50 of the most unforgettable haircuts in world football

Phil Foden is getting in the Euros spirit with a lid-based homage to 1996 hero Paul Gascoigne, who sported one of football's most iconic barnets ever.

What are football's other great/memorable trims, you ask?

Well, fasten your seatbelts folks, this is going to be quite the ride. 

50. Paul Gascoigne / Phil Foden

A proper 90s look. Every kid on the playground wanted the Gazza.

In fact the trim is so enduring that wonderkids who weren't even born in 1996 are still asking for it in 2021!

49. Edgar Davids 

If you don't remember former Netherlands international's dreadlocked ponytail and orange-tinted goggles, well are you even a football fan?

A tough-tackling, tenacious midfielder, Davids showed off his unique look for an impressive spread of clubs including Inter, Barcelona and Tottenham. 

48. Kevin Kampl

In this picture, Kevin Kampl's monstrosity of a hairdo resembles a custard-coloured Oral B toothbrush. 

His bulging shin-pad also makes it appear as though he plays with an early Nokia in his sock, but you could be forgiven for missing that given the beacon-like brightness of his mohican. 

47. Raheem Sterling 

Raheem Sterling has come a long way since he burst onto the scene for Liverpool back in 2012. 

Not only has his footballing ability improved, but so too, thankfully, has his sense of style.

46. Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud's suave slick-back has led to the Frenchman being labelled as 'the sexiest man in football'. 

That tag will be a matter of public opinion, but it wouldn't be ludicrous to suggest that the Chelsea striker deserves a post-playing days spot on Love Island.

45. Paul Scharner 

Former Wigan and West Brom man Paul Scharner took his hair very seriously. It was so important to him that he almost seemed to have a fresh, new hair style every week. 

The Austrian seemed to be incapable of sticking with one colour or cut for any length of time. Rumour has it his barber retired to Barbados.

44. Hector Bellerin 

Was man-bun Bellerin, the best Bellerin? Yes. Yes, it was.

43. David Ginola 

David Ginola won PFA Player of the Year in 1999. Was it mainly because of his hair? Not for me to say.

42. Gareth Bale 

A much-maligned figure at Real Madrid, one thing no man can come after Gareth Bale for is his glorious mane.

41. Robbie Savage

Love him or hate him (probably hate), Savage had very memorable locks and that is what this list is about.

40. Raul Meireles 

One of football's great hipsters, ex-Liverpool and Chelsea man Raul Meireles looked like a mixologist who also designs his own tattoos.

39. Marouane Chamakh

The Rachel. The Elvis. The Chamakh.

38. Sergio Aguero 

Not many people could pull off this look in their thirties. We'll leave it up to you whether or not Aguero is one of them.

37. Mario Balotelli

Balotellii's another who had had a lot of looks, but is most famous for the slightly swept back mohawk.

36. Nicklas Bendtner

The recently retired Bendtner is another whose top-knot just worked for some reason and made the rest of us (incorrectly) believe we too could pull it off.

35. David Seaman  

Seaman's totally un-ironic tash and tail combo was the best example of goalkeepers being built different.

34. Andrea Pirlo 

One of the greatest midfielders in the modern era, Andrea Pirlo was renowned for his sharp and crisp personal appearance. 

Like a fine wine, it became better as the years passed by, with his long locks and beard becoming a regular look in the twilight of his career. 

33. Stephan El Shaarawy 

Another Italian with a very particular sense of style.

32. Neymar

I think about this haircut maybe once a week. 

31. Bobby Charlton

The Charlton combover really is a timeless classic for the folically challenged. 

30. Marouane Fellaini

An enormous man. An enormous man with enormous hair. That is all.

29. Carles Puyol

You did not mess with Carles Puyol. His rugged, no-nonsense defending (presumably aided by his Samson-like hair) brought him spectacular success with Barcelona and Spain. 

28. David Luiz

Who wore it better: David Luiz or Sideshow Bob?

27. Gervinho

Presented without comment.

26. Rio Ferdinand 

You're being unveiled at one of the biggest clubs in history next to one of the best managers of all time, it's your big moment...

And you go for a style that makes you look like the third member of Right Said Fred?!

25. Rodrigo Palacio

Some things just cannot be unseen.

Rodrigo Palacio must have had to do this as a result of losing a bet. There is simply no other explanation other than that as to why anyone, let alone an international footballer, would sport a rat-tail braid.  

24. Rigobert Song

The former Liverpool and West Ham defender ended his career in memorable fashion, sporting this blonde beard and dreadlock combo at his fourth and final World Cup with Cameroon in 2010.

A strong look for the big occasion.

23. Joe Cole 

Joe Cole reported for pre-season duty with West Ham United in 2002 with the haircut that resembled the type you might see on a lads' holiday in Ibiza after the stag crew have drunk their body weight in tequila slammers. 

His loyalty to West Ham, weirdly displayed by a reddish-purple J, didn't last long, as he moved across London to Chelsea the following season. 

22. Giovanni Simeone

20 years, over 1,000 games of competitive football, 143 caps for Argentina, five Serie A titles, two European trophies... one haircut.

'Same again please, barber!'

21. Wayne Rooney

Hair loss is an issue that afflicts the best of it. However, Wayne Rooney had a trick up his sleeve. 

In an effort to prevent what little hair he had left from disappearing, he forked out for a hair transplant in 2011.

The legendary striker said of the decision: "I was going bald at 25 why not? I’m delighted with the result."

