Footballers Haircuts: 15 Trendy Styles for Men in 2026

Footballer haircuts run the game right now, not just the pitch. Walk into any barbershop and you’ll hear guys asking for “the Ronaldo” or “the Bellingham.” This guide breaks down 31 real footballer haircuts, with exact guard numbers, face-shape matches, and the words to use in the chair. No guesswork. Just the details most sites skip.

Here’s what most articles on footballer haircuts get wrong. They show a photo and call it a day. They don’t tell you the guard number. They don’t tell you if your hair type can even pull it off. This guide fixes that.

Popular Soccer Player Haircuts

Football and hair trends move together every season. Players change their look, and fans copy it within days. Below are the most requested footballer haircuts in barbershops today, broken down one by one so you know exactly what to ask for.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Slick Back Fade

The Ronaldo slick back fade pairs short, tight sides with longer hair combed straight back on top. This cut suits guys with straight or wavy hair and an oval or square face shape. Ask your barber for a skin fade on a 0 or 1 guard, blending into 3-4 inches of length on top. Keep a matte pomade on hand, since this style needs daily restyling to hold the back sweep.

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What is the best footballer haircut?

The skin fade is the most requested footballer haircut worldwide right now. It works because it suits almost every hair type and face shape. Barbers can also adjust the fade height to match your style.

Who cuts CR7 hair?

Ronaldo has used several barbers over his career, including stylists in Turin and Riyadh. He does not stick to one public barber brand. Most of his cuts follow the same slick back fade template, just refined slightly each season.

What is CR7 haircut called?

The CR7 haircut is commonly called the slick back fade or side part fade. Some barbershops list it as the “Ronaldo fade” on their menus. It always includes a tight fade with longer, styled hair on top.

What is Neymar’s haircut?

Neymar’s current look is a short curly fade, with tight curls kept close on top and a fade on the sides. He changes his hair color and style often, but the curly fade stays his base cut. It works best on naturally curly or coily hair types.

Lionel Messi – Spiky Crew Cut with Taper Fade

Messi keeps things simple with a spiky crew cut over a clean taper fade. This footballer haircut works for guys who want low maintenance without looking plain. It suits round and oval faces since the height on top adds length visually. Tell your barber to leave 1.5 to 2 inches on top and taper down to a 2 guard on the sides. A small amount of matte clay pushed up at the roots keeps the spikes standing without looking greasy.

Neymar – Short Curly Hair Fade

Neymar’s short curly fade keeps natural curl texture on top while fading the sides down close. This differs from a straight crop because it works with curl pattern instead of against it. It’s built for guys with type 2 or type 3 curls and round or heart-shaped faces. Ask for a 1 or 2 guard fade on the sides, leaving curls untouched on top at natural length. Use a curl cream instead of gel, since gel can weigh curls down and kill the shape.

Kylian Mbappé – Buzz Cut Fade

Mbappé’s buzz cut fade is one of the lowest-maintenance footballer haircuts on this list. It’s a short, even length all over the top, fading into skin on the sides. This suits guys with strong jawlines and any hair texture, since there’s no styling required. Guard numbers usually run a 3 on top fading to 0 or skin on the sides. Touch-ups every two to three weeks keep the fade sharp, since buzz cuts grow out fast and lose their line.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Long Hair

Zlatan’s long hair look skips fades entirely and goes for length past the shoulders, often tied back. This style breaks from most footballer haircuts on this list since it needs real growing-out time. It suits guys with thick, straight to wavy hair who don’t mind a longer commitment. Trims every 8 to 10 weeks keep split ends off without losing length. A lightweight leave-in conditioner is a must here, since long hair tangles fast during training or workouts.

Mohamed Salah – Buzz Cut Fade

Salah’s version of the buzz cut fade keeps slightly more length on top than Mbappé’s, around 1 inch. This gives a softer look while still keeping upkeep low. It works well on guys with tighter curl patterns and oval or long face shapes. A 2 guard on top fading to a 1 on the sides is the standard request. Since curl texture holds shape naturally, this cut barely needs product beyond a light curl sponge routine.

Kevin De Bruyne – Thick Brush Back

De Bruyne’s thick brush back uses volume instead of a fade, brushing hair straight up and back off the forehead. This footballer haircut needs naturally thick or medium-thick hair to hold the shape. It suits square and oval faces best, since it adds height without width. Length on top should sit around 3 inches, with a blow-dry brush used to build the lift. A strong-hold cream, not gel, keeps the brush-back shape through a full day.

