The Most Famous World Cup Hairstyles: Top 10

World Cup Hairstyles

Jan 24

Most Famous World Cup Hairstyles: Top 10

The World Cup is a worldwide phenomenon, bringing people together from all over the world to enjoy one of the greatest sports in the world: soccer. Through the years, we’ve seen some fantastic and iconic hairstyles sported by the men who make this worldwide event possible.

That’s right, in this article, we’re taking a look at the top 10 most famous World Cup hairstyles that men have sported throughout the years. This list has been curated by hair and fashion experts, meaning these genuinely are the most iconic hairstyles from the World Cup. Keep reading now to find out what they are.

10 The Green Streak from 2018

In 2018, William Troost-Ekong sported a strange yet iconic hairstyle, as he’s been known to do over the years. This defender from the Nigerian team went with a low bald fade highlighted by a streak of green across the top. This look has been dubbed as one of his most iconic, and it definitely deserves a spot in the top 10.

9 The Braided Mullet from 1994

1994’s World Cup saw yet another of the most iconic hairstyles sported by men to date, brining us the braided mullet by Roberto Baggio. This hairstyle was so iconic in fact that it came to be known as the “divine ponytail” after the Cup ended that year. The braided mullet was so popular with Baggio’s fans that they started to sport the exact same hairstyle. It’s clear a hairstyle is iconic when the masses start to copy it!

8 The Buzz Crew Cut from 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo has been known for a lot of things over his career playing soccer, but one of the most iconic was his unique hairstyle at the 2018 World Cup. Mixing two popular haircuts, he sported a hybrid of the crew cut and buzz cut. Men all over the world were quick to emulate this unique and fashionable look, and such hairstyles are still popular even today. Perhaps what makes this haircut such a popular choice with men throughout the world is that it works for many different types of hair, from straight and fine to frizzy and coarse.

7 The Rat Tail from 2014

This pick is a bit on the controversial side, as many have deemed Rodrigo Palacio’s 2014 throwback to the rat tail one of the worst World Cup hairstyles to date. However, its impact on men’s fashion and style was undeniable, and for this, it’s become iconic. Even though this is a truly unflattering hairstyle on most men (if not all), it still made a major splash during the World Cup that year.

6 Green Braids from 1998

Another iconic look from the Nigerian team, defender Taribo West sported a head of bright green braids for the 1998 World Cup. This color perfectly matched the colors of his team, and he made it a point to keep his hair dyed to whichever color best represented whichever team or club he played on going forward in his career. It was certainly a bold and iconic look and deserves a spot on this list for sure.

5 The Man Bun from 2018

2018 was certainly a year of iconic men’s hairstyles, as we see yet another entry from that year’s World Cup in David de Gea’s stylish man bun. A great looking man bun is hard to pull off for most men, yet many men the world over started trying to copy this iconic look after De Gea. Advice from the experts is to grow your hair as long as you can to make this look work, while also keeping the man bun tight and low for a more masculine look.

4 The Mullet from 1974

This one’s a bit of a throwback, all the way to the World Cup of 1974. Gerd Muller wore his hair in an iconic and classic mullet, marking one of the very first of the iconic hairstyles we’ve seen from men in the World Cup since. Even though mullets were already a popular hairstyle at the time, this appearance solidified it as one of the most popular hairstyles for men of the decade.

3 The Mohawk from 2002

Back in the World Cup of 2002, David Beckham took the world by surprise with his iconic mohawk. Some would argue this hairstyle defined the early 2000’s hairstyles for men, as mohawks and fauxhawks became increasingly popular afterward.

2 The Bleach Blondes from 1998

This entry deserves the number 2 spot as it wasn’t only one man wearing this hairstyle, but an entire team of them. The entire Romanian World Cup team in 1998 dyed their hair bleach blonde, starting a new men’s style trend that would extend into the next decade. What’s more, this look really showed how unified the team was and how ready they were to give it their all for that year’s World Cup.

1 The Shaved Patch from 2002

The shaved patch may be perhaps the most iconic and yet strangest hairstyle on this list. In 2002, Ronaldo wore his hair mostly shaved, except for a small patch of hair left intact on the front of his head in the shape of a semi-circle. No one knows why he decided to wear his hair in such an interesting style, but even as strange as it looked, men all over the world began to wear their hair the same way.

Final Thoughts

The men who play the most popular sport in all the world at the largest world sports event certainly have a lot of influence over men’s fashion and style. This is clear to see when we take a moment to look at each of these iconic men’s hairstyles and how they affected men’s fashion around the same time they were worn.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of 10 of the most famous and iconic hairstyles for men shown at the World Cup. We hope to see many more iconic styles coming our way at the next one!

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