💇 Iconic World Cup hairstyles
From Valderrama's afro to Ronaldo's crescent, Beckham's mohawk and Romania's team bleach 1998.
Carlos Caszely
70-talsafro (70s afro)
The enormous 70s-style afro that became a political symbol — Caszely refused to shake hands with Pinochet.
💡 Caszely became the first Chilean to receive a red card at a World Cup.
Mario Kempes
Långt 70-talshår (Long flowing 70s hair)
The wild, medium-length hair that flew as Kempes scored two goals in the 1978 final and secured Argentina's first World Cup title.
💡 Kempes was the only Argentine player in the 1978 squad to play abroad — at Valencia.
Kevin Keegan
Permanent / poodle perm (Poodle perm)
The tightly curled perm that was the entire 80s football haircut in a single head of hair — Keegan was a style icon.
💡 Keegan featured in a shampoo commercial during his playing career.
Carlos Valderrama
Blond afro (Blond afro)
The massive bleached afro that became synonymous with 'El Pibe' and Colombia's entire 90s generation.
💡 Valderrama has said that he never had his hair cut during tournaments — superstition.
René Higuita
Vilda långa lockar (Wild long curls)
The mad goalkeeper's big, dark curly mane that flew as he charged out to dribble outside the penalty area.
💡 Against Cameroon in 1990, Higuita dribbled himself into trouble and Roger Milla scored — one of the funniest blunders in World Cup history.
Ruud Gullit
Långa dreadlocks (Long dreadlocks)
The captain's long dreads were as much politics as fashion — he dedicated his 1987 Ballon d'Or to Nelson Mandela.
💡 Gullit cut off his dreads only in 2009, over 25 years after they had become his trademark.
Frank Rijkaard
Dreadlocks (Dreadlocks)
Together with Gullit, Rijkaard wore dreads — the 1990 World Cup is best remembered for the spit on Rudi Voller's perm.
💡 Rijkaard's spit in Voller's hair is one of the most replayed incidents in World Cup history.
Andreas Brehme
Mullet (Mullet)
The classic 80s mullet that Brehme wore when he scored the decisive penalty in the 1990 final against Argentina.
💡 Brehme could take penalties with both feet — and his hair was just as ambidextrous.
Rudi Völler
'Tante Käthe' (perm + mustasch) (Perm + mustache ('Aunt Kate'))
The curly perm combined with the mustache earned Voller the nickname 'Tante Kaethe' (Aunt Kate) in Germany.
💡 The nickname still follows him as Germany's national team boss — affectionately and warmly.
Roberto Baggio
Codino (råttsvansen) (Divine Ponytail)
The small ponytail at the nape of the neck that earned Baggio the nickname 'Il Divin Codino' — the divine ponytail.
💡 Baggio is a Buddhist, and the hairstyle was often linked to his spiritual side.
Alexi Lalas
Rött långt hår + getskägg (Long red hair and goatee)
The medium-length reddish-brown hair and the iconic goatee — Lalas looked like a rock-band roadie and became the face of the 1994 World Cup in home USA.
💡 Lalas also released several rock albums during his playing career.
Taribo West
Gröna dreadlocks-tofsar (Green twin dreadlock buns)
The brightly green twin buns sticking up like horns — one of the most unusual hairstyle choices in World Cup history.
💡 West is a preacher today and has said he was ashamed of the hairstyle after becoming a believer.
Davor Šuker
Plattlagt långt hår (Slick long hair)
The long, blond, slicked-back hair that became the iconic image of Croatia's 1998 bronze hero.
💡 Suker won the Golden Boot at the 1998 World Cup with six goals.
Gheorghe Hagi
Platinblont (lag-blekning) (Platinum blond (team bleach))
The star of the Romanian team who bleached everyone's hair platinum blond ahead of the round of 16 against Croatia — one of the collective looks of World Cup history.
💡 The idea came from captain Popescu after a bet — everyone kept their word, including the bald Belodedici who bleached his remaining tufts.
Dan Petrescu
Platinblont (lag-blekning) (Platinum blond (team bleach))
Petrescu became match hero against England and wore the iconic platinum bleach like the rest of the squad.
💡 His decisive goal against England came in the 1-0 group-stage win — before the bleaching.
Dorinel Munteanu
Platinblont (lag-blekning) (Platinum blond (team bleach))
The midfielder with the bleached fringe — part of the collective look that shocked the world.
💡 Munteanu has since said his scalp burned for several weeks.
Constantin Gâlcă
Platinblont (lag-blekning) (Platinum blond (team bleach))
Another of the Romanian midfielders who joined the collective bleaching.
💡 Against Croatia, Romania went out 0-1 despite the optimistic hair.
Christian Karembeu
Långa lockar bakåtkammade (Slick long curls)
The long, jet-black curly hair of the New Caledonian descendant who was part of France's gold-winning home team.
💡 Karembeu was the only player in France's starting XI who refused to sing 'La Marseillaise' — for political reasons.
Edgar Davids
Dreadlocks med skyddsglasögon (Dreadlocks with sports goggles)
Long dreads under the headband and the black sports goggles — 'Pitbull' Davids is one of the most visually distinctive players in World Cup history.
💡 The goggles were required for medical reasons (glaucoma), but the whole look became a cult thing.
Ronaldo
Halvmånen (The Half-Moon / Cascadura)
The notorious triangular tuft on the forehead while the rest was shaved — worn by Ronaldo throughout the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea.
💡 Ronaldo has admitted the hairstyle was a diversion to get the media to stop talking about his injured knee.