Paul Pogba – Frohawk

The frohawk takes natural afro texture and shapes it into a raised strip down the center, shaved close on the sides. This is one of the boldest footballer haircuts and needs commitment to maintain. It’s built specifically for coily or tightly curled hair types, and works on most face shapes since the center height balances width. Sides are usually cut to skin or a 0 guard, with the top left at 2 to 3 inches. Regular line-ups every 1 to 2 weeks keep the shaved sides sharp against the raised center.

Antoine Griezmann – Textured Long Flow

Griezmann’s textured long flow keeps medium-to-long layers with a messy, undone finish through the mid-lengths. This differs from Zlatan’s long hair since it stays shoulder-length or shorter with heavy texturizing. It suits wavy or straight hair on rounder faces, since the layers add definition. Ask for point-cutting through the ends, not blunt cutting, to keep the textured look. A sea salt spray gives the flow its natural, wind-blown finish without stiffness.

David Beckham – Short Textured Hair with Tapered Sides

Beckham’s textured crop keeps short, choppy layers on top with tapered, not faded, sides. The taper is softer and less dramatic than a skin fade, giving a more classic finish. It works for oval and square faces with straight to wavy hair types. Top length runs 1 to 2 inches, cut with texturizing shears for a piecey finish. A matte paste worked through damp hair keeps the texture defined without shine.

Virgil van Dijk – Low Bun

Van Dijk’s low bun pulls longer hair back into a tied knot sitting at the nape of the neck. This footballer haircut needs hair long enough to gather, usually past the chin at minimum. It suits thick, straight to wavy hair and works on nearly every face shape since it’s pulled back. No cutting is needed here beyond regular trims to avoid split ends. A strong elastic and light gel at the hairline stop flyaways from ruining the clean look.

Eden Hazard – Crew Cut Fade

Hazard’s crew cut fade is a classic, short-on-top style fading into the sides, similar to Messi’s but with less height. It’s built for guys who want a neat, professional look with almost no daily styling. It suits round and oval faces with straight or slightly wavy hair. Standard guard setup is a 2 on top blending to a 1 or skin fade. A light pomade run through with fingers, not a comb, keeps the texture natural instead of slicked.

Erling Haaland – Long Ponytail with Shaved Sides

Haaland’s long ponytail with shaved sides combines an undercut base with length on top pulled into a tie. This contrasts sharply with buzz-style footballer haircuts since it needs real growth time up top. It suits guys with straight to wavy hair who want an edgier, high-contrast look. Sides go down to skin or a 0 guard, with top length left to grow past 4 inches. Regular conditioning is key here, since the shaved sides make any dryness on top stand out fast.

Jude Bellingham – Short Afro Taper Fade with Line Up

Bellingham’s short afro taper fade keeps natural coil texture on top with a tapered fade and a sharp front line up. This is one of the most searched footballer haircuts for guys with afro-textured hair right now. It suits coily and kinky hair types and works on square, oval, and round faces alike. Ask for a taper down to a 1 or 2 guard, with the top left at natural coil length. A line up every 7 to 10 days keeps the front edge crisp, which is the detail that makes this cut look sharp.

João Félix – Messy Medium Hair

Félix keeps medium-length hair with a deliberately undone, messy finish and no hard part. This differs from Griezmann’s flow since it’s shorter and relies more on natural texture than styling product. It suits wavy hair on oval or heart-shaped faces. Length sits around 3 to 4 inches all over, cut with heavy texturizing to remove bulk. A light texture spray, scrunched in by hand, keeps the messy shape without looking unwashed.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – Short Afro Fade

Trent’s short afro fade keeps tight natural curls close on top with a clean fade on the sides. Unlike Bellingham’s version, this one skips the line up for a softer, rounder finish. It’s suited to coily hair types and works especially well on longer or oval face shapes. A 2 guard fade blending into natural curl length on top is the standard ask. Curl definition cream, not oil alone, keeps the curls separated instead of clumping.

Granit Xhaka – Side Part Fade

Xhaka’s side part fade brings back a classic hard part combed to one side over a tight fade. This footballer haircut suits straight or fine hair types since a clean part needs manageable texture. It works best on oval and square faces with a defined jawline. Sides fade to skin or a 0.5 guard, with top length around 2 inches for easy combing. A razor part cut into the skin by your barber keeps the line sharp between cuts.

