Sportstar rockstars

StyleSpeak checks out some sports stars whose game and hair styles have won them equal adulation

Urmi Chanda-Vaz

They are the objects of millions of admiring eyes, and if a sportsman is stylish, their fans take them to a grand new level of hero worship. There are many cases in point. Super stylish Andre Agassi had as many screaming female fans as a pop artist in his heydays, while father-of-four David Beckham still elicits sighs of envy from men across the world. Men like this have set standards not just in sports but also in trends. Here, we do a recce of the sportsmen who love to show off their mane.

Troy Polamalu: America NFL footballer Troy Polamalu’s unmistakable curls are as much his claim to fame as are his football skills. Hair giant Pantene has even gone as far as insuring Polamalu’s locks for a staggering $1 mn!! Apparently, the last time he got a haircut was in 2000, when his coach told him he needed one. No wonder the man has grown such a heedful of tremendous tresses!

Andre Agassi: The shaven-headed Andre Agassi that this generation sees is very different from the vibrant, long-haired tennis sensation that he once was. The eight-time Grandslam singles champion and Olympic gold medalist was known as a flamboyant sport star with a bushy mane. However, he admitted to the world through his autobiography ‘Open’ in 2009, that his famous hair was a wig!

Dennis Rodman: Speaking of yesteryear stars, retired American footballer Dennis Rodman was yet another fashion-forward stars of the last generation. Rodman was equally notorious for his fierce defence and rebound moves in basketball, as he was for his brightly-coloured hair. Rodman’s colouful choices are reflected in the fact that he later turned to professional wrestling and even television.

David Beckham: The poster boy of metrosexuality, David Beckham has had a no-holds-barred approach about personal style ever since he began his career in 1992. Beckham’s hairstyles have garnered as much media and public attention as his marriage to pop star-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham, and endorsements. From braids, to spikes, to undercuts to long hair, to a shaved head, there’s nothing David Beckham hasn’t tried.    

MS Dhoni: Back home, the charismatic captain of the Indian cricket team, M S Dhoni, has inspired many a young man. Before assuming captaincy and a generally sober image, Dhoni was a powerhouse of talent with long, straightened hair. He, perhaps singlehandedly, popularized the trend among young men, who rushed to salons to get their Dhoni style hair.

Sreesanth: Sreesanth is yet another Indian cricketer who antics, on and off the field, have drawn much attention. The young sportsman is known for his fiery temper, but he does have a cool sense of personal style. Though not too flamboyant, Sreesanth likes to style his hair in different ways. His trademarks are easygoing spikes, although he often also experiments with colour.

David James: 42-year-old David James is a rather philanthropic man, who does a lot of charity and pursues art in the time that he is not playing international football. But James didn’t always have this image. Until a few years ago, he was actually called the ‘Spice Boy’ for his bold, and often eccentric, choice of hairstyles. While we aren’t complaining about a mellower James, we liked the Spice Boy better!

Ronaldinho: This prodigious Brazilian footballer has been the sports world’s darling for many years now. Apart from his match-winning kicks, what endears him to fans is his cute buck-toothed smile and who can forget those lovely curls? His locks were even auctioned in 2006 for the sake of charity. It is little wonder that each time he gets a haircut or a new style, headlines are made.

Lasith Malinga: He may have retired from test cricket, but no one has forgotten the swing bowling action, that earned him the sobriquet ‘Slinga Malinga’. Another thing that is hard to forget about the Sri Lankan cricketer is the eyebrows he raised when he debuted his ‘curly hair with blonde highlights’ style during the World Cup of 2007. It has since then come to be associated as one of Malinga’s trademarks.

Taribo West: It may not be wrong to say that Taribo West’s primary claim to fame is his hair, although he has played professional football for Nigeria for some years, and represented their team at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. West was often spotted on field with weird or plain crazy hairdos, which were fodder for many articles in the media.

Sergio Ramos: Spanish footballer, Sergio Ramos, singlehandedly made the headband hot! The golden-haired sportsman often had men and women swooning over his unique style and choice of accessory, but has recently had his hair cut. Some even jokingly compare this ‘event’ to Victoria Beckham being caught wearing flats!

Kevin O’Brian: Irish cricketer and vice-captain, Kevin O’Brien, grabbed a lot of headlines in 2011 for scoring the fastest century at a World Cup. But this burly sportsman did another eyeball-grabbing thing around the same time. He coloured his hair a bold pink in support of the Irish Cancer Society. Although his girlfriend wants him to get rid of it, he thinks it is lucky. Well, we think it is pretty.   

This article appeared in the April 2012 issue of StyleSpeak - The Salon & Spa Journal.