Whether it’s Baggio’s braid; Foden’s fringe; Pogba’s patterns; or even Fellaini’s ‘fro, footballers have successfully transformed their hair from being a body part into an accessory. Some have admitted to getting haircuts 2-3 times a week and it goes without saying that such frequency is more than the average person. There is an argument to be made that a player’s barber shares a similar role to a teammate, although it remains to be of paramount importance that they do not run with scissors.
The first question that would spring to most people’s minds on this subject would be something along the lines of ‘why do footballers do this?’ The common answer is that they simply have the time and the money to do so, but that only proves how it is possible. Really, the reasoning is that players wish to stand out through their own identity.
On a football pitch, a different strip for each team is shared by 10 outfield players per side and so there are only a few ways in which they can differentiate from each other. These could include flashy boots; subtle kit adjustments, such as the length of their socks, or arguably most noticeably, their hairstyle.
At the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo Nazario birthed the infamous ‘R9 trim’ in order to divert the mass media attention of his concerning injury record. The unorthodox tuft of hair at the front of a buzzcut proved to be a resoundingly successful distraction, as he helped Brazil lift the trophy and win the tournament’s Golden Boot in the process, thus reinstating his remarkable footballing legacy.
However, according to Stanley Cieka, a football historian who works at a top Premier League club’s museum, R9’s brash barnet was not the most significant factor behind the current climate of footballing hair:
“Commercialisation, to put it plainly. The Premier League’s inception in 1992 meant that every player in the division was going to appear on the telly a lot more than they were used to. Some of them caught on more quickly than others that their appearance had become more important.”
Initially, an influx in haircut regularity amongst players would have likely been due to self-fulfilment. Who wouldn’t want to look sharp after their industry had secured a multi-million pound broadcasting deal, right? Eventually though, the aforementioned commercialisation became more apparent amongst the individuals:
“A realisation grew that a Premier League player’s image could turn them from being someone renowned for being very good at football into something new: a brand. Fans no longer wanted to be able to score like Alan Shearer, they wanted to BE David Beckham.” Cieka explained that “everyone went berserk when he shaved off his then notorious blond locks, arguably more so than when Gazza bleached his hair just a couple of years before, which was huge.”
In today’s game, a lot of players have become brands as commercialisation and media presence within football has increased. Players get their hair sorted so often to create a consistent look that can be associated with their brand. So it has now become a big deal when players make changes to their hairstyle, as it gets the fans talking about them and therefore growing their brand.
Given that a lot of players likely now see their barber as much as their own family, PlayStyles spoke to a barber with some high profile clients to gain a further insight into the dynamic.
Billy Spriggins is a barber based in Romford, Essex. Despite being only 24 years old, he has already worked his way up to providing haircuts for Premier League legends, as well as regularly keeping some current players fresh.
Spriggins, or as he is known on TikTok and Instagram @bilcuts, began training in 2018 at a shop called Hair Force 1. Initially, it was only his aim to become good at cutting hair but after watching the Russia World Cup, Spriggins realised that his real goal was to cut for footballers’. Then the COVID19 lockdown restrictions forced him to self-teach the rest of his skills.
He broke into the footballing world when a friend in the West Ham academy recommended Spriggins’ services to his teammates, with word quickly spreading as far as Jermaine Defoe:
“Jermaine and I are friends now, he’ll get me tickets for games and invite me to some family events. We’ve built a good connection and that’s because I’m good at my job.
When I first started cutting Jermaine or any footballer really, I was nervous because it’s my first time meeting them. Imagine if I’d cut his [Defoe] hair for the first time and he’d said: ‘this is shit!’ then he’d never come back. But no, he said to me [something] like: ‘you’re a good kid and you’re good at your job. That’s why I want you to cut my hair.’ Now it feels pretty normal to me.
When you cut footballers every single week, you build a good friendship and a good bond with them. They’ll talk to you about everything.” In Spriggins’ case, he really did mean “everything”. Including how their day has been, as well as private matters involving trusted information such as news-worthy career opportunities, which could not be included in this article.
Interestingly, footballers building their brand by showcasing their hair online directly improves and grows their barber’s brand also. Spriggins has noticed an increase in regular customers ever since his work has been associated with big names. As well as regular customers though, Spriggins has landed big clients through footballers posting his haircuts on their social media platforms.
After signing for Spurs last summer, Archie Gray followed Defoe on Instagram where he saw a post featuring one of Spriggins’ haircuts for the ex-striker. Subsequently, Spriggins earned himself a new high profile client.
A TikTok post featuring a new mullet for Gray on Spriggins’ account ended up going viral. The video reached over 550,000 views and despite innocent intentions, its publishing coincided with a poor run of form for Spurs who had just lost to Everton the day prior, as well as suffering from defeat in the North London Derby earlier in the week.
Now though, Spriggins considers Gray to be his chattiest footballing customer, with customers also using the viral video as a reference for their haircuts.
“Archie’s great, he’s very talkative. One time, I was giving him a haircut at his house and I ended up cutting his mate too. I was there for hours, it was funny. The second time I ever went round, I asked if he would sign a shirt for me, which he did. It was nice because he really didn’t have to do that.”
At this point, it is no secret that footballers will use any means necessary to get a top barber in any circumstance. Many players will fly their barbers to wherever they are playing if they need a haircut. Spriggins is no exception as Manchester City youngster Josh Wilson-Esbrand once flew him out to France for a trim, whilst on loan at Stade de Reims.
Not everybody can say they have cut Rio Ferdinand’s hair either, as Anton Ferdinand recommended Spriggins to his brother.
“There’s about three gates going up to his house! I first started cutting his sons’ hair, then he asked me to do his. He always asks how I am, but he doesn’t say much else. I’m so in the zone though, especially during the first time because of the nerves, I try not to act like a fan and I think he likes that.”
Spriggins confirmed that footballers use his services so frequently in order to remain consistently presentable for media duties and televised games.
He joked: “The only annoying thing about the football clients is that they’ll text you randomly. The other day, Vladimir Coufal messaged me asking for a haircut later in the day. It is understandably important to them as they constantly have a camera in their face.”
In addition though, Spriggins cited the COVID as another reason why footballers opt for so many haircuts. He believes the lockdown restrictions allowed some players to be more experimental with their hair yet on the flipside, the closing of barber shops and hair salons made some people realise how much they cared about their hair.
Spriggins referenced that even non-football related clients have been getting their hair cut from as short as every 10 days to every week, post-COVID. However, both time frames are well below the average time men spend between getting haircuts, which is about one month.
Ultimately, footballers’ haircuts can often be huge staples in their current cultures of the game. The responsibility to establish a trademark look by having so many hair appointments is one that leaves players (and their barbers) in often profitable positions. Just think of the headlines if Jack Grealish were to ditch the slicked back look or crazier still, went completely bald. That just would not be right, even if the routine is a little excessive.expressions. In this age of constant remixing, anything—from a creepy wooden log to a vintage football jersey—can find new life in the hands of creative online communities.
