ع
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has shed his signature long blonde locks in favour of a buzzcut as the Premier League champions prepare to launch the 2026-27 campaign. The 26-year-old Norway international shared video footage on his YouTube channel and Instagram documenting the haircut along with the caption “New season, new trim” according to reports from AP News and ESPN. Haaland arrived at the Etihad Stadium wearing a cap for the Bournemouth match but removed it during the warm-up to display the transformation an AP News dispatch from August 23 detailed.
The forward recorded video calls with several notable figures to gauge their responses to the dramatic change. City teammate Jack Grealish remarked “You look about 10 years old. That is hilarious. I can’t stop looking at the front of your hair. I love it” in the clip reported by both BBC Sport and The Mirror. Oasis singer Noel Gallagher observed that Haaland now looked about 17 years old and added “It’s good. Change is good” while former City manager Pep Guardiola stated “No way. You’re lucky you have hair. I would love to have it. I love it” according to footage carried across multiple outlets.
Former Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic offered a markedly different verdict when shown the new style. “What did you do? You lost a bet or what? Block me and erase my number” Ibrahimovic said in the video as reported by ESPN and The Sun on August 23. Haaland had anticipated such a response after recalling that Ibrahimovic once advised him never to cut his hair because his strength lay in it a reference to the Samson story that the striker mentioned in the pre-cut segment.
Haaland had not worn short hair since his Borussia Dortmund days where he rose to prominence before transferring to Manchester City in 2022. The style update arrives as the striker begins his first Premier League season without Pep Guardiola who departed last summer with Enzo Maresca now in charge ESPN reported on August 23. Manchester City opened their competitive schedule with a 3-0 Community Shield loss to Arsenal on August 16 highlighting the transition under the new manager.
Opta Analyst data shows Haaland boasts a strong Premier League record in August with 22 goals from 14 matches including four hat-tricks more than his games without scoring. Premier League statistics compiled through the 2025-26 season credit the forward with 112 goals in 132 appearances and three Golden Boot wins in four campaigns according to figures referenced in Wikipedia updates from August 2026. He will aim to build on that record against Bournemouth at 14:00 BST on Sunday as City seek an improved start.
Social media reactions to the buzzcut have varied widely since the posts went viral on August 23. Fans expressed shock with comments such as “No way we will miss your long hair” and references to the Samson myth in The Sun coverage while others embraced it with remarks like “Short hair don’t care” that Haaland himself added in a follow-up post. The look has also revived discussions around fan-edited images of other players sporting buzzcuts that circulated on platforms earlier in the month according to reports from Radio Times.
