You won't recognize Erling Haaland with short hair

Erling Haaland's performance during the World Cup has him in conversations with other elite footballers, but his off-the-field looks are also causing a discussion.

Haaland fans have been enamoured with his long blond locks, and while he continues to be a trending topic as Norway progresses in the next round of the World Cup, older photos of the Norwegian footballer have surfaced with shorter hair.

"Much better with long hair," one fan reacted to the photos on X. 

Another fan also favored the longer hair instead, writing on X, "His long hair has more drip."   

Haaland hasn't had much time to talk about the notoriety of his signature hairstyle, but he did squeeze in a conversation with James Corden's on his show, "After Hours," last week. Haaland shared that Zlatan Ibrahimović, who also used to have a ponytail during his time in the league, shared some advice to the rising star. 

"Zlatan, you know what he told me? ‘Never cut your hair because the strength is in the hair,'" Haaland said during a game of table tennis. "What can I do? I have to listen to him, no?"

So far, Haaland has scored seven goals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, so the advice seems to be working. Now, fans must see if Haaland's hair will keep working in Norway's favor as they face England in the quarter-finals on July 11. 

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