Erling Haaland was one of the most viral stars of the 2026 World Cup as he led Norway and their Viking-rowing fans on a Cinderella run to the quarterfinals.

Haaland shared behind-the-scenes footage of his time in the United States, and a kind of mania took hold — fans wore Haaland wigs, shared memes of his running style on social media and even held a lookalike contest in Miami.

That contest, though, would look a lot different now. On Sunday, Haaland shared his latest viral social media post, showing him cutting his long blonde hair in favour of a buzz cut.

In the full-length video posted to YouTube, Haaland called various friends to surprise them with his new look. Oasis star Noel Gallagher laughed and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was surprised, while City teammate Jack Grealish was not impressed. “You look about 10 years old!” Grealish said.

His final call was to former boss Pep Guardiola, who was predictably stunned. “No way!” Guardiola said. “You’re lucky you have hair. I would love to have it.”

Haaland has been the Premier League’s top scorer in three of his four seasons since joining Manchester City in July 2022, but this term he will embark on his first campaign without Guardiola.

Guardiola stepped down as City boss last summer, replaced by former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca. They got off to a worrying start in the Community Shield last weekend, suffering a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.

City kick off their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.