The man bun has made a resurgence in football, with Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the game’s greatest-ever players, one of the latest players to sport the look.
Love it or hate it, let’s take a look at some of the “best-looking” top-knot man buns sweeping the football world.
Gareth Bale
Cometh the hour cometh Gareth Bale’s epic man bun.
The Welsh international and Real Madrid legend is not shy about flashing the man bun, scoring one of the Champions League’s finest goals with the hairdo in the tournament’s 2018 final against Liverpool.
Even more revealing, though, was Bale’s decision to unfurl his man bun during a 2019 match to prove to all the haters that he was not hiding a bald spot.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
He’s carried the torch in the top-knot movement since his days at Paris Saint-Germain.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no stranger to the man bun. The goal-scoring machine has taken his look to Manchester United, Los Angeles, and back to the San Siro again.
Zlatan’s statue in Sweden even has the iconic man bun. Thankfully, the thieves who chafed the nose decided to keep the top knot intact.
Erling Haaland
If Thor played football, he’d wear his hair like this. Haaland’s man bun is no-frills, high-efficiency, and deadly, much like his goal-scoring. It’s a style that reflects the striker’s persona: coiled energy, ready to strike. Manchester City’s war machine doesn’t need flash; it just needs to function. And that bun? It’s part of the uniform.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Europe’s top player at the ripe young age of 35, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored in 10 consecutive Serie A matches—including a hat-trick to start 2020—sporting his man bun.
While even Ronaldo’s biggest fans may disapprove of the little bun, his latest scoring tear may convince them otherwise.
Antoine Griezmann
Never one to shy away from a bold look, Grizi’s platinum-blonde man bun during his Barcelona era was a statement—and not just about hair. Somewhere between anime protagonist and Euro fashion icon, the Frenchman’s top knot gave fans something else to talk about when the goals weren’t flowing.
Griezmann didn’t just wear the man bun, he believed in it. Whether it was during dry spells on the pitch or full-throttle celebrations with France, that bun stayed put, slicked back like it had a Champions League clause in his contract.
Say what you will, but few players have turned a hairdo into a defiant symbol of self-expression like Griezmann. Bleach it. Bun it. Backheel it.
David Beckham
From the man who put the man bun on the map, David Beckham is possibly the only footballer who’s successfully pulled off the hairstyle.
Whether it was in Madrid or Los Angeles, Becks knew how to rock the man bun.
David de Gea
Some say David de Sea hasn’t been the same since he ditched his hairdo for the man bun.
But to think the man bun has stripped the Spaniard of his powers is nonsense. De Gears hipster man bun and beard combination is one we can appreciate.
Virgil Van Dijk
Why, yes, the best defender in the world wears a man bun.
It’s nonsense to think that the 2019 Champions League winner will cut off the small bun just to appease the haters.
Man. Bun. Life.
Hector Bellerin
One of the more recent additions to the man bun club is Arsenal fashion style-don Hector Bellerin.
The Spaniard is known to sport the latest looks and with the mustache, seems to have pulled off the bun with aplomb.
Theo Walcott
While sporting the shaved head in his Arsenal days, Everton’s Theo Walcott decided to mix things up at Everton.
The English striker put his own spin on the man bun, adding corn rows to the mix.
Andy Carroll
The man bun is nothing new to Andy Carroll – the English striker has owned the look during his time at West Ham before taking it to Newcastle.
It is worth noting that he signed his biggest deal with Liverpool when he wore his hair down.
Adrien Rabiot
An effortless style of play needs a good mop of hair to go with it, and Adrien Rabiot still delivers both. Now bossing the midfield at Marseille, the Frenchman brings a touch of elegance—and a lot of bun—to the Stade Vélodrome.
Once known more for controversy than consistency, Rabiot has grown into a mature presence for club and country. He logged serious minutes at back-to-back international tournaments, all while keeping the man bun firmly in place.
It’s not just a hairstyle. It’s a philosophy. And in Rabiot’s case, it’s got Ligue 1 flavor now.
Roberto Firmino
Save the best for last. Liverpool striker Roberto “Bobby” Firmino wore the man bun briefly during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
Luckily for him, his fortune and Liverpool’s started to turn as soon as he cut it off. We don’t think he’ll be returning to the look soon.
