a shaved look on the sides and back.
Is it any coincidence that he has been in arguably the best form of his career – at least since his breakthrough 2013/14 season with Liverpool – since sporting a mature haircut? I don’t think so.
While Sterling clearly isn’t above trying another bizarre style in the future, right now he easily looks like one of the coolest players in the Premier League – particularly when you throw in his stylish sideburns and stubble.
It is proof that keeping things simple can really work for a player who seems to be purely focused on his game at this point.
#5 Worst: Paul Pogba – the crazy patterns
Despite being one of the most expensive players of all-time and one of the most instantly recognisable Premier League stars of 2018, it appears that Manchester United’s Paul Pogba somehow wants even more attention from his legions of fans.
The French midfielder seems to change his hairstyle more frequently than any other player and most of the time he goes for some truly bizarre looks.
Literally hours ago another new style was unveiled – this time a Mohawk dyed blue and white to show his allegiance to his French national side, complete with an odd pattern shaved into the side of his hair.
This, of course, comes just weeks after he sported a shorter look on top with some interesting blonde patterns shaved into the sides. Why Pogba feels the need to change so often is unknown, but to be fair, as one of the world's top midfielders it's hard to question him.
Whether his wild hairstyles will start new trends like David Beckham's various cuts did fifteen years or so ago remains a question mark, but with Pogba's high profile, it wouldn't be a surprise to see youngsters requesting some of his more outlandish styles when going for a trim.
In the past, he has sported the Batman logo, a personal slogan (‘Pogboom’) and animal print – shaved into the sides of his hair. While he always looks unique and instantly recognisable, the jury is out on whether he looks cool.
