The 16 best soccer haircuts of all time

6. Abel Xavier

No list of amazing soccer haircuts would be complete without Abel Xavier. Not simply because the above picture deserves an essay of its own. But rather, as this Google image search shows, the man could have his own personal 16 haircut slideshow of shame.

A very well traveled player, Xavier has played for some of the biggest clubs in numerous top leagues: Portugal, the Netherlands, England, Turkey, Germany, Italy and the USA. He also represented his country, most notably at Euro 2000. Yet none of this matters in the mind of the average soccer fan. All they will remember is a bleached blonde mess of hair and beard.

Let’s dissect the image here, of Xavier playing for Hannover 96. Many men would look bad with a mohawk. Cornrows are a tough look to pull off. A ponytail rarely works, as we’ve already seen elsewhere in this countdown. Abel Xavier looks at these potential issues, laughs and chooses to go with all three.

And not only that, but sideburns and a beard too. As far as I can tell, they’re also a different shade of blonde than his hair is. As in the blonde bits of hair, not the dark bits of hair which show through. Man, his whole appearance is confusing on every level.

As it stands, Xavier is the last player to be transferred between Everton and Liverpool, in either direction. Let’s hope that he’s also the last player to combine so many dreadful hairstyles and facial hair in one photo. We are probably safe to assume he won’t be, though.