The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Of Soccer Player Haircuts

soccer player haircuts

If you look good you play good right? Well not all these soccer player haircuts have made pro's look good over the years but for the most part people can spot a soccer players head of hair a mile away.

Whether it's the long flowing locks or the fresh cut fades soccer players have a unique style to their hair not everyone can pull off (or would want to pull off sometimes).

We've all tried cutting our hair like Beckham's stylish mohawk back in the day or tried to copy Ronaldo's hair these days with the fresh fade, perfectly styled hair and a line throughout the side of our heads just because.

If you've ever wanted to get your hair just like your favourite pro then you've come to the right place to try and copy them exactly, hey if it looks awful you can always just have a good laugh and shave the rest of it off right?

Follow along and read about the history of soccer player haircuts and styles over the years along with what's in right now and how you can get your beautiful head of hair just like theirs.

You will also find some great tips, advice and general info on how haircuts are down at the pro level and why soccer players have haircuts from horror movies sometimes.

No matter the style you go with remember that the haircut never go these players to the best leagues in the world and on the best teams in the world, it was their work ethic and discipline so get the hair cut you love but don't stop out working your competition.

I have to warn you though, if you try and cut your hair like the Brazilian Ronaldo with just that half moon on the front of your head with the rest of it shaved I'm afraid you are no longer allowed on the internet, you've officially been voted off the island.


Soccer Player Haircuts Videos


Top 5 Reasons Why Professional Soccer Player Haircuts Are So Wild


1. Boosts Confidence

  • All of us love that feeling of a having a fresh new hair cut that looks great and that feeling can be carried over to when we play as well.
  • There's something about looking all clean and fresh that makes you feel better about yourself on the pitch, many pro's cut their hair hours before a match just to get that extra boost and jolt of confidence before they step out on the pitch to combat the nerves.
  • It's not uncommon for a big club to have a full time barber that cuts all the players and staffs hair, sure it's mostly for the convenience but never underestimate the old saying of if you look good, you feel good then you will play good (great English by the way).
  • Soccer player haircuts for some is a great way to get them in the right state of mind before a big match, give it a shot and see if it works for your game as well.


2. Promise To A Fan

  • Top pro footballers frequently visit fans and sick kids in the hospital on their days off to give back to the community and raise the spirits of some ill fans.
  • A fan may ask the pro player to do a certain celebration for them or even cut their hair in a certain way for them before their next match to give the ill fan a bit of joy and a smile.
  • Other times pro's may shave their heads or cut their hair in a certain way just to support a fan that may have had some sort of illness that affected their hair or scars on their head.
  • A famous example of that is when Ronaldo shaved lines all around his head in the same way one of his fans had scars across their skull after a serious surgery.
  • He did this to support the fan and bring a smile to their face, before people knew of this they gave him a hard time in the press but sometimes haircuts can be a symbol of unity and support so never judge a haircut until you get the full story behind it.


3. Increase Their Popularity

  • You might see Paul Pogba or Sergio Ramos or another famous soccer player get their hair cut in a funky unique way to get a laugh on social media and increase their following and overall popularity.
  • Pro players know that kids everywhere idolize them and want to run, play, score and look like them so they will take any chance they get to have their fans connect with them from a distance.
  • Imagine being a pro soccer player and walking down the street and see a handful of kids kicking a ball around with your hair cut wanting to act, play and look like you?
  • I can't blame them not only does it help their online presence but also gives them a great feeling of pride and accomplishment too, soccer player haircuts are more of a promotional tool than anything else.


4. Commercial Or Sponsor

  • Professional soccer players are constantly promoting different ads in commercials and for sponsors they have that may require them to cut, dye and style their hair in unique ways for the advertisement.
  • Sometimes we may see a pro players hair and rush to judge why in the world they put a streak through it or shaved it etc.
  • Sometimes this is out of the players control and they do it for a sponsor or commercial (that they get paid handsomely for I might add) and a couple weeks later change it to the original haircut.
  • Soccer player haircuts aren't always in their control so cut them some slack (real punny right?!).


5. Lost A Bet Against A Teammate

  • Soccer players at every level even the pro's play fun games at training like crossbar challenge, penalty kicks or free kick challenges to see who is going to serve who at dinner, who is going to wash each others boots and even bet to shave each others heads or a haircut of their choice.
  • So if you see a pro with a bizarre haircut or one that looks like a blind man did it then there is a good chance they lost a competition or bet at training and their teammate had the pleasure of cutting their hair that they had to wear for the day or week at training.
  • Even though it's all fun and games this can act as a great team builder for a team, ask you coach next practice to make two teams and winners cut the hair of the losers, scary thought I know.



