Hair We Go: Can You Name These Footballers From Their Locks Alone?

Erling Haaland has sent the football world into a frenzy — not with a stunning goal, but with a pair of clippers. The Manchester City striker, famous for the flowing blond locks that whipped dramatically as he celebrated yet another strike, has shaved it all off ahead of the new Premier League season. The dramatic transformation has dominated social media timelines, sparked countless memes, and left supporters doing double takes. In honour of Haaland's headline-grabbing new look, BBC Sport has released a playful quiz challenging fans to identify footballers purely from their haircuts. It sounds simple — until you realise how many players share suspiciously similar fades, man buns, and carefully sculpted beards. The quiz arrives at the perfect moment. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 on the horizon, hairstyles are once again becoming part of the football conversation. History tells us that a tournament without an unforgettable haircut is hardly a tournament at all. Who could forget Carlos Valderrama's magnificent blond afro? Or Ronaldo's bizarre triangle shave at the 2002 World Cup? David Beckham's mohawk, Bacary Sagna's bleached braids, and Marcelo's voluminous curls have all earned their place in footballing folklore. Haaland's clean-cut reinvention may well be a practical choice — less hair, less drag, more goals, presumably — but it also removes one of his most recognisable features. If the Norwegian superstar can become almost anonymous overnight, what hope do the rest of us have of spotting Premier League players by their barnets alone? That is precisely the challenge BBC Sport has set. Some answers will jump out immediately, whether it's a distinctive shade, an unmistakable hairline, or a signature style that is practically trademarked. Others will have you squinting at your screen, convinced you have seen that exact fade on at least five different midfielders. So how sharp is your football knowledge? Can you separate the slick from the scruffy, the textured crops from the terrible decisions? Whether you breeze through with a perfect score or embarrassingly mistake a full-back for a striker, it is the ideal warm-up before the World Cup 2026 conversation heats up and the world's best players — and their ever-changing hairdos — take centre stage. Head over to BBC Sport to take the quiz — and pray Haaland doesn't decide to grow a mullet next.