Erling Haaland has surprised fans with a radical change in appearance, putting an end to the long blonde hair that had become one of the Manchester City striker's most distinctive features for years.
The Norwegian star has appeared with very short hair, choosing a "buzz cut" on the eve of the start of the new Premier League season. Haaland himself published pictures of the transformation on social networks, accompanied by the message "New season, new trim".
The change immediately made the rounds on social media, while fan reactions were divided between those who liked the new look and those nostalgic for the long hair that had become almost the Norwegian striker's personal trademark for years.
But behind one of the most commented transformations of the moment is an Albanian.
We are talking about Juna Ademi, the Albanian hairdresser who lives and works in Monaco and who created Haaland's new haircut.
The process was documented by the footballer himself in a video posted on his YouTube channel. The footage also shows Juna working on Haaland's hair, while admitting that she felt pressured to drastically change the image of one of the most famous footballers in the world.
"I'm a little stressed, I think it would look good with short hair," she says during the process.
Haaland had considered making the switch immediately after the World Cup, but had postponed it due to commitments. The footballer even revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimović once told him not to cut his hair, joking that that was where his "strength" lay.
In the end, Haaland decided to break away from his signature look and start the new season with a completely different image.
While his new photo is making the rounds around the world, for Juna Ademi the haircut has become an unusual international exposure: the Albanian is the hairdresser who cut the hair that had been part of Erling Haaland's public identity for years.