Toni Kroos – Undercut

Kroos wears a disconnected undercut, where the sides are shaved short with a hard line separating them from longer hair on top. This differs from a fade because there’s no gradual blend, just a sharp cut-off. It suits straight, thick hair and rounder face shapes that need the height contrast. Sides typically run a 1 or 2 guard cut straight across, not blended. Since the line stays sharp longer than a fade, touch-ups can stretch to every 3 to 4 weeks.

Declan Rice – Full Brush Back with Mid Taper Fade

Rice combines a brushed-back top with a mid-height taper fade starting around the temple. This sits between De Bruyne’s high-volume brush back and a standard crew cut in terms of styling effort. It suits medium-thick straight or wavy hair on square or oval faces. Top length runs 3 inches, fading to a 3 guard by mid-taper level. A blow dryer on medium heat, brushing hair back as it dries, builds the shape before product goes in.

Stephan El Shaarawy – Faux Hawk Fade

El Shaarawy’s faux hawk fade raises hair through the center using product rather than shaving the sides completely, unlike a true frohawk. It suits medium-thick straight to wavy hair on most face shapes. Sides fade down to a 1 or 2 guard, with center top length around 2.5 inches for styling height. A strong-hold wax, worked from the center outward, is what actually builds the raised strip. This cut needs daily restyling, so it’s not for guys short on morning time.

Héctor Bellerín – Middle Part Mullet

Bellerín’s middle part mullet keeps shorter length up front, longer through the back, split down the center. This footballer haircut breaks the mold since mullets skip fades in favor of gradual length change. It suits wavy or curly hair on oval and long face shapes. Back length usually runs 4 to 6 inches, with the front kept around 3 inches for the part to sit flat. Regular deep conditioning matters here, since the longer back sections dry out faster than short cuts.

Kevin Trapp – Slick Back with Short Sides

Trapp’s slick back keeps short, tapered sides with slightly longer hair combed straight back, using less length than Ronaldo’s version. It suits straight or fine hair on oval and rectangular faces. Sides taper to a 2 guard, with top length around 2.5 inches for a controlled back sweep. This is a lower-effort take on the slick back, needing less product than a full pomade sweep. A light-hold gel, combed through wet hair, holds this shape through a full day.

Jordan Henderson – Side Swept Hair with Low Drop Fade

Henderson’s side swept style combs hair to one side over a low drop fade that curves down behind the ear. This differs from a standard fade by dropping lower at the back instead of staying level. It suits straight to wavy hair on round or square faces. The drop fade sits around a 2 guard, with top length near 3 inches for the side sweep to hold. A comb and light pomade, applied while hair is damp, sets the sweep before it dries.

Weston McKennie – Kinky Curls with Faded Sides

McKennie keeps natural kinky curl texture full and high on top, fading into skin on the sides. This footballer haircut leans into volume rather than tapering curls down like Trent’s version does. It suits type 4 coily and kinky hair on any face shape, since the height balances width. Sides fade to skin or a 0.5 guard, with top curls left at natural length or picked out for volume. A curl cream applied to damp hair, then air-dried, keeps definition without frizz.

Rodri – Textured Ivy League with Tapered Sides

Rodri’s Ivy League cut keeps slightly longer top length with a soft side part and tapered, not faded, sides. This is a more conservative footballer haircut than most on this list, built for a clean, professional finish. It suits straight to wavy hair on oval and square faces. Top length runs 2 to 3 inches, tapered down to a 3 guard at the sides. A matte cream, worked through with fingers for texture, keeps this from looking too polished or corporate.

Vinícius Jr. – Kinky Afro Curls with High Skin Fade

Vinícius wears natural kinky afro curls left full on top, contrasted against a high skin fade starting above the temple. This creates more contrast than McKennie’s version since the fade line sits higher on the head. It suits type 4 coily hair and works especially well on round or oval faces. The fade goes to full skin starting around 1.5 inches above the ear. Regular moisturizing with a leave-in spray keeps curls from drying out against the exposed skin.

Olivier Giroud – Classic Slick Back

Giroud’s slick back skips the fade entirely, using short-to-medium length all over combed straight back with a comb and product. This is the simplest slick back on this list, with no dramatic contrast between top and sides. It suits straight or wavy hair on square and oval faces. Length runs an even 2 to 3 inches throughout, cut with scissors rather than clippers for a softer finish. A classic pomade with shine, not matte clay, fits this old-school style best.