Why not indeed, Wazza.

20. Tom Huddlestone 

Following a goal for Tottenham in a 3-3 draw against Arsenal in 2011, Tom Huddlestone was dared by a team-mate not to cut his hair until he scored again in an effort to raise money for charity.

Well, little did Huddlestone know that he wouldn't score again for 32 months, as he ended his scoring drought on Boxing Day in 2013, raising £35,000 for charity in the process. 

19. Freddie Ljungberg 

The Swede will be remembered most by Arsenal fans for the role he played in the Invincibles team of 2003/04.

This style comes a close second though, as Calvin Klein model and winger Ljungberg turned heads everywhere he went with his red dye job.

18. Pavel Nedved 

It's strange when the actual Ballon d'Or isn't the shiniest thing in an image.

17. Jairzinho 

This iconic afro deserves to be featured inside the top 20 of the list for the effort it would have taken to comb on a daily basis. 

An integral member of Brazil's all-star 1970 World Cup-winning team, he also won eight trophies in 14 seasons at boyhood club Botafogo. 

16. Paul Pogba 

If there is one man on this list who could fill about 20 spots on his own, it would be talismanic French midfielder Paul Pogba. 

This statement arguably takes the biscuit, with Pogba choosing to fade the phrase 'Pogboom' into his head before Euro 2016.

15. Ivan Perisic

If Pogba thought his effort was going to earn him the most eye-catching haircut at Euro 2016, he would have been in for a surprise when he saw Ivan Perisic's lid. 

The Croatian took hair-dye expression to unprecedented levels when, in a show of support for his nation, he matched his hair to the chequered pattern of the Croatian flag.

14. Vagner Love

Talking of matching your hair to your team's colours strip, here is Vagner Love's contribution to the genre. 

If the Brazilian's name wasn't quirky enough, this striking set of blue dreadlocks would have captured everyone's attention during the striker's short stint with CSKA Moscow. 

13. Djibril Cisse

Djibril Cisse was no stranger to a bold cut or two during his time in the Premier League, where he garnered attention for his style choices that raised eyebrows in Liverpool and Sunderland.

This green-look was arguably the pick of the bunch for the former Lord of the Manor of Frodsham.

12. Ruud Gullit

The magical Milan midfielder not only had the skill to endear himself to the public eye, but he also had the looks too. 

On the rare occasions that Gullit did not make football look like fine art, his picture-perfect dreads did the job. 

11. Ronaldinho 

The streets won't forget. The Nike headband and the toothy grin were bad news for defenders. It meant Ronaldinho was ready, and when Ronaldinho was ready, he could not be stopped. Not even by yanking his locks.

10. Chris Waddle

We kick off the top ten with a classic Chris Waddle mullet.

Business in the front, party in the back. The former Spurs man really made it his own throughout the 1980s.

9. Ronaldo 

This haircut might have been atrocious, but Ronaldo wouldn't have cared one jot, as he put in some unstoppable performances to lead Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002. 

The ex-Real Madrid striker also secured the Golden Boot, as he scored eight goals, including a brace in the final, to earn his country their first world crown since 1994. 

8. Taribo West

Judging by this hairstyle, Taribo West was one brave man (he also played for both Milan clubs consecutively).

7. Abel Xavier

Abel Xavier was partial to an odd fashion choice or two... or three!

As his career progressed, his hairstyles became more and more bizarre. Then again, none of us should really be surprised because, just like West, he committed the footballing equivalent of homicide by transferring from Everton to Liverpool in 2002. 

6. Rudi Voller  

Take nothing away from Rudi Voller, he was an excellent footballer, just slightly mad...

He looks like a poodle that found a Chuckle Brothers moustache in the water whilst having a leisurely paddle. Props to you Voller, because against all odds you somehow pulled it off. 

5. Carlos Valderrama

The great Carlos Valderrama is Colombia's most-capped player with 111 appearances to his name.

That is academic, for all he will be remembered by, and all he needs to be remembered by, is this magnificent blonde afro. A truly iconic style that must one day be recreated. 

4. Rene Higuita 

Another crazy Colombian trim, Rene Higuita had a lot of hair.

There was nothing Higuita couldn't do - penalties, free-kicks, he even invented the famous Scorpion kick. Despite playing in goal, Higuita took more risks than a five-year-old loaded up on lemonade hurtling a trolley around ASDA. 

3. Roberto Baggio

What a player. What a sight. What a ponytail.

Anyone who watched the 1990 World Cup in Italy could wax lyrical about the 'Divine Ponytail' itself, never mind the person who possessed it and his footballing ability. 

Not content with inspiring a generation, Roberto Baggio enhanced his reputation as a bloke who is impossible to dislike when he won the 2010 Man of Peace Award for his efforts in helping raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. What a guy. 

2. Romania - 1998 

What could be more wacky than a player dyeing his hair blonde? Well, in Romania's case, the whole team choosing to follow suit. 

I think their 1998 World Cup squad took the meaning 'blonde bombshell' a tad too literally in this instance. Top marks for effort, but all of those marks must be deducted for the abhorrent execution of this hairstyle. Should have gone to Specsavers. 

1. David Beckham 

At finally, of course we have the legendary, the unforgettable, the unmissable...

David Beckham. Curtains, dye-job, skinhead, mohawk, cornrows (which he wore to meet Nelson Mandela), the Legolas... D-Becks has done it all.

What a man.