This decade has seen some interesting (to put it mildly) fashion trends developed by soccer players. As if the Russell Westbrook-esque pre- and post-game outfits weren’t enough, high-profile soccer stars have adopted an affinity for dyeing their hair blonde. Their questionable decisions have prompted younger players and the youth of our world to follow in their footsteps. Which begs the question, "Why do soccer players bleach their hair blonde?"
Let us take you back in time.
In the summer of 1998, the World Cup was held in France. The tournament ended with the host country winning its first-ever World Cup by trouncing a stacked Brazil team 3-0 in the final on the back of two Zinedine Zidane goals. Before that tournament ended, however, the Romanian national team captured the hearts of many due to a slight change of hair color midway through the tournament.
Why do soccer players dye their hair blonde? Let's ask the Romanians. (Photo: @timvisionuk | Twitter)
They started the tournament off hot, winning their first two matches against a tough Colombia and a talented England. But then success (or superstition) got to their heads (or hairs). Legendary Gheorge Hagi and his comrades decided to dye their hair bleach blonde in either an attempt to keep luck on their side or to better distinguish each other on the field. The true motive behind the shock move is still up for debate, as it remains one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe along with UFO sightings and YouTube conspiracy theories.
But the color change was not a boon for their title hopes. In fact, it was a curse. Their initial match under the blonde-haired-Romanian-weirdos moniker ended up in a 1-1 tie against a Tunisia side that scored just one goal and came away with just one point in the entire tournament. Romania’s next game, in a Round of 16 elimination match against Croatia, saw the blondes exit the tournament.
Although there were various soccer players that went for the bleached-blonde look after 1998, it wasn’t until the summer of 2016 that the soccer-sphere began to really pay tribute to the Romanians. Two of the most notable blonde-hair dyeing culprits, Lionel Messi and Aaron Ramsey, had similar yet differently motivated reasons for the change-of-color.
Ramsey started the summer off in style, bleaching his hair platinum blonde before the Euro 2016 tournament saying he “just fancied a change.” Whether the change was done strictly for style or for superstition is a fair question, especially considering that his national team of Wales subsequently reached the semifinals at the Euros – a much more positive result than his Romanian doppelgangers.
Aaron Ramsey shows off latest wacky hairdo after starting bleach blonde look this summer https://t.co/fS8Xje4uq9 pic.twitter.com/gHSFPoRT0l
— S E Y I P E T E R S (@SeyiPeters_) August 22, 2016
Lionel Messi also dyed his hair blonde, but months later.
Thinking of doing a Messi/Ramsey and getting a dusty grey blonde look. Probably regret it massively... pic.twitter.com/L89sQGLyF2
— David Loughbrough (@DaveLough123) September 4, 2016
Speaking in an interview with Argentine comedian “Mingo”, Messi stated about his hair color swap: “I made a change to start from zero. A lot of things had happened and I said to myself, ‘I have to break this and start again’.”
The Argentine legend was coming off another agonizing defeat in a third straight tournament final. He had grown weary of his natural brown hair, probably just like many Argentines had grown tired of seeing their national team lose yet another final.
Whether it be due to Ramsey’s or Messi’s lifestyle choices, the number of soccer players dyeing their hair blonde has expanded exponentially throughout the summer and into the fall. As if Marouane Fellaini’s curling afro wasn’t noticeable enough, he decided to paint it blonde and give his set-piece takers an even easier way of finding his head (that’s obviously the reason). Messi’s Barcelona teammate Neymar has followed in his friend’s footsteps, dawning his own style of blonde hair during Brazil’s most recent World Cup qualifiers.
Needless to say, things have gotten a bit silly:
El venezolano, Adalberto Peñaranda, en el once de la jornada 8 de las Eliminatorias Rumbo a Rusia 2018. pic.twitter.com/a2Wgnvlhvg
— La Nación del Fútbol (@lanaciondelfut) September 10, 2016
Elbow enthusiast Marouane Fellaini says Man United weren't aggressive enough against City https://t.co/R0uqz2a5Zw pic.twitter.com/GFoH53pgNr
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) September 11, 2016
The list keeps growing, and I fear it won’t be long before the Earth is suffocating in blonde hair dye.
