long hair returns among men

Men’s hair never completely said goodbye, it’s true, but over the last few years (more than a decade) the fashion that has reigned among men has been its antonym: courteous fade. Short hair and impossible gradients that in many cases included shaved necks and temples. They were (still are) requested in thousands in barbershops and their image was repeated everywhere: gyms, bars, offices and of course on TVs and networks (from Llados to Ibai), where the fade in its multiple forms gradually took shape as part of the image of the manly-looking, productive and successful man. The model to follow.

The World Cup has reminded us that that is changing.

The other protagonist of the World Cup: If we talk about national teams, Spain has been the main protagonist of the World Cup, but things change when we focus on the players. In that case the ‘photo’ is much more diverse. And not always for sporting reasons. There are two footballers who (beyond their merits on the field) have gone viral for their appearance: Erling Haaland and Marc Cucurella.

The first is a Norwegian of almost two meters that could well illustrate an article about Vikings; The second, born in Barcelona, ​​is dark and does not reach 1.8 m. Both do share one trait in common: hair that (although with obvious differences in both cases) looks proudly long.

In the case of Haaland we have seen it mostly tied up in a ponytail. Cucurella usually wears her curly hair loose, with a discreet headband, which gives it so much volume that it has starred in one of the most viral memes of the World Cup: a cat with a curly wig reminiscent of that of the Spanish full-back.

Is it important? Yes. It is true that in the stadiums of the USA, Mexico and Canada we have seen many other players with shaved heads or short hair; but it is equally true that footballers like Haaland, Cucurella, Alisson Becker, Darwin Núñez, Dominik Szoboszlai, David Raya or Marcos Llorente demonstrate that something is changing in men’s style patterns.

We don’t say it. Over the last few weeks they have pointed it out several analysts who agree that, sporting issues or of geopolitics Apart from that, the big winner of the 2026 World Cup has been men’s hair. Not so much because it was the majority aesthetic option but because the FIFA event has reminded us that long hair, in a way, has been resigned.

A new meaning? That’s how it is. Haircuts are just that: haircuts. But it doesn’t mean that they don’t end up loaded with meaning. In recent years, faded cuts have become part of the business card of a masculinity associated with certain ideas, such as explained a few days ago Álvaro Fernández-Espina in ICON: they showed correctness, efficiency, cleanliness.

Also certain status. And it’s normal. You can’t wear a fade if you don’t go to your hairdresser every few weeks to touch it up, which in turn denotes money, time, and conscious concern and care for your own image.

It doesn’t just happen with cuts fade. Shaved heads, pin up hairstyles, bob hair, ‘broccoli’ hair, long sideburns, layered men’s cuts with forward bangs, dyed hair… Often when people choose a specific way to wear their hair, they do so not only based on strictly aesthetic criteria or for comfort, it also transmits (deliberately or not) a message. And that background reading is changing in men’s hair.

Beyond surfers and rockers. What the World Cup has shown us is that the men’s hair of 2026 has little to do with those of the 80s or 90s. Not even with those of the early 2000s. Long hair is no longer something for surfers, rockers or unkempt rebels; They have become a sign of sophistication and status. Exactly the same as the gradients.

Marc Cucurella, Erling Haaland, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alisson Becker share another characteristic in common, beyond being elite footballers who more or less coincide in their hair choice: they show perfectly cared for hair.

The importance of details. It is not a minor issue. Has cuts fade who can afford the time and resources that a good gradient requires. The same applies to tanned skin, muscular bodies in the gym, ironed clothes and… (exactly) long, shiny and healthy hair.

If something surprises when we see Cucurella running with her mop of curls, it’s not just her hair, it’s how she wears it. With it he shows a personal choice, but also a dedication and hard work that has little to do with the idea of ​​carefree or rebellion that we associated with the rockers of the 80s.

Does it only happen in football? No. The FIFA World Cup has been the great mass spectacle of the summer year and that makes us look at its protagonists and trends with a magnifying glass, but men’s hair hydrated and cared for with masks, treatments and hours of dedication, takes time also making its way into other areas, such as cinema or music.

There they are (or were there not so long ago) Jared Leto, Keanu Reeves, Jeremy Allen White, Johnny Depp, Brad Pit, Harry Styles, Orlando Bloom or Jason Mamoa, to name just a handful of examples. Also some K-pop stars.

The nuances. The most interesting thing about fashions is that they are not exclusive or zero-sum games. That long hair is regaining ground does not mean that it cannot coexist with other radically opposite trends, such as shavedcuts that they keep playing with gradients or simply allow the hair to grow to gain volume but without reaching the mane, something that we have been seeing for years in the famous “broccoli hair” that is having so much success in Generation Z.

In the background, a masculinity that increasingly shows concern for self-care and its appearance in a more unapologetic way, something that can perfectly be made clear in new trends, such as he looksmaxxing.

Images | Bryan Berlin (Wikipedia), Dunk (Flickr)

In Xataka | For the first time, Tokyo allows men to wear shorts to the office. And that is causing a revolution