Erling Haaland has revealed that Milan legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic once warned him never to cut his hair, insisting "your strength is in your hair". The Manchester City striker ignored the advice, chopping off his famous locks before the start of the new Premier League season.
Those long blond locks became a trademark. During the 2026 World Cup, plenty of fans donned wigs to mimic the City striker's hairstyle, before the player went for a fresh look on Sunday, shaving down to a very short cut.
The Norwegian documented the whole process on his YouTube channel, introducing the video by saying: "Zlatan told me never to cut my hair, because your strength is in your hair."
Working as an analyst for Fox Sports, Ibrahimovic confirmed he had indeed given Haaland that warning, after Norway's 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast in the round of 32 at the World Cup during June.
"I really believed in that when I was playing, so when things were going well, I would wear my hair tied up in a ponytail," Ibrahimovic said on Fox Sports after the victory.
He added: "I remember when Haaland came onto the big stage, we had the same agent, who sadly passed away two years ago."
He continued: "I saw him with his long hair tied up in a ponytail, and my agent would say to me: listen, I saw Zlatan in him, so I said to him: keep this hair because this hair will take you to the place you want to reach."
Before sitting down for the cut, Haaland shared Ibrahimovic's words in the full YouTube video, a nod to a striker whose own tied-up hair defined his career.
The City man had a clear wish. "I want the Manchester City fans to chant: who the hell is this? when they see me," he said.
Haaland then made video calls to a string of friends and colleagues, among them Oasis star Noel Gallagher, Jack Grealish, and his former manager Pep Guardiola.
Ibrahimovic greeted the call with a look of shock. "What the hell have you done?" he blurted out.
The Swede then joked: "Did you lose a bet or what? Oh my God, block me and delete my number. I'll be honest with you, I'm always honest."
Asked whether the haircut would make him faster, Haaland replied: "I hope so."
Haaland started City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth. Late goals from Marc Cucurella and Josko Gvardiol saved his side from embarrassment in his first league match under Enzo Maresca.
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