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6 months ago
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Footballers and hair - it could be the subject of volumes of literature.
Has so much psychologising been drawn out of so little? Pundits circle above like hawks and will swoop with conclusions and condemnations if they see a haircut out of line.
Paul Pogba is the prime example, with football's thinkers connecting the performance with his feet to what's on the top of his head.
Mail Sport isn't here to do that, but merely bask in the wacky, the original, the uncharted territory.
From Pogba to Carlos Valderrama and Taribo West, here are nine footballers - from a longlist of many - who went off-piste with their hair.
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs has been back in the headlines recently as his girlfriend Zara Charles is pregnant and has been seen out and about in Cheshire.
The former Manchester United star isn't particularly well-known for having outlandish haircuts, but an old effort of his resurfaced recently and entranced the eye.
It shows Giggs sporting a bleach-blonde helmet of hair in the summer of 2003, having won the Premier League title that season.
The unique looked had eyebrows bouncing up across the land at the time, unfamiliar with the then-29-year-old donning that hair colour.
He was in the midst of his time as player at United, where he lifted 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues and four FA Cups, so frankly, he was above caring what people thought.
This old photo of Ryan Giggs recently resurfaced and he looks unrecognisable. He dyed his hair blonde in 2003
Paul Pogba
No list of crazy footballer haircuts would be valid without the inclusion of Paul Pogba, whose life mission has seemingly been to push boundaries up top.
His list of haircuts over the years could fill enough neon signs to light up an entire city district, ranging from bright blue to fiery to popping pink to lurid green.
His experiments above board have invoked the ire of critics throughout the ages, who connect his seeming obsession with image with what they saw as an occasional dispassion on the pitch.
While his form has flitted around as much as his hair colour, he has every right to do what he wants with it. Cue the leopard spots.
He may not play again until nearly the age of 35 after receiving a four-year ban for doping in February.
Paul Pogba has always been a pioneer with his plumage, pushing boundaries with new colours
Few players have been as bold with their hairstyle selections as Pogba has been over the years
Mario Balotelli
Ah, what would football be without Mario Balotelli, the man whose Cheshire mansion was set ablaze after fireworks were set off in his bathroom - by his friend, he claimed.
The former Manchester City star has had some bold haircuts over the years.
There was the 'Mohican to end all Mohicans' as Mail Sport called it in 2011, which promopted a bewildered look from City boss Roberto Mancini.
But there was then a much more dramatic Mohican in 2018, complete with braids.
He has also switched it up with zig-zag patterns on the side of his head and a Sisqo-inspired blonde mohawk in 2012, which the Huffington post termed a 'hair disaster'.
Mario Balotelli got some quizzical looks when he arrived at Manchester City training with a Mohican
Romania team, 1998 World Cup
At the 1998 World Cup, the entire Romania team decided to dye their hair blonde to rouse team spirit after qualifying from the groups with a game to spare.
They had already beaten England and Colombia, but then drew to Tunisia and lost Croatia in the last 16. Manager Anghel Iordanescu claimed they had 'angered God.'
He had been forced to shave his hair by the team after their two wins, but sneakily covered his head with a cap.
Their blonde line-up photo was an iconic moment in World Cup history.
That was the golden age of Romanian football, with the nation qualifying for three consecutive World Cups and led by Gheorghe Hagi, the 'Maradona of the Carpathians'.
The Romania team decided to dye their hair bleach blonde at the 1998 World Cup
Bastien Hery
Bastien Hery is one of the lesser-known names on this list, but he has embraced the crazy hair tage.
After a League Cup game playing for Carlisle against Liverpool in 2016, the midfielder was mocked for having hair 'like the Nando's Chicken,' he laughed in an exclusive interview with Mail Sport.
'If you say something about me, good or bad, I'm not too bothered. I'm still me,' he said.
'I have always changed my hair colour. We're too young to keep it the same all of the time. You might not have any hair in 10 years' time — so best to enjoy it now!'
Who can blame a Parisian for having a flamboyant sense of style? Hery has enjoyed more than a decade playing in the British Isles, featuring for the likes of Rochdale, Carlisle, and now Longford Town in Ireland.
Bastien Hery told Mail Sport that he was mocked for having hair 'like the Nando's Chicken'
The midfielder laughed off any comments and said he had always been changing his hair
Ivan Perisic
If you ever go on Mastermind with the topic of 'patriotic footballer haircuts,' expect Ivan Perisic's lid to crop up.
At Euro 2014, the winger's hair was practically used as an advertising space for the Croatian National Tourist Board.
He sported one haircut with the red and white Croatian coat of arms dyed in, wrapping around his head.
Striking is one why of putting it. Good luck tearing your eyes off it.
In another game, he also had his kit number, four, razored into his trim.
Ivan Perisic had the colours of Croatia's coat of arms dyed into his hair for Euro 2016
Carlos Valderrama
Colombia legend Carlos Valderrama goes down in history with some of football's most iconic plumage.
His amazing blonde barnet made him one of the most recognisable men in the sport in the 1990s as he captained his country to three World Cups tournaments and was named South American Player of the Year twice.
He doesn't consider that look sacrosanct, though. Indeed, he has tampered with it to his heart's content.
We've seen Valderrama dye that hair pink and we have even seen him switch up the styles.
In 2019 he went viral for showing off his locks straightened out and in 2021 his 'Nuevo Look' - a slicked back ponytail! At that stage you've got to be asking if it's even him.
Carlos Valderrama's luscious locks helped him to become one of football's most iconic men in the 1990s, as did his ability!
In 2019, a photo of the Colombia legend with straightened hair went viral
Valderrama (left with his trademark wild hair) revealed a 'new look' in 2021 (right)
He also dyed his hair pink to raise awareness about breast cancer
Ronaldo Nazario
When Mail Sport's Charlotte Daly caught up with Ronaldo Nazario in March, she found a man in white boots with a white limo and flashing white teeth - and a full head of hair!
That hasn't always been his look.
At the 2002 World Cup, the Brazil legend decided to shave all but the front section of his head, leaving a tufty sharp triangle at the front. It was all part of a plan.
'I had an injury in my leg and everybody was talking about that. I decided to cut my hair and leave the small thing there. I come to training and everybody saw me with bad hair.
'Everybody was talking about the hair and forgot about the injury. I could stay more calm and relaxed and focused on my training.
'I'm not proud about the hair itself because it was pretty strange. But it was a good way to change the subject.'
Clever work.
Talented at football, not so much at picking sensible haircuts - this was Ronaldo Nazario's effort at the 2002 World Cup
Taribo West
Formerly of Inter Milan, Nigeria, and the mighty Plymouth Argyle, Taribo West was known for his inventive hairstyles.
He dazzled at the 1998 World Cup with his braided green hair, matching the colour of Nigeria's kit.
It's an act he followed, adapting his hair, seemingly chameleonic, to the jersey colour of whoever he was playing for.
In 1998, surprise package Nigeria looked destined to beat Denmark int eh last 16 but lost wiht an abject performance. Why?
'What I know is that some players sneaked women into camp, I saw that,' West confessed.
'The women were Africans who came to watch the tournament and fell in love with our team, because of the way we played in the group stage. So, it was easy for these players to woo them to their rooms. That is why on match day, you could see a lot of the players didn't have the strength to curtail the Danish players.'
Taribo West used to dye his hair to whatever colour kit the team he played for had
This was his trim at Inter Milan, where he played in a career that took him to England
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