Erling Haaland has cut off the hair that Zlatan Ibrahimovic warned was the source of his strength. The former Sweden striker gave him that advice during the 2026 World Cup and on Sunday, Haaland failed to score in the first game he has played without the long blond hair that had become his trademark.The 26-year-old Manchester City striker went for a buzzcut before his side’s opener against Bournemouth, then went goalless despite having five shots in a 2-1 victory. Before Sunday, he had scored in every Premier League opener he had played (seven goals in four games).Ibrahimovic’s warning referred to Samson, the biblical figure who lost his strength when Delilah cut his hair. But from former Brazil striker Ronaldo to Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Tadej Pogacar, sport’s biggest names have produced very different results after reaching for the clippers.Premier League titles, Grand Slams, Tour victories and a World Cup have all followed dramatic haircuts. So have losing seasons, early exits and sharp drops in form.Haaland had considered cutting his hair after the World Cup, where he scored seven goals as Norway reached the quarter-finals in their first appearance at the competition for 28 years. In the video documenting the haircut, he described the new season as a “fresh start” but admitted Ibrahimovic’s warning had left him nervous.He went through with the chop before the Premier League kicked off and called Ibrahimovic, 44, on FaceTime, only for the former Milan forward to ask if he had lost a bet.