Some players get famous for their on-field talents, some get popular due to their off-field drama, and then some players get famous for their looks and their hairstyles, good or bad.
Iconic hairstyles have been a big part of the footballing world for a long time.
From Ronaldo’s world cup look to David Luiz; from Pirlo to Fellaini; from Balotelli to Zlatan, players have been associated with hairstyles and hairstyles with players.
Such is the popularity of these players that supporters try and emulate the players, from brands they wear to the hair-do they keep.
Neymar, himself an elite football and “pioneer of hairstyles” claims to have copied Ronaldo’s look.
Allan Saint-Maximin is one such player whose hair made him instantly recognizable on the pitch.
The Newcastle winger’s nifty footwork was enough for anyone to take notice, but his appearances left no doubt in supporters’ minds who the player was.
The hairstyle is coupled with a headband, which is what drove the Frenchman to this sort of hairstyle in the first place.
Speaking to Goal.com, the player said: “The headband, for example, I’ve always liked Karate Kid, tennis players, but also manga. In the world of manga, there are mythical characters who wear headbands. In tennis, Nadal and Federer also wear them. Karate Kid too.
“Obviously, wearing a headband while being bald is not the best look. That’s what also made me want to find a haircut that could go with my headbands.”
The player sported a headband from his Bastia days (on loan for Monaco in 2016-17), which is why Twitter was caught surprised when the skilled winger showed off his new buzzcut.
Unveiled to his 830K followers on Instagram, Allan Saint-Maximin looked like a shadow of his old self without his trademark hair.
Supporters were naturally astonished by this, generating reactions on social media.
Me begging @asaintmaximin to bring back the long hair & headband 🙏#NUFC pic.twitter.com/XktitcfnEb
— NUFCblog.co.uk (@NUFCblogcouk) September 9, 2022
— Dammit, Marty (@DammitMarty) September 9, 2022
Maybe he cut it to avoid being pulled like Cucurella. Or maybe he’s trying to lose weight so he could run faster. Who knows?
It will be interesting to see if St. James’ Park can still recognize the talisman on the pitch without his long hair and Gucci headband.
