In the world of football, “trims” are more than just haircuts—they’re statements. From Ronaldo’s infamous 2002 World Cup cut to Paul Pogba’s ever-evolving hairstyles.
Footballers have always known that their locks can leave a lasting impression, both on and off the pitch. A unique or obscure trim can sometimes go down in history just as much as the goals they score.
For players, choosing how to style their hair before a match is as varied as their on-field strategies. Some prefer the DIY route, making it part of their pre-game routine. Others fly their personal barber across the globe to maintain their signature looks. And then there are those who find a local stylist wherever they go, ensuring they’re pitch-ready in every city.
Inter Miami and Argentina legend Lionel Messi seems to have gone down the local stylist route, but this new barber has entered the spotlight after some of Messi’s recent hairstyles.
Messi, known for evolving his hairstyle through the years, has gone through a variety of phases—from the long, shaggy mane of his early days to the sleek, platinum blonde look that stunned fans in 2016.
Now, in Miami, Messi has sported a look that has us fans scratching our heads, is he embracing a new hairline? Or have these attempted new hairstyles just not landed?
The trim Messi has now sported at Inter Miami on multiple occasions is a mix of a low fade and a mid fade— this new look has not been universally praised. The Argentinian rocked this same trim in his return to the MLS against Philadelphia.
While it most definitely is a neat and professional look on-field, a no nonsense trim, doing away with all the style that might come with Miami, it’s a haircut that seems to have fallen flat for sure.
So is it the receding hairline or has Messi just found the wrong guy to trust in Miami? One thing is for sure is that fans want a change from his current barber.
Messi’s barber, Luis Andres Rivera—known as @elboribarber on Instagram—has been the man behind his Miami trims.
Rivera, a well-known hairstylist in Miami, has worked with some of the biggest names in the world. But even with nearly 800k followers on Instagram and a price tag reportedly hitting $16,000 per cut, all of us are left unimpressed.
The truth is for $16,000 Messi can most definitely buy a new hairline, if that’s where the issue lies.
While all fans have either already slated Rivera, or are ready to do so, one barber rumored to have worked with Messi came out in some support indirectly for Rivera, via a video on Tik Tok.
He jumped to Rivera’s defense claiming Messi’s “strange head shape” makes any haircut a challenge. “Messi asks him to cut it the same every time, but depending on the angle, the cut can look worse than it really is,” he added.
Perhaps its time for Messi to revisit some of his older trims. After all, the throwback to his shorter, classic Barcelona days, a bit of nostalgia might just be what the fans are longing for.
Or, maybe it’s time for a fresh face in the barbershop chair, one who can take Messi’s hair game back to championship form.