Will you be having the Foden or the Grealish today, sir? The Three Lions barber who will keep England squad hairline trim during Euros
The England squad are busy making final preparations before heading to this month’s European Championship and for many Three Lions stars this includes making sure their hairlines look neat when they take to the pitch.
Ahmed Alsanawi is the hairdresser selected for the crucial task and will travel around Germany with the team to complement players’ hairstyles, including Jack Grealish And Phil Foden.
The father-of-three will be on hand throughout the tournament to perfect the footballers’ fades, buzz cuts and highlights so they look good when England hopefully lift the trophy next month.
For many of them, the busiest times for hairdressers are expected to be the evening before the match Gareth Southgate‘s young stars were reportedly fixated on gaining an edge ahead of a big match.
While this may seem like an exaggeration, the veteran manager knows better than to interfere with the talented side’s pre-match rituals. GQ magazine last week: ‘If I start interfering with that, we’ll be in trouble.’
Jack Grealish gets a haircut from Ahmed Alsanawi. The father-of-three will be on hand throughout the tournament to perfect the footballers’ fades, buzz cuts and highlights so they look good when England hopefully lift the trophy next month.
Phil Foden’s special fade is perfected by Alsanawi. The busiest times for the hairdresser are expected to be the night before the match, with many of Gareth Southgate’s young stars reportedly fixated on getting a trim ahead of a big game
Chelsea youngster Omari Hutchinson gets a skin fade
But Alsanawi did admit that he would draw the line when a player comes to him for a last-minute haircut on matchday. The times that England’s hopefuls should ‘focus on getting into the zone’ rather than their trim.
Southgate’s attention to detail during major tournaments has been well documented, with him hiring sports psychologists and penalty experts in previous competitions. The 33-year-old hairdresser explained the value of having a specialist on site to keep the team’s locks looking good.
He said: “Footballers these days are so particular about their appearance. When they feel good, they play better.’
Alsanawi was a keen player himself, spreading passes and making tackles in midfield, before choosing his current career.
The barber used to play barefoot on the streets of Baghdad, but at the age of nine he had arrived in New Malden, south-west London, after his father brought his family to Britain after serving in the army in Iraq .
Alsanawi came to Britain without speaking English and left school at 16 to pursue his dream of becoming a top hairdresser.
His big break came in 2013 when he opened a shop outside Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge ground and was soon recruited by captain John Terry as the side’s main groomer.
Alsanawi now plies his trade from his A Star Barbers salon in Chessington, south-west London – a family business where his wife manages the books and his father sells coffee in an adjacent building.
Alsanawi (pictured) was a keen player himself, making passes and tackles in midfield, before choosing his current career
The barber used to play barefoot on the streets of Baghdad, but at the age of nine he had arrived in New Malden, south-west London, after his father brought his family to Britain after serving in the army in Iraq .
Alsanawi’s shop is filled to the brim with young people demanding fades, where the hair is tapered so that it looks like it is gradually fading into the skin, and more specifically ‘Grealishes’ and ‘Fodens’ in an attempt to emulate their idols
The store is filled to the brim with youngsters demanding fades, where the hair is tapered to appear as if it is gradually fading into the skin, and more specifically ‘Grealishes’ and ‘Fodens’ in an attempt to emulate their idols.
For those unfamiliar, the former involves an “undercut with a long, smooth back,” while a Foden means “a faded skin, short on top with a pattern on the side.”
Alsanawi charges £70 for a haircut and evidence of his overwhelming success can be seen in his wife’s gray Bentley, which is often parked outside the salon.
His other recent high-profile clients have included ex-Chelsea hero Eden Hazard, England winger Bukayo Saka and Chelsea star Reece James.
As for this summer’s Euros, the hairdresser, who has four million followers on TikTok, simply wants England to succeed.
He said: ‘I personally believe we will win it. We have a very good young team.’
For those unfamiliar, the former involves an ‘undercut with a long, smooth back’ while a Foden means ‘a skin fade, short on top with a pattern on the side’
Gareth Southgate’s attention to detail during major tournaments is well documented and the 33-year-old hairdresser explained the value of having a specialist on site to keep the team’s locks looking good (photo: Southgate with Foden in 2022)
The England campaign starts in just two weeks’ time but Southgate’s 30-man squad has already reported for training camp and will be hoping for a chance to impress Southgate in the pre-Euro friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park at Newcastle on June 3 and against Iceland at Wembley on June 7.
The deadline for reducing the squad to a maximum of 26 players is June 7.
England start their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16 in Gelsenkirchen, with Denmark and Slovenia also in their group.