Top 5 Things To Remember When Copying Pro Soccer Player Haircuts


1. Put Your Own Twist On It

  • As much as you may love Ronaldo, Pogba's or Neymar's hair look to put your own personal twist on their funky hair cuts.
  • It's unlikely that your hair is exactly like theirs so look to put an extra cut, colour, style or fade to make the haircut uniquely your own while still looking like the hair cut of the pro you love.
  • Pro soccer player haircuts are unique to them so make yours unique to you!


2. Wear It With Pride

  • You've got the haircut you've wanted so now show it off with supreme confidence and pride.
  • There's not point of getting the haircut to match your favourite player then wear a hat for the next two weeks, make sure you go all out and style it the way they do as well to get the full affect.
  • Soccer player haircuts vary in colour, length and style so with plenty of choices make sure you get the one that you love.


3. Get A Barber To Do It

  • As much as we trust our friends who aren't trained barbers make sure you get a real barber to do it for you or you'll end up wishing it was halloween so you could go as Frankenstein with that new patchy cut your friend gave you.
  • If you're going to go all out and do it then do it right and get a real pro to cut your hair exactly the way you want.
  • Be sure to bring a picture for them to see and you'll be thankful after when they get every detail exactly spot on.


4. No Take Backs

  • I'm sure this goes without say but I'll remind you, there are no take backs here so be certain which cut you want and commit fully to it.
  • You have to go into it fully prepared to go to a full buzz cut should the haircut not go as planned, so do a bit of research on the cut you want than sleep on it for a night then make your choice.


5. Their Skills Don't Come With It

  • Remember that just because you're getting Ronaldo's haircut doesn't mean you'll magically get his shot and speed when the cut is done.
  • There's nothing wrong with feeling like Ronaldo and trying to go out on the pitch and imitate him but putting in the work is the way to raise your game not just the haircut, worth a shot though right?
  • Soccer player haircuts are just for show and any boost that it gives them is purely psychological.



Top 3 Things To Avoid When Copying Pro Soccer Player Haircuts


1. Doing It Yourself

  • As eager as you may be to get your hair just like Neymar don't rush it into and do it yourself, all you will be doing is now having to wait three weeks until your hair grows back from your butcher job on it.
  • Go to a proper barber who will get your hair looking exactly like you want and resembling the pro soccer player you want to look like.
  • Doing it yourself will just leave you frustrated and counting down the days until you have to see a real barber anyways so just do it right the first time.
  • Pro soccer player haircuts are done to them by professional barbers so if you're trying to match theirs you should go that route as well.


2. Mimicking The Players Bad Habits

  • Just because you admire the player and now have their haircut that doesn't mean you should also pick up all their habits.
  • Even pro's aren't perfect and have some habits that aren't wise to copy like throwing their hands up in the air every time a teammate loses the ball, trying to dribble every player whenever they get the ball or just straight up lack of effort.
  • Copying a players cleats and haircut doesn't mean you should be doing all the other non-sense they may do on the pitch.
  • If you're going to mimic your game after theirs and pick out their strong points then great but leave all the dance moves, goal celebrations and yelling at the ref to a minimum.


3. Playing Outside Of Your Game

  • Although you're trying to be like this player more and more each day (the haircut is step 1 I guess) remember to be patient and focus on what you do well on the pitch before putting all this pressure on yourself to dribble like Neymar or shoot like Ronaldo.
  • Just because your hair resembles theirs doesn't mean you have to play at their level overnight, remember success is a combination of hard work, discipline and constant steady improvement and not some hair cut or new pair of flashy soccer cleats. 



Do Professional Teams Have Their Own Barbers To Give Their Soccer Player Haircuts?


It is a pretty standard practice for a top professional club to have their own barber on site to cut all the hair of all players and staff at the club.

If you think about how much time the players and staff spend at the training ground for practice, video, therapy, meals and other social gatherings it only make sense to make the grounds a one stop shop for all the players needs.

One of those needs is of course cutting their hair and just like you and me book an appointment to cut our hair they do the same but at the club before or after training.

Some soccer player haircuts happen weekly so the barber has their hands full when it comes to making sure all the players are looking and feeling fresh after a nice cut.

One day when you make it onto some of the best teams in the world you can get your hair cut everyday if you want to, for now worry about improving your game one day at a time and the fancy haircuts will come later.