Erling Haaland Unveils New Haircut Ahead of Premier League Season

Erling Haaland has turned up for the new Premier League season with a new look – and it is a sharp break from the image that has followed him through his Manchester City years.

Gone is the trademark long, tied-back hair that became part of his on-field persona. In its place: a shorter cut, closer to the style he wore in his early Borussia Dortmund days. The reveal came on Sunday afternoon ahead of City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth, live on Sky Sports, and instantly lit up social media.

The 26-year-old had already teased the change. On X, he posted a series of images charting the stages of the trim, captioned simply: “New hair don't care.” No explanation. No build-up. Just a blunt announcement from one of the game’s most recognisable faces.

It marks a quiet break from the advice he once said he received from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Speaking to Fox Sports in July, Haaland recalled the words of the Swedish forward, another long-haired Scandinavian who relished his own myth:

“Zlatan – you know what he told me? ‘Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair.’”

On Sunday morning, Haaland ignored that superstition and pushed the new look out across his rapidly expanding social channels, just hours before Bournemouth’s visit to the Etihad.

That timing is no accident. Haaland comes into this campaign as more than a goalscorer. He emerged from the 2026 World Cup as one of the tournament’s biggest social media stars, after helping Norway reach the quarter-finals. He scored seven goals during that run, but the numbers off the pitch were just as striking: more than 32 million new Instagram followers across the 39-day tournament, the largest growth of any player involved.

The effect has been clear. His profile now stretches well beyond his output for club and country. Personality-driven content, behind-the-scenes glimpses and a carefully curated online presence have pulled in an audience that doesn’t just tune in for hat-tricks and trophies.

Now that audience will see the new haircut in competitive action for the first time as Manchester City step into a very different era.

Pep Guardiola has gone. The architect of City’s dominance stepped down at the end of last season after more than a decade in charge, leaving Enzo Maresca to pick up the reins. The Italian faces his first Premier League game as City head coach at the Etihad with a squad still built around Haaland’s ruthless finishing.

The striker remains the focal point of this remodelled side, the reference point for Maresca’s ideas and the man expected to lead the line as the new regime takes shape.

City do not arrive at the opening weekend in full flow. A 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend offered a jolt and a reminder of how hard it is to stay at the top. Maresca has publicly backed his players to respond as they launch their league campaign.

All eyes will be on how quickly his City find their rhythm. But for millions watching on screens and scrolling on phones, the first glimpse will be of something far simpler: Erling Haaland, same ruthless striker, very different silhouette, stepping into the post-Guardiola era with the kind of confidence that shrugs off even Zlatan’s warning.