Soccer Legend Shocks Fans With Dramatic Hair Transformation
“The Vikings, they go short as well.”
Julian Finney - FIFA/Julian Finney/FIFA via Getty Images
It’s the end of an era: Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland buzzed off his famous shoulder-length hair.
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 26-year-old’s signature shoulder-length blond hair got almost as much attention as his impressive performance on the field.
On Sunday, the 6-foot-5 center forward shocked his fans and colleagues when he made two Instagram posts debuting his new unexpected hairstyle: a buzz cut.
Erling Haaland was one of the breakout stars of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Pictured here during the Iraq v Norway game at Boston Stadium in Massachusetts.
PAUL RUTHERFORD/Paul Rutherford/ Imagn Images via Reuters
First, Haaland posted a video looking into the camera with his infamous long hair, then covering the camera with his hand to reveal the new buzz cut. The video got over 84 million views by Monday morning.
In the clip, he directed fans to go watch his longer YouTube video from the day, titled “New Season, New Hair!”
In the longer video, Haaland said he was “a bit nervous” to cut his hair, but that his goal was a “really short” buzz: “Like I’ve been in the military.”
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“The only thing is [Zlatan Ibrahimović] told me, ‘Never cut your hair because your strength is in your hair,’” he said.
After his haircut, Haaland called the soccer legend, who was visibly shocked by his new hairstyle. “What did you do?” Ibrahimović asked. “You lost a bet or what?”
Haaland, who was nicknamed “Viking prince” during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, quipped in the video, “the Vikings, they go short as well.”
Erling Haaland posted photos of every stage of his dramatic hair transformation.
Instagram/Erling Haaland
Haaland’s second Instagram post included 12 selfies of him during his hair-cutting process.
In the last photo, his hair was completely buzzed off.
The post got over 12 million likes and over 200,000 comments, with the most popular comments demonstrating shock and disappointment.
Fans were shocked by Erling Haaland’s new haircut.
Instagram/Erling Haaland
Other soccer stars, like Britain’s Jude Bellingham, weighed in on Haaland’s new hair in the comments.
His comment, “No way,” got over one million likes.
Brazilian soccer star Vinicius Júnior disagreed with most commenters and got almost half a million likes for his simple comment: “Nice.”
Even other soccer stars, like the U.K.’s Jude Bellingham, weighed in on Haaland’s new hair.
Instagram/Erling Haaland
Haaland had just shown his signature long hair in a selfie on Friday.
A photo Erling Haaland posted on Instagram on Friday and a photo he posted on Sunday.
Instagram/Erling Haaland
On Sunday, Haaland took his new hair for a spin when he played for his team of four years, Manchester City, at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Britain.
On Sunday, August 23, Erling Haaland stepped onto the field at Etihad Stadium with a buzzcut.
Jason Cairnduff/Action Images via Reuters
His team won the game against AFC Bournemouth 2 to 1.
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