Johan Esk: Hur i helsicke tänkte du, Haaland?

Premier League has kicked off, but the biggest media storm this weekend wasn’t about goals or results. It was about a haircut. Erling Braut Haaland’s long locks are gone, and with them, any lingering doubt about the Norwegian striker’s priorities after this summer’s World Cup.

When the Norwegian national team returned home from the championship in Germany, the reception was enormous. Around 70,000 people gathered in Oslo to honor the squad, a moment intended to celebrate the team’s journey and the nation’s pride. But Haaland was not among them.

The team’s biggest star had chosen to fly to Italy for a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show instead. The decision sparked immediate and sharp criticism. Norwegian leaders, players and commentators fumbled to explain why the nation’s most celebrated athlete had skipped the main event. Excuses about delayed flights and existing commitments were met with skepticism, to say the least. With Haaland’s financial strength, arranging alternative transport from Italy to Oslo would have been a trivial logistical exercise. The show didn’t even start until the day after the public celebration in Oslo.

This defensive attitude felt familiar to anyone who has followed Swedish football over the past two decades. The handling of Haaland’s absence echoed the often lengthy discussions that accompanied Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decisions during his time with the Swedish national team, where the star’s individual brand always took precedence over collective duties.

The aftermath gained new fuel when Haaland’s team released a video of the player ringing friends and football stars to show off his new haircut. When Zlatan saw the look, he could hardly believe his eyes and asked whether Haaland had lost some kind bet or whether it was something else. But the first person in line to see the new hairstyle wasn’t a footballer at all. It was Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis. Within two hours, the video had reached half a million views, a clear indication of how strong Haaland’s brand presence is.

The online debate also included the Norwegian fashion expert Marianne Jemtegård, who was interviewed by Norwegian news, among others. She acknowledged that today’s top players are not just athletes but managers of their own personal brand. Being part of such a high-profile fashion show is something the biggest football stars do now, she explained. But the question is whether such choices are even a matter of necessity, as her statement might suggest.

Some footballers seem to prefer exactly such links to the normal system. A clear contrast came from Spain’s national team hero Rodri, who is the same age group as Haaland and was named the best player of the World Cup. He flew back to Manchester on a regular commercial flight, standing in line like everyone else, showing a different way of handling his position.

Since then, Rodri has left Manchester City for new challenges with FC Barcelona. His style of play and attitude might now be set to influence the next generation of defensive midfielders, with his physique setting a new standard in that position. But the big difference is not only on the pitch. Rodri seems far less interested in building his personal brand than many other top stars, and appears to value a greater closeness to everyday life.

Haaland’s name is now increasingly associated with the strategic building of his own brand, which he has every right to do, but the priorities have become difficult to reconcile with national pride and team belonging. While he was on a wide fashion tour with the Norwegian squad, his new future at the club may be in question. Manchester City is clearly aware of his value, but the story of how the player chose fashion over the national team will likely follow him for a long time.

What remains after this weekend is a picture of a player as focused on his own profile as on football. The fact that he can get away with such choices is in itself a testament to his importance in football today. And with the new haircut now starting a trend, the attention continues to be focused entirely on a player whose choices are never incidental.