MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s sensational forward Erling Haaland has revealed that his decision to cut his iconic long hair has given him an unexpected advantage off the pitch.
The Norwegian striker surprised fans earlier this season when he swapped his synonymous ponytail hairstyle for a much shorter cut.
Haaland was previously one of the most easily recognizable figures in world football, largely due to his sharpness in front of goal and unique ‘Viking’-style image.
However, the 26-year-old thinks it’s time to make a drastic change that will shock the sporting world.
Despite his global icon status, the prolific striker has found that his new aesthetic image allows him to blend in and ‘get lost’ in crowds more easily than before.
“I’m not so well known on the street anymore. You don’t see that beautiful blonde hair anymore. It’s a good change and I think it’s quite nice,” he told Sky Sports.
Haaland initially expected his new hairstyle to cause a bit of a stir on social media, but the scale of the international attention was beyond his expectations.
Global media and fans were quick to scrutinize every detail of her personal transformation, making her new hairstyle headlines around the world.
Despite facing such intense scrutiny, City’s main star took the extra attention casually.
“I expected it to go viral, but I didn’t think the whole world would notice my new haircut. It was kind of funny,” he said.
The move to ditch the ponytail marks a major change for Haaland, who previously claimed his long hair was a source of his strength on the pitch.
In fact, he once revealed that the legend, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, once advised him not to cut his hair before Haaland finally chose his own path this season.