Sergio Ramos – Slicked Back Undercut

Ramos combines an undercut base with slicked-back styling on top, giving more contrast than Giroud’s soft slick back. It suits thick, straight, or wavy hair on square or angular faces. Sides are shaved to a 1 guard with a hard line, while top length reaches 3 to 4 inches for the back sweep. A strong-hold pomade with a comb-through finish is needed to control this much length. Reapplying product midday is common with this style since longer hair loses its set faster.

Zinedine Zidane – Clean Shaved Look

Zidane’s clean shaved head skips hair on top entirely, using a razor or 0 guard across the whole scalp. This is the lowest-maintenance footballer haircut on this entire list. It suits any face shape but looks sharpest on guys with a well-defined head shape and jawline. A straight razor shave every 3 to 5 days keeps stubble regrowth from looking patchy. Scalp moisturizer with SPF is essential here, since bare skin burns fast and dries out quicker than hair-covered scalp.

Harry Kane – Short Textured Crop

Kane’s textured crop keeps short, choppy layers on top with a soft fade or taper on the sides. It suits straight to wavy hair on oval and round faces. Top length sits around 1.5 inches, cut with point-cutting shears for texture instead of a blunt finish. Sides taper down to a 2 guard, blending softly rather than sharply. A light clay, worked in with fingertips, keeps the texture messy without looking unkempt.

Luka Modric – Medium Flow Hair

Modric keeps medium-length hair combed back naturally, with minimal product and no hard fade or part. This is one of the more relaxed footballer haircuts, built around low daily effort. It suits fine to medium straight or wavy hair on oval and heart-shaped faces. Length runs 3 to 4 inches on top, with a light trim every 6 weeks to maintain shape. A leave-in spray, combed through after a shower, is often the only product this style needs.

Best Soccer Player Haircuts

The best footballer haircuts right now split into three clear groups: fades, texture-based cuts, and longer styles. Fades dominate because they suit most hair types and need less daily styling. Here’s a quick comparison of the top picks by upkeep and hair type.

Haircut	Best Hair Type	Guard Number	Upkeep (weeks)
Slick Back Fade (Ronaldo)	Straight, wavy	0-1 fade	2-3
Buzz Cut Fade (Mbappé)	Any	3 on top, skin sides	2
Short Afro Taper Fade (Bellingham)	Coily, kinky	1-2	1-2
Frohawk (Pogba)	Coily	0 sides	1-2
Long Hair (Zlatan)	Thick, straight/wavy	None	8-10
Textured Crop (Kane)	Straight, wavy	2 sides	3-4

If you want low upkeep, go with a buzz cut fade. If you want something sharper for work or events, the slick back fade or Ivy League cut hold up best.

Famous Soccer Player Haircuts

Famous footballer haircuts tend to repeat across three hair types: straight, curly, and coily. Straight-haired players lean toward slick backs and undercuts. Curly and coily players lean toward fades that keep natural texture on top, like Bellingham’s and Vinícius’s cuts. Knowing your own hair type first makes picking the right footballer haircut much easier than just picking a favorite player.

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FAQs

What haircut do most footballers have?

Most footballers wear a skin fade or taper fade with short sides and more length on top. It’s low maintenance and holds up well through sweat and training.

What is the Ronaldo haircut called?

It’s called the slick back fade, sometimes listed as the “CR7 fade” in barbershops. It pairs a tight skin fade with combed-back length on top.

How do I ask for a footballer haircut at the barber?

Show a clear photo and give the guard number if you know it, like “skin fade blending to a 3 on top.” Naming the player helps, but numbers get you the exact result.

What haircut does Messi have?

Messi wears a spiky crew cut with a taper fade on the sides. The top stays short, around 1.5 to 2 inches, styled up with matte clay.

What is the best haircut for curly hair like a footballer?

A taper fade or skin fade that keeps natural curls on top works best for curly hair. Bellingham’s short afro taper fade is the most requested version right now.

Summary

Footballer haircuts work because they’re built around real hair types, not just trends. Pick one that matches your texture and face shape first, then bring the guard numbers to your barber. Ready to switch it up? Book your next cut and ask for one of these styles by name.