For Haaland, it meant taking scissors and clippers to one of football’s most recognizable hairstyles.
There Was One Problem: Zlatan Had Warned Him Not to Do It
There was another reason Haaland appeared slightly nervous about the decision.
Zlatan Ibrahimović had already told him not to cut his hair.
That story sounds almost too perfectly suited to the personalities involved, but it was confirmed before Haaland actually went ahead with the transformation.
During the 2026 World Cup, Haaland appeared on Fox Sports’ “After Hours with James Corden” and recalled advice he had received from Ibrahimović.
“Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair,” Haaland said the former Swedish striker had told him.
The joke was particularly appropriate coming from Ibrahimović.
Like Haaland, Zlatan spent much of his career as a physically imposing Scandinavian striker with long hair tied behind his head. Ibrahimović later confirmed that he had genuinely believed in the psychological power of the hairstyle during his own playing career.
There was also an obvious reference to the biblical story of Samson, whose extraordinary strength was connected to his uncut hair.
Haaland apparently remembered the warning.
Before the clippers started working, he admitted that Zlatan’s advice was still in his mind.
But eventually, the desire for a new look won.
The blond hair started falling.
And then Haaland did exactly what anyone would do after ignoring a warning from Zlatan Ibrahimović.
He called Zlatan.
Zlatan’s Reaction Was Exactly What Fans Would Expect
The resulting video call produced perhaps the funniest moment of the entire transformation.
Haaland showed Ibrahimović his freshly shortened hair.
Zlatan stared at him.
Then came the question:
“You lost a bet or what?”
He followed the joke by telling Haaland to block him and erase his number. ITV and Good Morning America both reported the exchange from Haaland’s haircut video.
The moment worked because neither man appeared to take it particularly seriously.
Haaland seemed amused by the reaction, while Ibrahimović performed exactly the role fans would expect from a player whose public persona has always mixed confidence, exaggeration and humor.
More importantly, it turned what could have been a simple social-media haircut reveal into entertainment.
Haaland was not merely showing followers a photograph of his new hairstyle. He documented the process and then let viewers watch other famous figures discover the transformation.
And Zlatan was not the only one.
Jack Grealish Couldn’t Stop Looking at Him
Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish also received a call.
His response was very different from Ibrahimović’s mock outrage.
According to Good Morning America, Grealish joked that the dramatically shorter hairstyle made Haaland look “about 10 years old.”
He also admitted that he could not stop looking at the front of Haaland’s newly cut hair and laughed about how different his teammate appeared.
It was an understandable reaction.
Hair can dramatically alter how someone appears, particularly when the previous hairstyle has remained consistent for years.