Erling Haaland has scored plenty of goals, broken records and become one of football's most recognisable faces. But there was one thing fans probably did not expect to see disappear before the new Premier League season: his long blonde hair.

The Manchester City striker has chopped off his signature locks and unveiled a sharply cropped buzz cut, giving himself a very different look ahead of the new season. Haaland revealed the transformation on social media on August 23, captioning the post, “New season, new trim.”

The timing was hardly accidental. Haaland had been thinking about changing his hairstyle after the 2026 World Cup but had put it off because of his busy schedule. With the new season beginning, he decided it was finally time for a reset.

And, naturally, he did not keep the reactions to himself.

For years, Haaland's long blonde hair has been part of his football identity. Whether tied back during matches or left loose, it became almost as recognisable as his celebrations. In a video shared on his social media accounts, Haaland is initially seen sitting in the barber's chair before the camera cuts away. When it returns, the long hair is gone and he is sporting a close-cropped buzz cut. He also documented the makeover in a YouTube video, where he surprised several famous friends and former colleagues with his new appearance.

Haaland admitted that he was slightly nervous about making the change. There was a very specific reason for that.

He recalled advice from Zlatan Ibrahimović, another Scandinavian striker known for his long hair, who had previously told him, “Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair.”

So, after years of following that rather amusing piece of advice, Haaland finally decided to ignore it.

Zlatan Ibrahimović was not impressed

Haaland made sure Ibrahimović was among the first people to see the new look. The reaction was exactly the kind of response you might expect from the famously outspoken former footballer.

“What the f*ck did you do?” Ibrahimović asked before joking that Haaland must have lost a bet.

He then added, “Oh my god, what the f*** is this? You lost a bet or what? Oh my god, block me and erase my number!”

Ibrahimović also wondered whether the haircut would somehow make Haaland faster, asking, “You’re going to be faster now, or what?”

Considering Zlatan had previously encouraged Haaland to keep his hair, his shock was perhaps understandable.

Jack Grealish thinks Haaland now looks 10

Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish had an equally entertaining reaction.

Rather than focusing on whether the haircut suited Haaland, Grealish went straight for the age joke.

“You look about 10 years old!” he told him.

Grealish then admitted he could not stop looking at Haaland's new haircut and added, “I love it.”

The contrast between Haaland's intimidating presence on the football pitch and his suddenly much younger-looking appearance seems to have been too good for his friends to ignore.

Pep Guardiola has a very different reaction

Former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also received a call from Haaland.

His response was less about the haircut itself and more about the fact that Haaland still has plenty of hair to experiment with.

“No way. You’re lucky you have hair. I would love to have that hair,” Guardiola said.

Guardiola left Manchester City at the end of last season, with Enzo Maresca now taking charge of the club. Haaland, meanwhile, remains one of the key figures in City's new Premier League campaign.

Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher was also shown Haaland's new look during a video call.

Gallagher was broadly positive about the transformation, telling the footballer that “change is good”. He did, however, think the haircut had made Haaland look considerably younger, saying he looked “17-years-old”.

Haaland's girlfriend, Isabel Haugseng Johansen, was much more straightforward with her verdict. She liked the new look and told him, “I think you look really tough!”

Fans are divided over Haaland's new look

The reaction online has been just as dramatic.

Some fans welcomed the change and joked that Haaland's new haircut could signal another era of goals. Others were far less ready to say goodbye to the hairstyle that had become part of his image.

One fan joked on X, “Bro deleted the hair to free up more storage for goals. Premier League defenders, your suffering has just updated to the latest version.”

Another simply declared, “New Era. New Erling Haaland.”

But some fans were genuinely mourning the old look, particularly one of Haaland's most recognisable style choices: matching his hair tie with his Manchester City kit.

“Now no more matching hair ties,” one disappointed fan wrote.

Another Instagram user reacted with, “Noooooo... That beautiful hair ”

The buzz cut quickly became a talking point online, helped by the fact that Haaland's long hair had become such a recognisable part of his appearance.

The haircut comes at an interesting point in Haaland's career. His profile grew even further during the 2026 World Cup, where Norway reached the quarter-finals and Haaland scored seven goals. His social media following also surged during the tournament.

Now, as he begins another Premier League campaign, Haaland has effectively pressed reset on his look.