Iconic football haircuts
David Beckham
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From the brilliant to the plain bizarre, there have been some truly iconic football haircuts over the years.
Paul Scharner
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32. Paul Scharner
From the entirely standard to the borderline absurd, former Austria midfielder Paul Scharner certainly got through his fair share of hairdos during his playing career.
David Luiz
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31. David Luiz
Watching the Premier League, you always knew when David Luiz was on the pitch â not just because he seemed uncontrollably disposed to doing something a bit crazy, but thanks to his almighty mop of hair.
Marouane Fellaini
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30. Marouane Fellaini
Another big-haired former Premier League player prone to moments of madness, Belgian midfield giant Marouane Fellaini added a solid few inches to an already considerable frame with his trademark afro.
Rodrigo Palacio
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29. Rodrigo Palacio
Ok, this might just be the worst haircut in football history â but precisely for that reason, itâs an iconic one.
Radja Nainggolan
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28. Radja Nainggolan
From buzzcut to mohawk, Radja Nainggolan has tended to be quite economical in the hair department â but that doesnât mean heâs not got creative up there.
Carles Puyol
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27. Carles Puyol
One of the finest centre-halves of his generation, Carles Puyolâs curls were a staple of the Barcelona and Spain back fours for many a year.
Gervinho
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26. Gervinho
Weâve been sat here for hours trying to figure out the physics of Gervingoâs forehead-flaunting hairstyle from his Arsenal days. In any case, itâs a unique look and one itâs hard to see anyone else attempting to pull off.
Vagner Love
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25. Vagner Love
Capped 20 times by Brazil, Vagner Love spent a large chunk of his career in Russia, playing for CSKA Moscow â and he had the hair to match.
Andrea Pirlo
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24. Andrea Pirlo
Would Andrea Pirlo, Italyâs metronomic playmaker of the first quarter of the 21st century, have been as majestic to watch had he been bald?
Neymar
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23. Neymar
Brazilâs biggest icon of the 2010s, Neymar has had more than his fair share of bold trims throughout his career â from prodigious wonderkid at Santos to bona fide superstar at PSG.
Djibril Cisse
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22. Djibril Cisse
Wow, where do we even begin with the many outlandish looks of former France, Liverpool and Auxerre striker Djibril Cisse?
Freddie Ljungberg
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21. Freddie Ljungberg
Freddie Ljungbergâs voluminous spiky âdo ensured he stood out as soon as he arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 1998.
Bobby Charlton
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20. Bobby Charlton
Weâve got to admit we canât see the combover ever coming back into fashion (was it even in fashion back in the 60s), but Bobby Charlton made it iconic.
Edgar Davids
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19. Edgar Davids
Yes, the glasses (which he had to wear due to glaucoma) upped the uniqueness of Edgard Davidsâ look, but the former Ajax, Juventus and Tottenham midfielder was impossible to miss even before he started wearing them.
Rudi Voller
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18. Rudi Voller
West Germanyâs foremost frontman of the 80s, Rudi Vollerâs goals played a major part in a memorable decade for his nation â culminating in victory at the 1990 World Cup.
Jairzinho
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17. Jairzinho
Now, thatâs what we call an afro. Rarely has a World Cup winner looked as downright cool as inimitable Brazilian wideman Jairzinho.
George Best
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16. George Best
You could say that 50% of footballers in the 70s had the same hairstyle, so whatâs the big deal? And youâd be right â but most of them werenât George Best (well, only one of them was, quite obviously).
Marek Hamsik
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15. Marek Hamsik
Slovakiaâs greatest footballer of all time, Marek Hamsik stuck pretty rigidly to one hairdo throughout his career: an absolutely magnificent mohawk.
Rigobert Song
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14. Rigobert Song
An indisputable legend of the African game, long-serving Cameroon captain Rigobert Song was a rock at the back who rocked some serious hair.
Ruud Gullit
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13. Ruud Gullit
Weâre not saying Ruud Gullit was captain of the Netherlandâs 1988 European Championship-winning side because he had the best hair â but weâre also not saying thatâs not why he got the armband.
Abel Xavier
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12. Abel Xavier
Itâs a bold enough move to bleach your hair; itâs probably an excessively bold one to do that while combining a mohawk with braids.
David Seaman
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11. David Seaman
Unless youâre Francis Rossi, frontman of iconic British rockers Status Quo, ponytails were never really in, were they?
Chris Waddle
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10. Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle was one of the finest attacking midfielders in Europe during the late 80s and early 90s â and he had just about the finest mullet in the game.
Paul Gascoigne
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9. Paul Gascoigne
Itâs probably the simplest trim on the list, but Gazzaâs Euro 96 special was the style of the day, demanded by kids in playgrounds the length of England.
Jason Lee
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8. Jason Lee
Looking at him and his lack of hair now, you wouldnât know it, but Jason Lee once sported one of the most infamous styles in football history: the pineapple.
Rene Higuita
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7. Rene Higuita
You were wondering when we were going to get to the 90s Colombian icons, werenât you? Well, here we are, beginning with possibly the craziest goalkeeper of all time.
Ronaldo
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5. Ronaldo
The 2002 World Cup belonged to Ronaldo, and the Brazil great inspired his country to glory after getting one of the most ridiculous trims the game has ever seen.
Taribo West
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4. Taribo West
From the front, Taribo Westâs, er, unique choice of hairstyle appeared to be inspired by Prodigy frontman Keith Flint â but when he turned around, it gained a whole new dimension.
Roberto Baggio
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4. Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio: âIl Divin Codinoâ (âThe Divine Ponytailâ) â one of the most iconic footballers of the 90s, with one of the most iconic hairstyles to match.
The Romania team at the 1998 World Cup
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3. Romania 1998 World Cup squad
What do you do to boost your chances of topping your group at the World Cup? You get the entire team to bleach their hair, of course.
David Beckham
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2. David Beckham
Arguably the single most iconic footballer (or star of any sport, for that matter) of the modern era, David Beckhamâs hair is as legendary as his free-kicks.
Carlos Valderrama
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1. Carlos Valderrama
In 1996, MLS established âCarlos Valderrama Dayâ in honour of Colombiaâs peroxided afro-rocking midfield superstar. The whole opposing team wearing wigs based on your hair? Imagine the ego boost.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open…
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