Ronaldinho Gaúcho
Frizzig mullet (Frizzy mullet)
The wild, curly, medium-length hair that flew as he dribbled — a symbol of Brazilian joy.
💡 At the 2002 World Cup he painted parts of his hair gold ahead of the final.
David Beckham
Mohawk (Mohawk)
The bleached-blond mohawk that set the global fashion ahead of the 2002 World Cup — Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly forced him to shave it off.
💡 Hairdresser Adam Brady created the style — and bookings at his salon tripled overnight.
Abel Xavier
Blekt blont hår + skägg (Bleached blond hair and beard)
The platinum-bleached combination of hair, beard and eyebrows made Xavier one of the most visually unique players of the 2000s.
💡 Xavier was born in Mozambique and was one of the few players of African descent in Europe to bleach everything white — the look became cult.
Lukas Podolski
Crew cut (Crew cut)
The short, military crew cut that was Podolski's trademark throughout his career — functional and straight to the point, just like his left foot.
💡 Podolski has said he never paid more than 10 euros for a haircut.
Carles Puyol
Vild lockmane (Wild curly mane)
The uncontrollable curly mane that flew when he headed in Spain's decisive semi-final goal against Germany in 2010.
💡 Puyol cut his hair short after the 2010 World Cup title — fans were heartbroken.
Bacary Sagna
Blonda flätor (Blond cornrows)
The tight cornrows bleached platinum blond — one of the Premier League's most memorable hairstyles, also seen in the national team.
💡 Sagna himself said his mother braided his hair even when he was a pro.
Marek Hamšík
Mohawk med rakade sidor (Mohawk with shaved sides)
The small but uncompromising mohawk that became an icon of Slovakia's first World Cup as an independent nation.
💡 Hamsik essentially wore the same hairstyle his entire career — nearly 20 years.
Carlos Tevez
Frizzig lockmane (Frizzy curly mop)
The wild, unruly and ever slightly uncut hair that suited Tevez's rough-and-tumble style perfectly.
💡 Tevez has a large tattoo on his neck that was often hidden by the hairstyle.
Diego Forlán
Långt blont hår (Long blond hair)
The long, naturally blond hair that flew as Forlan won the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
💡 Forlan is often described as the blondest player in South American football history.
Bastian Schweinsteiger
Långt sidsläpp (Long side-swept hair)
The blond, medium-length hair that constantly fell into his eyes — Schweini's youthful look before he cut it short in 2014.
💡 He was called 'Schweini' already as a teenager, and the hairstyle reinforced the boyish impression.
Andrés Iniesta
Slätkammat tunnande (Slick thinning hair)
The slicked-down hair, already thinning at a young age, that ironically became a symbol of Spanish dominance in 2010.
💡 Iniesta scored the decisive final goal against the Netherlands in extra time — without his hairstyle being disturbed.
Mario Götze
Sidsläpp med rakade sidor (Undercut with side-swept top)
The slick undercut look that the entire German 2014 World Cup squad seemed to follow — Goetze wore it when he decided the final against Argentina.
💡 The hairstyle became so popular in Germany that it got the nickname 'Goetze-Schnitt'.
Marouane Fellaini
Jätteafro (Giant afro)
The enormous, towering afro that was as visible from the penalty area as from the back row of the stands.
💡 Fellaini auctioned a lock of his hair for charity in 2014.
Andrei Arshavin
Skolpojkslugg (Schoolboy bowl cut)
The straight, medium-length bowl cut that made him look like a perpetually 12-year-old schoolboy.
💡 Arshavin was known for never smiling in interviews, which reinforced the schoolboy look.
Neymar Júnior
Blond mohawk (Blond mohawk)
Home World Cup, bleached mohawk with shaved sides — Neymar was the unchallenged icon of the entire tournament's aesthetics.
💡 Brazilian children's hairdressers reported record numbers of Neymar-cuts in the summer of 2014.
Sergio Agüero
Vit luggtopp (Bleached fringe tip)
The bleached fringe tip that made Kun Aguero stand out even when Messi was next to him.
💡 Aguero bleached the tip several times during his career — a tribute to the anime world, where he was a huge fan.
Toni Kroos
Trimmad undercut (Neat undercut)
The neat undercut that became typical of the 2014 German World Cup squad — disciplined and functional.
💡 Kroos was the only player on Germany 2014 whose hairstyle never looked unstyled, not even in extra time.
Mesut Özil
Hipster-combover (Hipster combover)
The long fringe combed to the side over shaved temples — one of the Berlin hipster's biggest contributions to football.
💡 Ozil's big eyes combined with the hair earned him the nickname 'das Auge' (the eye).
Antonio Cassano
Vilda mörka lockar (Wild dark curls)
The unruly, dark-brown curly mane that matched Cassano's legendarily unruly personality.
💡 Cassano coined the verb 'cassanata' in Italian — for a spectacularly self-destructive act.
Neymar Júnior
Ramen-spaghettin (Spaghetti / ramen noodles)
The light, corkscrew curls on top that the internet immediately renamed 'instant noodles' or 'spaghetti'.
💡 The meme spread so quickly that Neymar changed hairstyles mid-tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Sidbena med skarp kontur (Sharp side part with skin fade)
The razor-sharp side part and skin fade which, together with the hat-trick against Spain, became a signature image of the 2018 World Cup.
💡 Cristiano is known for never appearing in public without a perfect hairstyle — not even after a defeat.
Gareth Bale
Man bun (Top knot / man bun)
The high top knot that was Bale's trademark for many seasons, both at Real Madrid and in Wales' first World Cup in 64 years.
💡 When the bun came loose during a match Bale suddenly looked like a different player — fans thought it was a bad omen.
