Football and hairstyles have always shaped both the pitch and the stands. For decades, players have surprised fans, and set trends, with weird, original, and sometimes downright unusual cuts. Moroccans are no exception: whether inspired by local stars or European giants, many have turned their hair into a tribute to their favorite player. Marouane Chamakh rocking his famous hairstyle Moroccans called «Tachwika». / Ph. DR ‹ › Football and hairstyles are a love story that never ends. They feed off each other, entertain spectators across the globe, and keep rewriting what's trendy among young football fanatics. Beyond the technique, the goals, and the celebrations, fans are also watching the hair, those bold, sometimes weird, sometimes brilliant cuts players bring onto the pitch. Barbershops are where these obsessions show up first. With the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, chairs are filling up with supporters chasing football-inspired looks, a ritual that only grows louder every time the continent gathers for a major tournament. A fresh cut before the match «We have had an extremely busy month», said Mohamed, or Paco, as he is known among fellow hairdressers, who works at a barbershop in Casablanca's lively Maarif neighborhood, just minutes away from Mohammed V Stadium. «We had a lot of people coming in for haircuts ahead of match days», he told Yabiladi, as he moved on to his next client. «We welcomed Moroccans living abroad, Algerian, Tunisian, and even Egyptian fans. Most of them come in the morning to get a fresh cut before the game in the afternoon or evening», he said. «Some even stop by before taking the train to Rabat or Tangier to watch the match there», he added, two cities that hosted AFCON fixtures. Unsurprisingly, Paco is no stranger to the strong bond between men's hair and football. «Most men's hairstyle trends come directly from the football pitch», the professional hairdresser explained. In other words, players largely decide what becomes fashionable when it comes to haircuts. And Moroccan players are no exception. «Many clients come asking for cuts inspired by players like Noussair Mazraoui, Achraf Hakimi, and Azzedine Ounahi», especially after the Qatar World Cup historic run in 2022. «Now they ask for Brahim Diaz», Si Brahim, as fans like to chant his name in the stands, although that one is tricky for curly-haired guys. «They often challenge us with very specific styles, and we're always happy to take on that challenge», he added with a smile. Your favorite player, your favorite haircut Beyond his clients, Moroccan and foreign alike, Mohamed himself is a product of football-inspired hairstyle culture. Growing up, the most popular cuts among youngsters were mainly «inspired by European players and European leagues», he recalled. Names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Suárez, and Neymar dominated barber conversations. Ahmed, a public health employee from Fes, remembers how Moroccan footballers in the 1990s also dared to go outside the box with their hairstyles. «One of the most distinctive, and strange hairstyles I remember was that of the late goalkeeper Abdelkader El Brazi, who once shaved the Kingdom's motto onto his head during a match: Allah, Al Watan, Al Malik, (God, Homeland, King)». Not as shocking as Brazil's Ronaldo Nazario in 2002, he noted, but still unusual by Moroccan football standards. Ahmed also recalls Raja Casablanca defender Youssef Rossi: «He had a rather unusual hairstyle at the time». A mullet-like cut with a long strand at the back. Something Ahmed, now a father, says he would never have dreamed of copying. «Some families were lenient about it, while others firmly refused», he joked. Others, like Dalal from Casablanca, say he could only replicate Eto'o's haircut, a simple buzz cut, a big Barca fan to this day. Bouderbala, Chamakh, or Neymar For others, the early 2000s were marked by Marouane Chamakh's famous «tachwika», a wet-look hairstyle achieved with excessive gel, creating stiff, spiky strands, hence the name in Arabic. «You could also see cuts inspired by stars like David Beckham or Neymar, depending on the era», Yassine from Errachidia recalled. Imad, an engineer from Marrakech, had a completely different taste, far removed from wild hairstyles. He admired the German style: dominant on the pitch, efficient, machine-like. No surprise there. His reference was Michael Ballack, listed among FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players. «He perfectly embodied those qualities», Imad said, «his haircut included». You might think football and hair trends are a story of today's stands, but back in the 1980s, when Morocco competed at the 1986 AFCON, frizzy hair was the statement. «No crazy cuts back then, apart from the frizzy styles worn by Mountakhab midfielders Aziz Bouderbala and Abdelmajid Dolmy», recalled Abdellatif, a café owner in Casablanca. And you, which of AFCON Morocco haircut would inspire your next visit to the barbershop?
