'It's nice' - Manchester City star Erling Haaland reveals he goes completely unnoticed in public after ditching trademark long hair

Haaland has long been one of the most recognisable figures in world football, largely due to a combination of his clinical finishing and his distinctive Viking-like appearance. However,the 26-year-old decided it was time for a change ahead of the current campaign, opting for a radical new look that caught the entire sporting world by surprise. Despite his status as a global icon, the striker has found that his new aesthetic allows him to blend into the crowd far more easily than before.

Speaking about the transition to his shorter trim, the Norwegian international explained that the absence of his flowing blonde hair has changed how he is perceived by the public during his daily life. "I don't get noticed so much on the street anymore. You don't see the beautiful blond hair anymore. It's a change and I think it's nice," he told Sky Sports.

Haaland anticipated that his dramatic new hairstyle would generate some online buzz, but the massive scale of international fascination caught him completely off guard. Global media outlets and fans quickly became fixated on every detail of his personal transformation, turning his new look into a worldwide headline.

Despite the intense spotlight, the star striker is taking the extra attention in stride. "I expected it to go a bit viral, but I didn't expect all world to look at me with my new haircut, it was quite funny," he added.

Ditching the ponytail marks a major U-turn for the striker, who had previously claimed that his long hair was a source of his strength on the pitch. He had even credited Zlatan Ibrahimovic with advising him never to cut it, though he has clearly decided to forge his own path this season. Ibrahimovic himself was among the chorus of voices reacting to the change, jokingly asking the City man if he had lost a bet before the start of the current Premier League season.

The blonde hair was so intrinsic to Haaland's brand that it recently became the subject of a legal dispute. As reported by AFP, the striker and his representatives took action against Norwegian Air Shuttle after the company used a digitally altered image of an aircraft sporting a ponytail to promote flight tickets. Despite the airline claiming the post was a spontaneous show of support for the national team, the lawsuit highlighted just how valuable Haaland's specific aesthetic markers have become in the commercial world.

While his appearance has changed, his lethal efficiency in front of goal remains exactly the same. Haaland has enjoyed a blistering start to the new term under Enzo Maresca, who took over the hot seat at the Etihad Stadium following the departure of Pep Guardiola. The striker has already found the net seven times in his first seven appearances across all competitions, proving that his goalscoring instincts were not tied to his hair length as he had once joked.